To microchip or not to microchip, that is the question
 

Should I microchip my puppy? what age is best to do it? what are the pros and cons? what do you guys think and did you do it?

YES!! I did it when Peanut got neutered.. he was 4 months Its a big needle and it hurts!!
There is always that chance that god forbid she does get out, they will find her with the chip!!!

it hurts?? i watched a guy do one the other day for $25 he's a vet that works for Northland Animal Welfare Society on the side and the puppy didn't flinch or nothing. i thought then that i would have him do Sadie's probably because i can't afford the $150 or more at the vets and he is a vet that does them at dog events

I would go for it :thumbup:

I'd suggest to do it while Sadie is under for her spay. That's when most get it done.

It saves thousands upon thousands of animals per year. Personally, it just gives me an extra piece of mind that if he were ever to get away from me, it's easy to just scan him at a veterinarian. There have not been many reported complications with it, as far as I know. Some people don't like the idea of putting "foreign objects" in their pet's body, but I find it no different than a person/animal having to get a rod put in their leg for surgery or something.

Hmm some puppies dont mind it and some do! The ones that I have mircochipped really took it bad. I think it is best just to do it when she goes under, when you spay her, take puppy teeth out... That would be your best time, that way she wont even know!!

Some of the dogs flinched or moved and it made it worse to do!! You never know how they will react to it.

Are you thinking of AVID? Thats what I have, I also heard of Home Again

Yup Peanut has had his for 2 years and I never had a problem with it..


It was funny one time he had X-RAYS and I saw it, it looked like a grain of rice..and I tottaly forgot and I was like OMG What is that!!! Haha the vet looked at me like " uhh his mircochip" lol :rolleyes:

There was a concern that the chips were causing cancer in dogs. You can read the following but it does not concern me anymore. I am still concerned about vaccinations causing cancer but not the chips. I have all of my dogs chipped.

Q: What are some of the problems associated with microchips? How common are they?
A: The British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA) maintains a database of adverse reactions to microchips. Since the database was started in 1996, over 4 million animals have been microchipped and only 361 adverse reactions have been reported (this represents an incidence of approximately 0.009%). Of these reactions, migration of the microchip from its original implantation site is the most common problem reported. Other problems, such as failure of the microchip, hair loss, infection, swelling, and tumor formation, were reported in much lower numbers. For a chart summarizing the BSAVA reports, read the AVMA's backgrounder on Microchipping of Animals.
Q: I've heard a lot lately that microchips cause cancer. Do they?
A: There have been reports that mice and rats developed cancer associated with implanted microchips. However, the majority of these mice and rats were being used for cancer studies when the tumors were found, and the rat and mice strains used in the studies are known to be more likely to develop cancer. Tumors associated with microchips in two dogs were reported, but in at least one of these dogs the tumor could not be directly linked to the microchip itself (and may have been caused by something else). For more details on the studies, read the AVMA's backgrounder on Microchipping of Animals.
The BSAVA instituted a microchip adverse reaction reporting system in 1996. The following table summarizes the reported types and incidences of microchip-associated adverse reactions in the United Kingdom. (BSAVA, 2007) Over 4 million cats and dogs in the U.K. have been microchipped. (The Kennel Club, 2007)

Microchipping of Animals

Microchipping animals FAQ

Microchip Study

Do Microchips Cause Cancer? The Pethealth Post

The following article is intereseting:

Dogs 101: Can I find a microchip on a dog with a stud-finder in Atlanta?

I had mine microchipped at their first vet visit, when they got their physicals and new shots. One was 8 weeks old; the other 12. Neither one even flinched. Bella was a tiny little thing, just over a pound.

I think dogs, like people, have different tolerances. Mine didn't mind at all.

I think it's about one of the safest procedures there is, and millions of dogs have been returned to their owners because of it. The best time is during spaying a neutering when they are out anyway. It's probably more important if you live in a big city rather than a small town, but if you plan to travel with your dog, it will give you a little extra piece of mind. If you decide to do it, don't put the chip number on a tag she is wearing, if she's stolen, you don't want the thieves to even know that she has a chip. Many dogs are returned because someone takes them to the vet, and he discovers the chip.

I think it's worth it. You never know when it will come in handy. Sophie got her chip when she got spayed. I would also look into the ResQ chip, it's a one time fee and i think it only cost $35.

Yeah THE AVID chip was 60$ for me, one time fee.
The Home Again was is yearly They offer a little more. They send out flyers to vets in your city... I dont know what you have offered where you live..
Here is home again
HomeAgain® - Always looking out for your pet

here is avid
http://www.avidid.com/

plse dont kill me over this because i thought this was an option but I could be wrong but isnt there some kind of Tatooing also?

i'm not sure about the tattoos, but microchipping is a great idea! At the moment, I still need to get my 2nd boy chipped, but i think it's great. That way there's always some way to identify them, even if they were to get out and get their collar/harness off. I would check at the pound, I'm pretty sure they generally have cheaper prices than vets, because vets typically add on charges to make a profit off their services.

I did it during Missy's spay. I'm glad I did! :)

Tattooing IS an option, but I don't think it holds a candle to chipping.

Tattooing is usually done on the inside of a thigh, on the inside of the lip, or on the inside of the ear, all "valuable" areas ... i.e., you couldn't remove the tattoo without doing significant damage to the appearance of the animal.

The general trend of this conversation is whether or not the chip is painful upon insertion ... it's just a needle, a single injection - like a shot. Tattooing HURTS, *many* needle pokes with dye injection, not to mention the incidence of infection. Further, WHAT would you tattoo? Your telephone number? Your SSN? What would you do if you moved and the information changed? Also, there isn't a central phone number you can call to find out what the tattooed information means. And it's unsightly ... can you imagine your baby with a tattoo'd SSN in his ear?

So yes, you CAN tattoo. The question is, WHY? Chipping is (almost) painless, is less invasive with virtually no chance of infection issues, less expensive, and has a central location for a vet to call. If you move, you simply call the sponsoring company and update your file with them: the chip doesn't need changing.

As far as I'm concerned (for whatever weight my opinion carries :rolleyes:) chipping is the single, most effective method to protect our furbabies.

Microchipping
 

I absolutely think you should microchip. We implant every puppy and have seen some awesome results. We've had two puppies lost by new owners (one during Hurricane IKE) and both were recovered. One was quite a ways from home, so it certainly works well.

As far as pain, some dogs react for just a moment and others act as if nothing has happened. I don't believe there is a need to have the dog under unless that is something already planned. Although the needle is large, the reaction is no different than inoculations. We've never had a problem with infections or any other adverse reactions to the implant.

We use Home Again, but there are several companies out there including AKC pet recovery service.

We got the microchip during Daisy's spay at 6 months. It makes me feel so much better knowing that she always has some kind of identification if her tags were to be lost. If they are ever lost or stolen, you have a way to prove they belong to you. The vet charged $40.

We have HomeAgain. It is $15 per year. They also have an option of signing up to be notified if there is a lost dog in your area (that is on the HomeAgain program). They send out an email, so you can be on the lookout, too!

Motley was microchipped the same time he was neutered, under the vet's recommendation, and I'm glad I did it is a good size needle. We used Avid and the cost of the microchipping was only $20. I then had to pay an additional $20 to register the number. A small price to pay if my baby was ever lost. He was six months old at the time, he's now 14 months old and we haven't had any issues at all with the chip

I would absolutely do it. I had Cali and Roxie done when they were put under for their spaying. Maya and Pixie who was 3 1/2lbs were chipped while awake and the vet said that neither of them even flinched. We just had a stray cat in our neighborhood that was super friendly and kept coming around. SOme of the neighbors were feeding it and it started staying on porches at night. So I gave then one of my dog carriers and they got him in it and I ran him to Banfield and they scanned him and he was chipped, registered to an animal shelter in Chicago (1 hour away). They were closed by the time we found out the number from AVID chip phone line so another neighbor kept him in his garage overnight. The next day we got a hold of the shelter and they said the cat had been adopted out to a family about 5 blocks from us but across a major street. They contacted them and they came and got him. They said they let him come and go but we haven't seen him since so I am hoping the shelter told them they couldn't let him out anymore. So chips do work!

We have Home Again also, but it was a one time fee, not yearly. Is it because you chose the program for notification of lost dogs in your area you have to pay yearly? Once you enter the Home Again ID number it is there for life, so make sure these additional services are worth it to you.

Tatoo's become hard to read, over time. A chip stays readable indefinitely.
I believe a chip is less painful. We chip before the pups leave for their *forever*home. They are easily recoverable, if the are lost, and you have proof of ownership, if hevean forbid, they are STOLEN!!!
So to chip or not to chip.....................CHIP

that is exactly why i wanted to do this. my mom is anti chipping because she believes it will lead to people wanting to chip their children and she think that is terribly wrong.

i don't think i would ever consider doing that to my child, but a dog is different and i would want her back if she's stolen and i know when they screw up and take her to the vet or something there's a better chance of her coming back to me :)

I say yes! I've read articles on the concerns, but with the number of animals that have been microchipped without problems I say benefits outweighed the risks.

Gwenndilyn didn't even flinch when she had the microchip put in, but Finnigan yipped a little. Finnigan had no side effects. Gwenndilyn had a little swelling at the injection site.

one more question. are ALL microchips that come from a licensed vet linked to the same network so a vet can scan and call ONE number and find out your information??

or do different brands of chips have different hotlines?

There are 2 "frequency's" that are used in chip, all but the oldest readers can read both. Then you can contact the database.
No, there is not one phone number for all. The chips I use, come with a tag ( I don't use the tag, bc my critters don't wear collars)

so if the vet scans your chip and gets an ID number, does that bring up your phone number and name too or how do they find out which ID belongs to which human??

i'm really confused about this

Yep :)

When she gets chipped, you usually have to register online, or your vet does this for you. You put all your information when logging in to your chip provider's website. Your name, your number, your address, etc. When a pet is scanned at a vet's office, all of your information will come up.

:yelrotflm too funny!!!

I got mine done when they were spayed and neutered. I am glad I did

I have had 3 of the 4 chiped with Home Again. The 4th will be done when he is old enough to be nutered. I just feel more secure should they get stolen or somehow get loose.