The passing of a cherished pet is something every pet owner dreads. Yet, it is something most of eventually face. In addition to burial or cremation, educational memorial programs or willed body programs are offered at several veterinary universities in the United States.
Modeled similar to human cadaver donation programs, pet owners can donate the body of their beloved dog to a veterinary educational program where the body of the animal is used to help train future veterinarians. The following schools offer some type of donation program:
- Oregon State
- Tufts
- Western University College of Veterinary Medicine, Pomona, California
- University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, Philadelphia. For information, call 215-898-4680.
Source: Dogster, January 12, 2018.
I think the main reason owners donate their pets to educational memorial programs is that they find comfort in knowing their pet helped train the next generation of animal caregivers, which in turn provides benefits to other pets in the future,” says Lili Duda, MBE, VMD, BA, clinical professor of radiation oncology and coordinator of the Educational Memorial Program at University of Pennsylvania, School of Veterinary Medicine.
Also see: DVM 360, October 2001. The HSUS helped establish a Web page dedicated to the body donation issue at: http://www.educationalmemorial.org.
INSIGHTS: Take time at the next veterinary team meeting to remind the staff about memorial cadaver programs. Consider adding these programs to the options for pet owners to examine in addition to burial and cremation.