For a change of pace, here's a cute story from abcnews.com, a new way to
recycle pacemakers:

Old Dog, New Life
Human Donor Gives Pacemaker to German Shepherd

By Barry Serafin

A T H E N S, Ga., March 20 — Before 80-year-old Dorothea Edwards died last
month, she instructed her family to give her pacemaker to a patient who
needed it. The recipient is doing fine. She's back on her feet — all four of
them.

Sunshine," a 9-year-old German shepherd with a weak heart, owes her life to
Edwards.
After Edwards' death, her family learned that federal regulations prohibit
person-to-person donations of pacemakers. So the family found another way to
carry out her wishes. The pacemaker was given to the University of Georgia's
College of Veterinary Medicine.

"We thought this was a great thing to do," says Edwards' daughter Mahla
Swinford. "This is a way she's been able to draw attention to a need that a
lot of people didn't know existed and to, hopefully, encourage others to
donate." Dr. Clay Calvert, a veterinary cardiologist, says 3,000 to 4,000
dogs in this country need a pacemaker every year.

"The potential of pacemakers" in dogs, he says, "is every bit as promising
as it is in humans."

Expensive Propositions for Pooches

But only about one out of 10 dogs that needs one gets one because the
lifesaving devices cost $4,000 to $6,000 apiece, making them too expensive
for many pet owners. So veterinary schools depend on pacemakers donated by
manufacturers and individuals.

Most vet schools perform the procedure, but not often. That's partly the
result of a scarcity of available pacemakers.

Schools, such as the one at the University of Georgia, are also still
working out protocols for disinfecting the devices in a safe and inexpensive
manner. That means that, despite the need for pacemakers, the university is
not seeking — in fact does not want to receive at this time — a great number
of them from well-meaning donors.

Still, for Sunshine, such a donation has meant the difference between life a
nd death.

Her pacemaker was implanted earlier this month and should keep her heart
beating regularly for four to five years.

Surgeon Karen Cornell, who performed the procedure, says, "Sunshine can be
as active as she wants to be."

'Better Than Normal'

So can Tucker, a 6-year-old Labrador retriever mix who received a donated
pacemaker the same day Sunshine did. Tucker's owner, Mallory Herman, says
the difference in her dog is "amazing."

She says he is not only back to normal, he's "better than normal." Herman
says she "didn't know human beings could donate their pacemakers, and I
think it's wonderful."

Sunshine's owners, John and Cindy Wren, say they are grateful for Dorothea
Edwards' "generous gift," and the chance to spend more years with the dog
they almost lost.