Microchipping??

[k-angel]

hi.. i've been thinking a lot about getting my babies microchipped because i had a yorkie taken from me once almost a year ago and i was never able to find him...i was just wondering if anyone had any input on this ...
Is it a bad thing?
where could i get it done and how do i register it?
how much is it??
i would appreciate any and all information.. thanks

[Nancy1999]

Yes, it is very safe, and there is only one documented case where a dog has a tumor at the incision spot, but some dogs are prone to tumors. Joey had his done by the vet during neutering; I believe the price was around $35.00. Some town's sponsor low cost microchipping, but the dogs aren't anesthetized and there are mixed comments on the pain involved. It probably isn't that bad, if done properly, the microchip is the size of a grain of rice and is inserted with a rather large needle, but it's probably similar to the pain experienced in ear piercing. You can call your vet for details. There are even home kits, but you want to make sure the company you use, has monitors/readers at the local vet and pound.

[Dara311]

Originally Posted by k-angel

hi.. i've been thinking a lot about getting my babies microchipped because i had a yorkie taken from me once almost a year ago and i was never able to find him...i was just wondering if anyone had any input on this ...
Is it a bad thing?
where could i get it done and how do i register it?
how much is it??
i would appreciate any and all information.. thanks

The needle they use is pretty big! So its much easier to do it while they are already under anetheisa....but it goes right in between their shoulders, and the chip itself is about the size of a grain of rice. We used AVID and its about 15.00 to register, and most vets will charge 35.00 for it. It's a real simple process.

[anitaa]

I would encourage you to chip the pups. When you travel it's a big relief to know they will be safe if something happens. I had all three of mine done at the vet during their routine visit. There was just one little wimper, no more than a vaccination.

We have had our kids watch the pups for a week and I knew if they scooted away I would get them back.

Yorkies are so curious and fast. I don't let mine out of my sight ever......Things happen, though.

If they run away, it may take awhile to find them, but at sometime they would be taken to a vet. If the vet determines that the person bringing them in for care isn't the name on the chip, they will not let the person have the dog back until they prove they are the owners.

My vet was able to get a yorkie to it's proper owner. The thief had dyed the yorkies hair and changed the style. The thief lived in our town. The thief was very mad and indignant at the vet for not trusting her.

When the Vet called the real owner listed on the chip they said the Yorkie had been stolen right out of their yard while out for a potty break.

The lady was their neighbor and they did press charges and the lady was convicted.

[poppys mummy]

we had poppy chipped at the same time she was being spayed , she also had a baby tooth out at the same time everything was ok and she was fine , hope this helps love jill n poppy xx

[Miao]

Mine was chipped during her 2nd round of shots at 4.5 months. She didn't seem to mind it any more than the puppy shot given to her though the needle was huge. She's never sore after her shots either, though I never try applying pressure on the area, but it made me wonder if the vet even hit the muscle or did the injections wrong.

My other pets were never chipped. One was tattooed but with old age, etc, it eventually became illegible in her ear.

[Nancy1999]

Originally Posted by Miao

Mine was chipped during her 2nd round of shots at 4.5 months. She didn't seem to mind it any more than the puppy shot given to her though the needle was huge. She's never sore after her shots either, though I never try applying pressure on the area, but it made me wonder if the vet even hit the muscle or did the injections wrong.

My other pets were never chipped. One was tattooed but with old age, etc, it eventually became illegible in her ear.

I always though that tattooing would involve more pain than microchipping, but someone said that they had "ouchless" tattoos. Is this what you used? I also wondered if it would be easy to alter the tatoo, I know that some kennels use them, but I thought this was just so that they could identify dogs.

[Bentleys Momma]

I was worried about this as well, because of Bentley's size, if it would be too invasive for him. I have a weiner dog as well as 2 cats (one lg / one sm) and they are all chipped. I just wasn't sure about Bent since he is only 6-1/2 lbs. and this was one of the questions I would forget to ask EVERY time we are at the vet.

Last visit we spoke about neutering him in another month or so. So sounds like the microchip is ok for him to do at that time too.

Thanks for sharing your experiences!

Peggy (a.k.a. Bentley's momma)

[Miao]

My yorkie at 4.5 months was weighed in at 4.12 lbs at time of chipping.

My late shihtzu was tattooed before I got her as she was 3-5 yrs old and already spayed. She probably had it done the most ancient way possible as it must have been over a decade ago when the procedure was done. My dog before that went through life without either of those as it must have been before the age of microchipping.

My brother's cat was tattooed as a kitten but didn't show any signs of it bothering her at all, however, cats are supposedly good at hiding pain and discomfort. I opted not to tattoo or chip my indoor cat when she was spayed. I am still not comfortable with placing foreign object(s) in my baby but I figured I'd regret it more if I had no real means to ID her if/when she's stolen or lost.

Tattooing wouldn't be very secure when it comes to theft, but works alright for general identifying purposes. As for pain/discomfort, I really don't know. I don't have any tattoos on myself so I can't even speak from experience. My sister did feel discomfort initially when she got a tattoo on her shoulder years ago with a needle from a tattoo salon. A friend's friend was promoting laser eyeliner tattooing during a stagette. Her sister got it done 7 years ago and it's only now pretty much faded. She just got it done an hour before we met up for the stagette and was as chirpy as usual and the little bit of discomfort/stinging she felt before hand has totally faded by then. So if the "ouchless" tattooing method is done by laser... I wouldn't be surprised if it might very well be ouchless, just that a human might have a higher tolerance level for discomfort than a little puppy... but I'd think the eyeline would be more sensitive than a dog's ear?

Until there is proof of ill side-effects from my own experience or from people around me, I would still opt for microchipping for ease of mind and a bonus for more shallow people like myself is, you don't get an ugly tattoo in your pretty little baby's ear/thigh/belly although it can be covered up by hair...

[k-angel]

thanks for all your help guys.. i'm definitely gonna do the microchipping on my babies.. you've all been so helpful