Today’s Pick: This human medical device can save dogs
Published 6 months ago • 4 min read
Editors’ Picks • August 20, 2025
There are many ways in which dogs and people overlap: We both enjoy long sunset walks, snoozing away a lazy afternoon, and eating our hearts out. Unfortunately, we can also share some of the same health problems — including certain heart conditions. But for both humans and canines who have slower-than-normal heart rates, cardiac pacemakers can be life-changing. And something many dog lovers may not know is while, in the U.S., these devices can’t be donated secondhand to our fellow humans, they can be given to pups in need. Learn how below.
Ally Mauch
Associate Editor
Today’s Pick
David Wong/South China Morning Post via Getty Images
Did You Know You Can Donate Your Old Pacemaker to a Dog?
Around 3 million Americans live with cardiac pacemakers: small, implanted devices that regulate slow heart rates by delivering electrical pulses to the organ. In use since the late 1950s, they can significantly improve quality of life — not just for humans, but for canines, too.
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