Posted on 11/10/2018 12:02:43 PM PST by ETL
A dog in St. Louis recently received a lifesaving gift from one of her puppies.
A few years ago, Star and her litter of 13 puppies were found in a box in southern Missouri. The mom was dehydrated and malnourished, local news station Fox 2 reported.
When Star and her puppies were taken to Murphy Animal Hospital in High Ridge, veterinarians there determined she was in advanced kidney failure -- a near-death experience Star somehow managed to survive. She was then adopted by the owner of the animal hospital, Shannon Flegle, and many of her puppies went to homes in the St. Louis area.
But over the summer, Star began to vomit and refused to eat. The dog’s condition continued to worsen, and tests later showed Star’s kidneys were again in failure.
In order to save Star’s life, veterinarians determined the dog would need a kidney transplant -- which could only be performed if the dog could find the perfect match, much like in humans.
That’s when Elsa, one of Star’s puppies found in the box a few years ago, came to the rescue.
"It just really seemed like she picked us at the time," Jenny Murray, Elsa’s owner, told the news station.
After consulting with her husband and children, the family decided to see if Elsa would be a match for Star.
“This is Elsa’s chance to save her mom, and they’re like, ‘Oh so she’s a hero!’” Murray told Fox 2 of her children’s reaction.
Elsa was a match and the two dogs underwent a successful surgery, which was performed by a veterinarian in Wisconsin, in October.
Both pups are on the mend and are “expected to live normal lives” going forward, Fox 2 reported.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Did Elsa give “informed consent?”
It’s dogs, I know, but it’s not hard to make the leap to people in considering the issues.
It's really weird how people have elevated dogs to the level of humanity.
What a nice story and adorable pups.
What a wonderful story!
“One of the puppies was adopted by the Murray family. They named her Elsa.
“It just really seemed like she picked us at the time,” said Jenny Murray.
The Murray family was part of the group of people who had adopted Star’s puppies and kept in contact.
However, Murray was not prepared for the call she got this summer.
“She said, ‘I have a crazy question for you,’” said Murray.
Through tears, Flegle explained to Murray about Star’s health problems and the need for a kidney transplant. Flegle asked Murray to reach out to the puppies’ families to see if anyone would be willing to get their dog tested.
“I could tell this was a mom, this was her baby, you know,” said Murray. “She was going to do what she needed to do to save her baby.”
Murray had a human family member who received a kidney from a living donor, and she felt like this was a great way to help out another family.
However, she could not make this decision alone.
Murray consulted with her husband, Patrick, and children: Isaac, 10, Audrey, 7, and Claire, 5. They discussed the risks and benefits and decided to help.
Murray said to her kids, “This is Elsa’s chance to save her mom, and they’re like, ‘Oh so she’s a hero!’”
On October 10, surgeons at UW performed the rare transplant surgery on the mother and daughter.
“And 36 hours later her blood work was normal,” said Flegle.
Both dogs are back home in the St. Louis area recovering. Similar to humans, the one kidney in each dog will grow to compensate for the missing one. Both are expected to live normal lives.
https://fox2now.com/2018/11/08/family-of-dog-with-failing-kidneys-receives-miracle-organ-donation/
That’s wonderful, ETL. Thank you!
Not my point. I was referring to an incident several years ago where a couple deliberately got pregnant hoping to get an organ match in the new baby for their older, ailing son.
Ethics questions galore.
Alyssa Milano also wants to donate her kidneys.
Brilliant idea, brilliant execution. I am not one who laughs at the drop of a hat, but that actually cracked me up pretty good. Both the timing and the dialogue were perfect. Thanks for sharing that.
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