WND Exclusive
Dogs suffer cancer after ID chipping
'I saw it growing every day, and I could see it taking his life'
Posted: March 24, 2010
8:22 pm Eastern
By Chelsea Schilling
© 2010 WorldNetDaily
Seamus (Copyright Howard Gillis 2010. All rights reserved.)
Do implanted microchips cause cancer in dogs and cats?
That's the question owners are asking after highly aggressive tumors developed around the microchip implants of two dogs, killing one and leaving the other terminally ill.
The owners and pathology and autopsy reports suggest a link between the chips and formation of fast-growing cancers.
'I could see it taking his life'
A 5-year-old bullmastiff named Seamus died last month after developing a hemangio-sarcoma a malignant form of cancer that can kill even humans in three to six months, explains privacy expert, syndicated radio host and best-selling author Dr. Katherine Albrecht.
Albrecht, an outspoken opponent of implantable microchips, has been contacted by pet owners after their animals experienced what they believe to be side effects from the procedure.
According to a pathology report, Seamus' tumor appeared between his shoulder blades last year, and by September a "large mass" had grown with the potential to spread to his lungs, liver and spleen.
Seamus underwent emergency surgery, and doctors extracted a 4-pound, 3-ounce tumor from the dog. They used four drains to remove fluid from the area in which the tumor had developed. The veterinarian informed the dog's owner, Howard Gillis, that there had been two microchips embedded in Seamus one presumably inserted by the dog's breeder when Seamus was only 9 months old. The chips were both located in and around the tumor.
In just three months, the cancer returned. Seamus, a once energetic dog, struggled to walk.
Seamus "was 150 pounds of heart," Howard Gillis, the dog's owner, said in a recent interview. "He wanted to live."
Read the whole story: Get "Spychips: How Major Corporations and Government plan to Track your every Move"
Gillis explained that he "got the microchip because I didn't want him stolen. I thought I was doing right. There were never any warnings about what a microchip could do, but I saw it first-hand. That cancer was something I could see growing every day, and I could see it taking his life
It just ate him up."
To end the suffering, Seamus was put to sleep in February.
Microchip embedded inside tumor
Scotty (Copyright Linda Hawkins 2010. All rights reserved.))
Albrecht told the story of another dog, a 5-year-old Yorkshire terrier named Scotty that was diagnosed with cancer in Memphis, Tenn. Scotty developed a tumor between his shoulder blades, in the same location where the microchip had been implanted. The tumor the size of a small balloon described as malignant lymphoma was removed. Scotty's microchip was embedded inside the tumor.
Scotty was given only a year to live. His owner, Linda Hawkins, said the veterinarian was skeptical that a chip implant could cause cancer.
In Scotty's December pathology report, the doctor wrote: "I was previously suspicious of a prior unrelated injection site reaction" beneath the tumor. "However, it is possible that this inflammation is associated with other foreign debris, possibly from the microchip."
The doctor said the chip was coated with a translucent material to keep the microchips from moving around the body. "This coating could be the material inciting the inflammatory response," he wrote.
A national pet recovery and identification network, asked a vet to review the pathology report, according to Hawkins. The company reported that the chip was not the cause of the tumor. However, Hawkins said the company sent her a $300 check to pay for medical expenses.
"I find it hard to believe that a company will just give away $300 to somebody who calls in, unless there is something bad going on," Hawkins said.
Hawkins reported spending $4,000 on medical treatment for Scotty since December.
Scotty's scar following surgery to remove tumor (Copyright Linda Hawkins 2010. All rights reserved.)
"Scotty is just a baby," she said. "He won't live the 15 years he's supposed to
I did something I thought a responsible pet owner should microchip your pet and to think that it killed him
It just breaks your heart."
Albrecht cited other reports of animals who suffered adverse reactions following implantation of microchips. Two other dogs experienced malignant tumors.
A French bulldog named Lιon developed a lump at the microchip site only eight months after implantation. A biopsy indicated that Lιon had a fibrosarcoma, an aggressive form of cancer.
As WND reported just last year, a Chihuahua named Charlie Brown experienced another outcome from the chipping procedure. He bled to death.
"I wasn't in favor of getting Charlie chipped, but it was the law," said Lori Ginsberg, the Chihuahua's owner, citing an ordinance that requires all dogs over the age of four months in unincorporated Los Angeles County be microchipped. Dog owners who refuse to comply face a $250 fine for the first offense and up to six months in jail and $1,000 fine for continued non-compliance.
"This technology is supposedly so great until it's your animal that dies," she said. "I can't believe Charlie is gone."
Dogs suffer cancer after ID chipping