Microchipping??

[Jill's boxer]

The Humane Society/shelter/dr's office keeps the info on your chip. Or rather, the chip is registered through them until you pay the chip company to change it to you. So basically if your animal is lost they will track the chip to the place you purchased it from. Then the dr's office or the shelter will look up your info (which is why you need to update it with them) and give you a call. You never have to pay to change the registration to your name if you don't want to, just update your info at the shelter/dr's office/whoever you bought the chip from.

I would be very careful about that...it is not always the case, especially with shelters, etc. You really need to register the chip yourself with the company in order to insure the correct contact info is there. Also, when you register the chip, you provide an alternate contact in case you are unreachable. what happens if you don't register and it is afterhours--do you really want to take the chance of not being contacted, especially if there is an emergency with your pet and no one can reach you until the vet's office opens on Monday? The registration is minimal, and is a onetime fee--saving about $20 is not worth my pet's safety IMO. It is also possible that the clinic/shelter may not have entered your chip number into their system correctly, making it impossible to track that chip # to your pet!

 

[micmay]

I heard that in other countries they tattoo the dogs groin area
with a number.

Before the microchip, there was the tattoo. Unfortunately in the US there was no central registry. If a pet was found with a tattoo, it was safe to assume the pet belonged to somebody, but it was next to impossible to determine who. Tattoos can also be easily altered. Microchips are definitely the way to go. If a lost dog with a microchip is scanned, it just takes a phone call or two to return the dog home

 

[FrogsMom]

I cannot speak highly enough about microchipping. Frog's chip was placed by the shelter I adopted her from. If not for that chip I would have never gotten my baby back. She had been gone for 77 days when a nice lady (Hope) found Frog sitting on her porch. Her house is 91 miles from my house. Hope took Frog to her local animal hospital and had her scanned not expecting to find a chip but lucky for me she had one and I was able to go pick up my missing baby the next morning!!

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE HAVE YOUR BABIES CHIPPED AND KEEP YOUR INFO CURRENT!!!!!!

 

[Paper-Dogg13]

I also can't be happier having my boy microchipped. It has brought him home to me as well, and without it I might not have found him. It doesn't cost that much, but to me it's worth everything. I convinced my roomate to get her dog chipped, and as a Valentine's Day present to my boyfriend last year, I took his dog to get it done. It's definatly worth the $20 or so it costs.

 

[RoxysMum]

I wasn't meaning to say that you shouldn't register your dog with the company, just that if you didn't know any better and hadn't registered with the company it wasn't useless. There's still a paper trail of who owns the dog. It's not like you have the chip implanted and anyone who finds your dog will have no idea what to do with the number (which was the problem with tatoos). As a last resort there's a record of what place implanted it. It'd take just that much longer for you to get your dog back. I think I've always had my dogs chipped and kept up with their registrations. It was especially important for me when I was a student and moved every 6 months! I don't think they'd be able to find me at all if I hadn't.

 

[JenD]

Our IG Cassia is microchipped. DH was in the military and they required it if you lived on base. It still is a great idea (and it was free, think it is free for any active duty military still, or very small fee if any). Cassia has gotten out twice since we have owned her and luckily was found both times within a matter of hours (not because of chip, just because we were able to find her with some help from the neighborhood).

It gives me peace of mind. If I can't find her, someone else may find her and then hopefully they find us. I plan to microchip the puppy when we get him. I think it is wonderful service.


Jen

 

[freckledcat]

Jewel has the tattoo that was registered with the Cnd. Kennel Club.
Fiona will also have a tattoo.

My breeder and my vet are not advocates for the chip. It can apparently cause problems as it can move into the heart or lungs (or other soft tissue)

I don't know, I am still on the fence, I think we may do it against their advice as we live in a new area with no fences and if she gets out I want to be able to find Fiona....

 

[micmay]

My breeder and my vet are not advocates for the chip. It can apparently cause problems as it can move into the heart or lungs (or other soft tissue)

Huh?????? If this is info from your vet, find a new vet. If this is info from your breeder I would encourage them to read up on microchipping. While true that a microchip can migrate, this does not occur very often. If a microchip migrates it generally moves a few inches. The microchip is typically inserted in the lower neck/shoulder blade region so migration to the heart/lungs is a huge longshot if not impossible. I had my Taz microchipped 10 years ago and his chip reads every time I scan him. (I work for a vet so I scan him every now and then to use him as an "example") The AVID and Home Again chips are available and recognized worldwide by animal health professionals. The big problem with tattoo's are even if your pet has a registered tattoo, the finder of a lost pet would have to know which registry and how to contact them. With a microchip, the scanner tells which company made the chip so the person will know who to contact. The scanners provided by Home Again and Avid can read each other's chips. If anything I would have read microchip tattooed and have a microchip inserted. I really just don't understand why a Vet or good breeder would give you such poor advice. Please visit the microchip's web site's they have very good info. I am sure Frogs Mom will be happy to attest to the fact that microchips work! BTW I still get goosebumps every time I think about Frog's homecoming

 

[FrogsMom]

I am sure Frogs Mom will be happy to attest to the fact that microchips work! BTW I still get goosebumps every time I think about Frog's homecoming

Yup I am the BIGGEST fan of the microchip.

Michelle I still get goosebumps too. After this link started today I went back and reread ALL the posts in the Frog's Missing link and got teary eyed over the compassion from everyone on this board. I don't think it was just the microchip that brough Frog home it was ALL the love on this board.

 

[Jill's boxer]

Jewel has the tattoo that was registered with the Cnd. Kennel Club.
Fiona will also have a tattoo.

My breeder and my vet are not advocates for the chip. It can apparently cause problems as it can move into the heart or lungs (or other soft tissue)

I don't know, I am still on the fence, I think we may do it against their advice as we live in a new area with no fences and if she gets out I want to be able to find Fiona....

I would strongly recommend finding a new vet if this is the kind of informationhe/she is giving out! The microchip is implanted between the shoulderblades where it will adhere to the muscle through the development of scar tissue to anchor it in place. Occassionally a chip can migrate--but not very common, and mostly I think this was an issue with the earlier chips. In order for the chip to migrate down into the heart or lungs is so highly improbable it is almost ridiculous (sorry!)--imagine the muscle layers and chest wall it would have to get through first!
As others have said, tattoos are great--if the finder knows which registry to contact or that the tattoo is even connected to a registry! The microchip (either Avid or Home Again) can be read by either companies scanner (they have "universal scanning ability" for eachother) and tells the person scanning which chip it is, so there is no guesswork--just call the company and get the owner info.
It really is a great thing to have. My feelings have always been that aside from helping a safe return if my dog gets lost, it is also a great tool if your dog is stolen--you can prove you are the owner through the chip registry!