Pacemaker brings new lease of life to tiny donkey

Vets at the Rainbow Equine Hospital completed a five-hour operation to implant a pacemaker into Prince Buttons

Prince Buttons is thought to be one of just a handful of donkeys in the world to have undergone this massive procedure.

Denise Hart, Buttons’ worried owner, noticed that her five-year-old miniature donkey was having episodes of staggering and then collapsing. Denise contacted the equine team at Rainbow Equine Hospital to have some tests carried out to find the cause of the problem.

After two days of testing and observations, Rainbow Equine Hospital vet Gemma Tyner diagnosed a potentially fatal heart condition called bradycardia, which is a slow and irregular heartbeat. Buttons’ heart would block repeatedly for up to 24 seconds at a time. This stopped blood being pumped around his body, causing him to pass out.

Gemma was able to offer Denise the good news that a pacemaker could be fitted to prevent his heartbeat from falling dangerously low. Gemma was joined by Celia Marr from Rossdales Veterinary Surgeons to assist with the case.

During the procedure, the pacemaker, which is the size of a large box of matches, was inserted into a pocket in Buttons’ neck and wires connected to his heart. The team also performed X-rays and ultrasound scans to make sure all the elements of the device were positioned correctly.

Gemma said: “The pacemaker has been programmed to activate if Buttons’ heart rate drops lower than 30bpm. It also sends an alert if the heart regularly drops below this rate.”

Buttons is now home in East Yorkshire with his owner Denise and his constant companion – half-brother Rolo, who accompanied him on all his hospital visits.