Has anyone donated their pet's body?

misskalamata

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http://www.ehow.com/how_4748092_dona...ry-school.html

I've thought about donating my body to science, but I've only recently become aware that this is an option for pets, too. The webpage link above calls donated animal bodies "ethical," which makes it sound like most veterinary schools use bodies obtained through inhumane, unethical methods.

So, has anyone done this?
 

carolina

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I (personally) would never do that... I wouldn't do it to my body, and since my kitties can't voice their wishes, and this is such a personal choice, I feel I would be violating them...
Please note this is my opinion only -
 

wellingtoncats

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Originally Posted by carolinalima

I (personally) would never do that... I wouldn't do it to my body, and since my kitties can't voice their wishes, and this is such a personal choice, I feel I would be violating them...
Please note this is my opinion only -
I agree. I would never do this to my kitties. I'm happy to be an organ donor, but not give my body to science.
 

trillcat

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Not to start a big fight, just debate, I am curious about those who are organ donors (as am I) but wouldn't give their whole body to science. I have heard stories about crazy med students not exactly treating the bodies with respect, which is what keeps me from donating my whole body. If I knew however that I would be used purely for research and practice, I would. Hey, its just a body, I won't be using it anymore, practice away!
I would donate a pets body for the same reasons. It would be a tough decision, but if it helps animals down the line, I think its a good decision, especially is the animal has passed from a condition that requires surgery. My ferret Rocko died from pancreatic tumors, if using him to perfect the technique of removing them would save another ferret, I would have donated him. Its an option I didn't even know existed until reading this post. (he was creamated and I have his ashes)
I am taking a guess, and only a guess, that many vet schools get their animals from kill shelters, maybe that is why the website says this is the ethical choice?
 

larussa

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I never heard of this either and right now I don't know which way I would go. I would really have to think about this for a while. I am not an organ donor at this time.
 

duckdodgers

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I didn't really know that this was a ready option for animals. I do know that often times vet schools will use the bodies of animals that were left behind by their owners for research purposes. It's definitely something I would consider. I'm not one of those people who thinks that a body has any significance at all after death besides what people make of it, and I certainly don't think that my dogs and cats would care. They pay absolutely no respect to any animals that they may kill or find dead, so I doubt that they would care what happens to them after they die
As much as I love my animals and their physical bodies while they are alive, I really don't see the need to have any sort of attachment to their dead bodies when they are gone and would rather see them go to some sort of use
 

pushylady

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Originally Posted by Trillcat

I am curious about those who are organ donors (as am I) but wouldn't give their whole body to science. I have heard stories about crazy med students not exactly treating the bodies with respect, which is what keeps me from donating my whole body. If I knew however that I would be used purely for research and practice, I would. Hey, its just a body, I won't be using it anymore, practice away!
That's what puts me off from donating my body to science. I'm an organ donor though, and have no problem with the idea of donating my whole body, just the doubts about how it would be treated. Which is a bit silly I suppose.

As for my pets, I have never considered this possibility before. I don't think I'm completely comfortable with the idea because, as others have stated, it's not like they can voice their wishes about it.
 

duckdodgers

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Originally Posted by pushylady

That's what puts me off from donating my body to science. I'm an organ donor though, and have no problem with the idea of donating my whole body, just the doubts about how it would be treated. Which is a bit silly I suppose.

As for my pets, I have never considered this possibility before. I don't think I'm completely comfortable with the idea because, as others have stated, it's not like they can voice their wishes about it.
On the other hand, it's not like they can voice their wishes about being buried or cremated either
I think it has more to do with what the animals' owners are most comfortable and get the most piece of mind with
 

carolina

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Originally Posted by DuckDodgers

On the other hand, it's not like they can voice their wishes about being buried or cremated either
I think it has more to do with what the animals' owners are most comfortable and get the most piece of mind with
IMO not really... "from dust to dust".... Cremating or burying them is definitely more of a natural choice than donating them to science.

I am an organ donor, and I have also been in anatomy classes... Donating my organs would save many lives, while donating to science is somewhat questionable. Of course having bodies is essential to the advance of medicine, but having my body wouldn't necessarily make a difference... There is plenty of unclaimed bodies that are used for those purposes.
With animals, when there are millions of them being euthanized every year, I would like to think a lot of them are donated for that purpose.
I feel the same way about stem cell research - I would love to see those aborted embryos being donated to stem cell research instead of being tossed into the trash.
I see all of those things are "flour from the same bag", as we would say in Brasil
 

arlyn

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The way I see it, once you are deceased your body is just an empty vessel.
If I can save the life of a human or animal by donating an empty vessel, I will.
I'd rather someone learn from something no longer living than to even think of some poor living animal suffering in the name of science.
Science has to have something to learn from, the choice is necropsy of the no longer living, or euthanasia and necropsy of an animal that might otherwise be healthy.
 

carolina

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Originally Posted by Arlyn

Science has to have something to learn from, the choice is necropsy of the no longer living, or euthanasia and necropsy of an animal that might otherwise be healthy.
Please note - I am not talking about euthanasia of a healthy animal for those means - no way. Unfortunately, due to overpopulation, millions of animals are euthanized by shelters a year, and I think those bodies could serve a purpose. It's sad, but it is the reality...
 

arlyn

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The reality is that shelter animals are euthanized and incinerated.
You are right though, they could serve a purpose, unfortunately, they do not, not in any vet schools I'm aware of.
 

jaffacake

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The idea had never occured to me but I wouldn`t do it just because now I have Kittys and Maisies ashes here with me. It is a big comfort to me that they are still here and I know exactly what happened to them and where they are and that they will stay with me until I go
 

ut0pia

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Donating to science is a little weird for me, you never know what they will do with your body and what kind of research they will use it for. If I knew specifically that my or my cat's body was going to such and such research I might do it but not to such a vague cause as "science".
 
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