Our question this week was:

Dr. Jon,

I have a pacemaker and met someone that said their dog has a pacemaker. Are pacemakers used in dogs?

Bobbie Jo.

Answer

Hi – thanks for your email. Yes, pacemakers are used in dogs.

As you know, an artificial pacemaker is a medical device that is used to deliver electrical impulses to the heart muscle that stimulates it to "beat". The goal of the pacemaker is to help the heart maintain an adequate heart rate. It is generally implanted by a veterinary cardiologist for conditions in which the hearts normal internal natural pacemaker is no longer functioning properly. I recently read that approximately 200 to 300 pacemakers are placed in dogs every year in the U.S.

Hope this answered your question.

Regards,


Dr. Jon


P.S. – Do you have any great pet tips? I love learning from pet owners and have been looking for some pet tips. I might try to share some of these with other PetPlace users! Send me your pet tips!





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