Hypothetical Moral Dilemma!! sacrificing a shelter dog for its organs

[Xandra]

Interesting moral dilemma question from reddit (not sure if I should link or not..?)

If your dog needed a new organ and you had the dinero for the operation, would you sacrifice another dog and harvest its organs to save yours?

If you wouldn't, is that just your personal preference or do you believe it's wrong? (ie do you believe no one should do that)

I shall make it a poll...

[Romy]

I guess if an otherwise healthy dog had to be euthanized for behavior problems or lack of room, I don't see anything wrong with harvesting usable tissue for medical purposes.

That being said, you have to wonder what conditions euthanasia would have to take place in for the tissue to be useful. I don't think lethal injection would be good for that, so whatever it is would still have be a humane method.

I do not agree with euthanizing a dog specifically FOR its organs however. Just that if a dog is going to die anyway for another reason, I wouldn't have any moral problem with tissue harvest.

[Equinox]

Basically what Romy said. If the animal absolutely was to be euthanized (and considering just how many animals are euthanized daily), I am okay with someone using the organs to save their personal dog/cat.

I asked my sister the same question (regarding her cat) and she refused to answer for the options where the animal was euthanized specifically for the organ... but she did say that she will use an organ from an animal that absolutely HAD to be euthanized no matter the situation, and ONLY if she were allowed to have the animal cremated and the ashes sent to her to keep.

Which is weird and a nice sentiment at the same time considering she's not really a big animal person.

[StephyMei1112]

Sure - if that dog was going to be put down for whatever other reason and it absolutely had to be/was going to be done. I wouldn't have another dog killed specifically for organ harvesting though...

[Saeleofu]

That being said, you have to wonder what conditions euthanasia would have to take place in for the tissue to be useful. I don't think lethal injection would be good for that, so whatever it is would still have be a humane method.

Anesthetize the donor, take the organ, and euthanize them on the table. A good euthanasia involves sedation before the lethal injection anyway, taking that a step further to full anesthesia would make the organ salvageable. We have euthanized animals in the middle of surgery before when it becomes apparent the animal will not recover or will only be in pain/live a few days after waking up.

[JessLough]

I don't know that I could say I honestly would. If I *would*, the dog being saved would have to be very young.

I mean, I question the life of the dog that's getting the transplant after that. I know how much of a pain it is in humans to go through that, and there are so many things that could go wrong making them not any better off, anyway. I don't think that I would be able to assure myself that what I'm doing is best for the dog (quality vs quantity) and not just being selfish because *I* still want the dog alive.

Then again, it would take a lot for me to put one of my animals through surgery, and it would have to be pretty well a gaurentee that they'll be back to a normal life after the surgery.

[Kat09Tails]

No I would not. Not sure how many of you know people who have had organ transplants but it's not as simple as snip organ out of someone else and pop it in - and away you go. There is pain - there is a LOT of drugs with really crappy side effects.

I can't tell a dog this pain may or may not last like I can with a person. I can't tell them that immune therapy will save them despite the side effects.

IMO there is nothing wrong with taking the organs/tissues out of a dead animal and putting it into a live one - that critters not going to miss them any more than I'll miss my eyes, liver, heart etc after I kick the bucket. Keeping a live animal in pain for months or even years however is another story.

[sassafras]

Nope. Just a line I don't think should be crossed.

[Romy]

Kat brought up another good point. When I answered I just assumed the scenario Sael put up where the dog's organs are harvested while its under anesthesia didn't apply, and that it would be more for stuff like corneas. I could maybe swing a cornea transplant to save eyesight or skin graft if there was a major accident and he got burned all over or something but was young and would recover. I don't think I would put my dog through a heart or kidney transplant though.

[stardogs]

Some fascinating info on canine kidney transplants here: http://biomed.brown.edu/Courses/BI10...als/canine.htm