Organ Replacement in Animals

Organ replacement in animals is an emerging field of veterinary science covering the various surgical replacement and transplantation procedures now used in animal medicine. It includes kidney transplantation, most often performed in cats and dogs and requiring lifelong immunosuppressive treatment; total hip replacement in dogs; cardiac pacemaker implantation, sometimes using pacemakers originally made for human patients; blood transfusion, which requires compatibility testing between donor and recipient; heart valve replacement using valves derived from bovine pericardium; custom prosthetic limbs for weight-bearing animals; and orthopedic implants such as intramedullary nails used to treat fractures in horses. The field weighs the technological advances making these procedures possible against practical concerns of animal welfare, cost and outcome.