yes yes yes.

Hendrix was chipped when we was neutered and I will get Lucy done when she is spayed.

Honestly, you will probably never actually need it, but god forbid you do......then atleast you will have the chip!

Folks - it does no good to micro-chip your dog unless there is a big enough network in place with the micro-chip company so do your homework. There is a group working on a universal chip but of course the 2 biggest companies don't want this to happen (they feel they will lose $$$) but if your dog is stolen and other vets or shelters don't have the scanner for the chip you bought then you have wasted your money.

Get on the internet and google micro-chips and see who covers the biggest database.

I agree to do your research, but Jackson's chip was only $30, and to me... $30 is worth even a CHANCE of him being returned to me.

I actually got it tested out on Halloween, they had a dog festival with tents set up and a few vets offices had little tents set up doing various things... Jackson got scanned twice by two difference scanners and picked it up! lol. I was happy it worked, I had never had it tested before.

I had KB microchipped with "Home Again" when I had her spayed. I also had any retained baby teeth pulled. I thought that it was good to do all of that while she was sleeping. I have found a dog and it just so happened to be microchipped. My local Vet was able to scan him and return him home. He was several miles from home. He was a large breed and out in the middle of the road. To keep him from getting injured, I picked him up. His owner was happy for his return. KB doesn't leave my side, she is so clingy. But it is good for just in case!

I feel that a lot of vets still don't scan often enough. My few visits to Banfield they never did, i had to ask them to. My vet at the humane society now does not scan. Actually I have always forgotten to ask them to scan her. I will next time though.

I had Meg microchipped since it is mandatory where I live. The important thing to remember is to keep your contact information up to date. If you get a new cell phone, move, etc, you MUST update the information with the company immediately.

Also, it is true that not all scanners will pick up all microchips. Some vets and shelters have universal scanners that cover a multitude of chips. I'm not sure which company is the most universal... I used Home Again since that was the only option available to me (I live on a military base in Korea).

One concern with microchipping is migration of the chip. This does not usually happen, and the benefits far outweigh the risks. You will be able to feel the microchip between the shoulder blades of your dog. Feel is periodically to make sure it hasn't migrated to the armpit or chest.

This website has some fantastic information regarding microchipping. It also have a vet-produced video about micro-chipping.

How Safe are Pet Microchips?

Microchipping
A microchip is a glass bead about the size of a grain of rice which is implanted between an animal’s shoulder blades. It contains a radio transmitter, an antenna, and a computer chip with a 10-digit code. The information contained in a microchip has to be read by a scanner -- it is not a GPS system that will allow you to track and locate your pet.

Most humane societies and rescue organizations require that adopted pets be microchipped, so if your pet came from a shelter there’s a good chance he or she already has one.

For those of you who are still considering a microchip for your pet, there are a few important items you should first consider.

With or Without Anesthetic?
Most veterinarians will likely tell you that microchipping your pet is painless. But at my practice we would never even consider microchipping without some local anesthetic.

And I highly recommend that if your pet gets a microchip, you insist on anesthetic. No matter what you have been told, the procedure hurts -- the chip is inserted with a really big 12-gauge needle!

Potential Microchipping Problems
Pet microchips are inserted underneath your pet’s skin right between his shoulder blades.

This poses some problems because on occasion the microchip can migrate under the shoulder blade or up to the back of the neck -- or even all the way down to the belly.

So if your pet has been microchipped, make sure you have a vet scan to identify exactly where it is. Once you know where it is, check it once a week to make sure there are no changes, at that it doesn’t feel any different.

If you can feel your pet’s microchip, it will feel like a grain of rice under your pet’s skin.

Are Microchips Necessary and Safe?
These are the two major questions that most everyone asks about microchips. One, are they necessary and, two, are they safe.

As with any medical procedure, you have to weigh the risks versus the benefits, and in this case it’s often a very individual decision.

If your pet has a high chance of being separated from you, for instance he bolts out your door every chance he gets and doesn’t come back when called, a microchip may be a good idea.

Millions of animals do escape or get lost from their owners every year, and less than 10 percent are ever reunited. Even if your pet has a microchip, however, its ability to help you find your pet depends on whether or not it can be scanned.

There are four types of microchips used in the United States, and unfortunately most facilities do not have a universal scanner that can read all the different chips. Then, the person must be sure to scan your entire pet, not just between the shoulder blades, in case the chip has migrated.

Further, if your pet is microchipped make sure the microchip is registered and that your registered contact information is up-to-date. Otherwise, even if a facility finds your pet and reads the microchip, they will not be able to contact you.

So if you cannot commit to updating your contact information with the appropriate registration facility, getting a microchip for your pet is not a good idea, as you’re getting none of the benefit and only the risk.

The Major Risk of Microchips
The major concern any time you implant a foreign body into your pet, whether that’s a microchip, a metal plate for a fracture or any other material, there’s the potential for your pet’s body to reject the substance.

There have been two documented cases in veterinary medicine where sarcoma or fibrosarcoma, two types of soft tissue tumors, occurred at the site of the injection.

While two cases are not very many, I believe there are likely many more cases that have not been documented. Research shows that between 1996 and 2006, up to 10 percent of laboratory animals had some type of reaction to being microchipped, ranging from a localized inflammatory response to tumor formation at the site of the injection.

Needless to say, it’s important to realize that implanting any foreign material into your pet’s body is a risk.

So if you believe that your pet is safe in your home, such as an indoor housecat or a dog that’s appropriately trained (which in my opinion would eliminate the need for chips!) or pets that are always kept on a leash outdoors -- and most importantly, is a dog that knows his name and comes when he’s called -- there’s a very good chance that you do not need a microchip. And in these cases the risks do outweigh the benefit.

However, if your dog doesn’t know to “come” or you let her outdoors off-leash and just hope she comes back, these are high-risk situations. Ideally, you should rearrange your lifestyle to keep a closer reign on your dog or get some obedience training.

If this isn’t a possibility, then microchipping your pet may be an option. But do remember that microchips carry the risk of an autoimmune reaction or a degenerative reaction where your pet’s immune system becomes aggravated or chronically inflamed, which can in turn lead to tissue degeneration and abnormal cell growth, or cancer at the site of implantation.

Are There Other Options?
The decision of whether or not to microchip is highly dependent on your individual circumstances and pet. However, if you’d like an alternative one way to mark your pet without implantation under the skin is tattooing.

For example, your phone number can be tattooed onto your pet’s thigh while he is already under anesthesia for spaying or neutering. Be aware, if you do this, that phone numbers can change! You’ll have to commit to the same number for the life of your pet.

This continues to be a highly debated topic in veterinary medicine, and it’s really important that you weigh risk versus benefit when deciding on microchipping. This will help you make the best decision for the pets in your care.

Since I've been going to the Humane Society every few days looking for my yorkie I looked into getting Monica microchipped. I asked if the Microchip there and they do for $25.

I am deffinately going to do this for Monica. My yorkie that is missing is microchipped and even though he has not been scanned at any vet yet. It's deffinately something good you can do for your pet.


I agree that most vets do NOT scan a new patient. They say they feel its an invasion of privacy to do that without the owner requesting it. I have asked all vets that I went to how about if they saw a new pet patient that looks like my yorkie flier on their wall. How would they handle this?? Most of them sort of stuttered to answer. I think their policy should be that ALL NEW PET PATIENTS must be scanned at their first appointment.

Gen