I just dont understand the reasoning of "most vets don't check or unhonest people wouldn't check"...yes, a lot of times dogs do not get scanned. But what IF your dog is found by an honest person or just happens to be taken to a vet or shelter that DOES scan for a chip? If your dog doesn't have one, it can't be identified. The shelter here always scans for a chip and most vets here do have a scanner.

A microchip does not guarantee your dog will be returned but like I said before, it always increases the chance that it will. No one plans to lose their dog (even those that are always with their dog)..but sometimes dogs get out or stolen. Accidents happen...dogs get lost...and sometimes honest people find the dogs and take them to a vet that does scan for the chip...I've heard many stories of dogs getting returned because they had a microchip.

:thumbup: :thumbup: excellent post :thumbup: :thumbup:

Joyce

Joyce, did you get your yorkies microchipped somewhere local? I'm convinced now...calling around tomorrow. :)

No...They both were chipped in Fort Worth....Not many vets down here think it is a big deal...:confused:

Joyce


BTW Every pet(dog & cat) we have ever owned or rescued has been chipped....I want every possible chance of finding my babies if they should ever go missing....;)

If you find someone local, let me know.,...I would like to get Lora's girls, Macy & Lacy chipped...Holly got Roxie chipped in Ft Worth already...

Fuzzy Friends Rescue is supposed to do it for around $30 and the animal shelter for like $20, but I'm not sure if I want to take Gizmo to either of those places.:confused:

I'll call around tomorrow.

both of my girls are chipped! i don't let them out of my side but still i don't want to take any chances!

You can feel them. I woke a vet up in the middle of the night (I was expecting voicemail) when I brought my first yorkie home. I forgot he had it and panicked because I found a lump lol.

Gus' microchip has shifted a lot. It is now very close to his trachea. My vet says it is okay for now but we have to watch it and it may have to be removed. He's from Germany so it doesn't even work over here.

my 14 yo daughter found the one on the little guy we just returned to his owner. Feels like a little piece of rice under the skin. She felt it when she was petting him.

The chip that Gracie received has 2 different bands or frequencies. It is suppose to work over seas. Hers was done at Banfield a national pet hospital chain thru Petsmart.

Wow what did the vet say about the migration?

I think I am going to get it. I am going to pray that I never need it's services but it's a bit scary to think of losing her. At least I can add to my chances of recovery if something does happen.

OMG....now that's a scary thought, it may have to be removed. I didn't even think about the possibility of them shifting and where they would go.

When the dogs go in, the vet checks each and every time for their chip. I went with a neighbor one time; they checked the shoulder blade area, then ran the scanner over her whole body (like the metal detectors at the airport) looking for a reading (in the event it migrated or was placed someplace other than "usual"). She asked what they were doing, then said she (the dog) wasn't chipped in the first place. She was by the time we left.

All my dogs (past and present) have been chipped. My cats were chipped. My boss even has his macaws chipped. For those of you who say your pup never leaves your side, well ... that's why they call them accidents: they aren't planned, it just happens. There's a thread right now where someone took her pup to work, turned around and he was dognapped.

Think of it in the same terms as insurance: you hope you never need it, but if you do, it's there. I'd rather have a layer of protection I didn't need than need it some time and it wasn't there.

i microchip
 

i've had both of my pups microchiped. i love it, it's an extra piece of mind. i keep their avid numbers stored in my phone as well.

chipping
 

i have 3 wonderful yorkies, in our area with in fifty miles there have 3 yorkies stolden . our vet was contacted and so was all the vets in 3 counties, i have 2 of mine chipped and they didn't seem to mind , our youngest will be chipped when she is 6 months old . sugar is 13months, cota is 9months and jazzy is 4 months old :)

Chloe showed no pain with her chip. She did scratch at it for a little but she cried more during her Bortatella.

I agree with you 100%. Sadly I know how it feels to loose a pet. My beautiful 4 year old Rhodesian Ridgeback named Shadow got out of the house on January 19th 2005. I will never forget that day it was one of the worse days of my life. My sister in law was visiting and left the door open. Shadow was an indoor dog even thought he was a big dog. He rarely went out and when he did it was with me. I found out that he was gone when I got home from school it was too late it had been hours since he got out. I looked everywhere for him and went to the pound which I hope I never have to again since its too depressing for me. Just remembering all of this makes me teary. Loosing Shadow was a tragedy. He meant the world to me and to this day I still wonder if he is okay. I just got my first Yorkie a couple of days ago now. His name is Lex and is the first puppy I have had since Shadow. On the first conversation I had with my breeder we talked about micro shipping because I was still a little reluctant of putting a foreign object into Lex's body. Which was the same reason Shadow was never micro shipping. I always ask myself what if I had micro shipped Shadow. Knowing Lex is micro shipped puts my mind at ease. I only hope I never have to go looking for him.

Sorry that you lost Shadow. It's hard losing them and if there is one small thing I can do to never ever have to deal with that again then it's worth the few seconds of discomfort she will have. I will have them do it while she is under because quite frankly the girl is prissy and is so not about pain ;0)

Actually, if it is inserted correctly, the chip IS in the muscle. It will migrate to other areas if it is not inserted correctly, as then it is free floating. You should not be able to feel the chip. If you can feel it, it wasn't inserted correctly. I have chipped many, many dogs and puppies. It is just like shots, in that it hurts some and others act like they didn't even feel it. Those that do hurt, it is only for a moment (again, if done correctly and swiftly). Perhaps you have had an intramuscular shot? If done correctly, it is a bit painful for the moment, but not too bad.

I feel the benefits outweigh the risks.

thank you so much for this post!

my babies are due to be spayed and neutered soon (within the next few weeks) and if i decided on microchipping, i wanted to do it at the same time (so they are not in pain when it is inserted) ... i am really struggling with the pros and cons and have yet to make a final decision ...

thank you to everyone for the feedback and points of view!

I refuse to get Diesel microchipped. He is always with me and is not a runner even when there is a female in heat around. I take 2 steps and he takes 3. The main reason ...
When my daughter was little I had to watch her like a hawk to keep her safe. Diesel is no different. I would have never dreamed of doing something like this to my daughter and I would never do it to Diesel. I am very old fashioned despite my age and to me this is almost inhumane. I have looked around for a new pup and to be honest if and when I get a new pup I prob won't be able to avoid it. Doesn't mean I have to like it.

Someone on here said their dog's migrated and is near their trachea now and the vet will monitor it. From what I read it was just placed under the skin according to the Q&A on the manufacturers site. Gonna check it again. Maybe I misread.

why do you think it's inhumane? i got mine chipped when they went in for spaying and they were under so i don't think the felt anything..

My lulu was a never runner...trained to be walked off leash and would come back to me on the drop of a dime. She got away from me on New Years Eve in our fenced yard and got out and got hit by a car. If she hadn't gotten hit by the car the speed she was running I might not have caught up with her. I think back now and I realize if she had gone unscathed and I had lost her I would have no real way of identifying her legally in order to get her back from someone.

Right now that my heart still hurts my head tells me that the best advantage is any advantage I can give myself.

Beth thank you for sharing with us... i was straddling the fence on the microchipping... but i think i will get it done when i take Belle in to get spayed...

i remember reading somewhere though that all scanners don't work on all chips... is this still true??

They are now making and giving the universal scanners as a way to get the vets to use their chips. Before I think the universal scanners were more expensive so I guess it caused a decline in the amount of chips being inserted. They are trying to be more marketable and competitive I think.

i'm glad to hear that, i think so far, the advantages outweigh the risks... thanks OP for starting this topic... :D

3 of my 4 are chipped! and within the next month star will be getting it done too! with everything that happens today you can never be too careful! esp. with star only being 2 1/2 lbs.. i would think she's be the biggest target if someone was going to steal one.. most people think parker is a shiz tzu b/c they don't know what a biewer is. my dogs didn't show any pain when it was done

Lulu was a tiny girl and Zoey will be as well. The popularity of the breed in general makes them a huge target and the small ones are doubly targeted because they will do their best to get way more money for them.

I personally don't have any of mine chipped and don't think I will be doing it.

I just don't feel comfortable imbedding a microchip in any of my dogs, regardless of the benefits.