Thoughts on Microchipping?

[marcerella02]

Originally Posted by Emmsmom

Here are some companies that provide microchips. The last one is in Australia. If you plan on microchipping your dog you should find out which company is used by most of the shelters and vets in your area. So there are a few to choose from. Right they are technical issues. Thats why I say it is a personal choice. You have to do what is right for you and your little ones.

American Veterinary ID Devices (AVID)
(800) 336-AVID
www.avid.com

IDENTICHIP:
(800) 926-1313
www.identichip.com

Home Again
(800) 926-1313
info@akc.org

Companion Animal Recovery
(800) 252-7894
www.akccar.org

PetNet
(800) 738-6385
www.petnet.ca

wow thanks for all the info emmasmom!!!

[Emmsmom]

YW!

[Suzy]

Originally Posted by marcerella02

you guys are all right... i'm going to get it done... i think that by thinking of getting it done i was letting myself think she might get lost and that scared me to death, but i guess being ignorant about it will only hurt us both in the long run.

i'll call my vet on tuesday and make an appointment. Does anyone know... does it hurt her?? so many people had it done when they were spayed or neutered, is that ebcause it is painful? Layla tends to be a bit of a wuss with needles and getting blood taken. Any suggestions on which brand is better?? someone mentioned there were two types...

I just had Milli chipped Friday during her spay. I have the "HOME AGAIN" brand for both of them. Emma got hers done last summer when she was a young puppy-it was at an Animal Rescue League function. It cost $30 to have it done there ($50 at the vet Friday) and the proceeds go to a good cause. You might check and see if they have any Microchip Clinics sponsored by a non-profit in your area.

Emma didn't even flinch when she had hers done. They put a YUMMY meaty treat down on the table, in several pieces, and she was so excited to eat the treat that she didn't even notice that they were doing the chip. Distraction is key! Good luck!

[daisy mae06]

Originally Posted by SophieRose

Lori, which brand of chip did you use?

The one we got is AVID. here is the website www.avidid.com

[marcerella02]

Originally Posted by Suzy

I just had Milli chipped Friday during her spay. I have the "HOME AGAIN" brand for both of them. Emma got hers done last summer when she was a young puppy-it was at an Animal Rescue League function. It cost $30 to have it done there ($50 at the vet Friday) and the proceeds go to a good cause. You might check and see if they have any Microchip Clinics sponsored by a non-profit in your area.

Emma didn't even flinch when she had hers done. They put a YUMMY meaty treat down on the table, in several pieces, and she was so excited to eat the treat that she didn't even notice that they were doing the chip. Distraction is key! Good luck!

Suzy what a great idea.. i never would have thought to bring a treat to keep her busy! thanks so much for the great idea!

[Mom2Zachary]

Luckily, Zachary had a microchip when I bought him at nine weeks. I think it is a good thing to have done.

[Jenn218]

I haven't had Mojo done and Liy isn't either. AND I am still uncertain....

My vet showed me the needle, which is bigger because it has the fit the chip (grain of rice sized) and the same size needle is used for all dogs. She did say that most people had it done when they had their dogs teeth cleaned or when they were spayed/neutered.

I have heard of the chip moving from its original spot, but I don't know if that causes any problems or not.

I also heard that some shelters/vets, have scanners that will pick up a chip, but not the number....so I don't know what happens if their scanners don't pick up the number??!! Atleast they know they are chipped...I guess? Or maybe they can get with someone else in the town and use their scanner? My vet is the one that told me that...something about different scanners working with different chips, etc. (I don't know)

A friend told me a story about her breeder friend who had a lady looking at her Yorkies one day. Well, her two breeding Yorkies came up missing. The lady who stole them took one to the vet one day...it was the same vet that my friends breeder friend went to. Well, the recogonized the dog and when the lady left, they called the owner and the police. When the lady came back to pick up the dog, she got arrested. I would hope and pray that my vet and her techs now Mojo (and so Lily) well enough to do this too! Wouldn't that be great?!

Anyway, I am still debating....we just hve mixed feelings about everything (injecting something into them, etc)....when it comes time for their teeth cleaning, we will see....it will be like me getting Mojo neutered...it took me awhile, but I got it done! I'm such a worry-wart!

[Yorkiedaze]

I forget the name of the company that has that huge needle. The YTNR rescue uses that company and when I fostered for them they would send me those needles to take to the Vet. to get the fosters chipped. It's a nasty needle and the poor dogs would scream. They even shave an area before giving that nasty shot. I refused to do it after awhile.
My Zada is chipped with AKC Companion Animal Recovery. I suppose the needle wasn't as large, because they didn't shave her hair.

[connie777]

Here's an interesting article I just found about this subject.
Microchips
Grain-sized microchip can be Fido's ticket home

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Industry changes
Although the number of dogs euthanized in shelters is a small fraction of the estimates that have been bandied about for years, there are still too many healthy dogs dying because their owners can't find them and too many owners heartbroken at the loss of their pets. There are also lots of stray dogs that wind up in rescues, no-kill shelters, and with new owners because the original owner cannot be located.

Statewide dog license laws are supposed to help return lost dogs to their owners, but they don't work very well. Few people obey the law, and many dogs lose their collars and tags somewhere between the yard they escaped from and the truck that carts them to the shelter.

Owners of purebred show and breeding dogs have long used tattoos to comply with the rules of identification of the American Kennel Club and to provide permanent, visible identification should their dogs get lost. Many pet owners also tattoo their dogs to prevent loss. But tattoos have a drawback as well; although they cannot get separated from the dog as tags can, they can be hard to find and read if the dog is frightened, aggressive or has a heavy haircoat, so few shelters make the effort.

Enter the microchip, a tiny transponder the size of a grain of uncooked rice. This is a permanent radio-frequency identification (RFID) chip implanted under the dog's skin and read by a chip scanner or wand. Implantation is done with an injector that places the chip under the loose skin over the dog's shoulder.

The advantages are obvious — the process is quick and no more painful than a vaccination, the chip can't get lost, the number is unique, the dog doesn't have to be wrestled to the ground and shaved to see if it's there, and the owners name and address are available on regional or national data bases so a dog can be returned quickly and safely.

The chip identification number is stored in a tiny transponder that can be read through the dog's skin by a scanner emitting low-frequency radio waves. The frequency is picked up by a tiny antenna in the transponder, and the number is retrieved, decoded, and displayed in the scanner readout window. The radio waves use a frequency much lower than AM broadcast stations use, and they must be approved by the Federal Communications Commission before they can be marketed.

The chip, antenna, and capacitor are encased in a tiny glass tube. The tube is composed of soda lime glass, which is known for compatibility with living tissue. The glass is hermetically sealed to keep moisture out.

Two companies, Schering-Plough Animal Health and AVID, share the bulk of the business of pet identification by microchip.

In 1996, Schering-Plough Animal Health, marketer of the HomeAgain™ microchip identification system, announced distribution of a universal scanner by Destron-Fearing* that can read all microchips and removed a major obstacle to widespread acceptance of pet identification with the new technology. Until then, no one scanner could read the chips of all the US manufacturers, a situation that impeded efforts to involve shelters in a national effort to return stray dogs to their owners through a chip program. The new scanners were given to thousands of shelters throughout the country so that quick and easy identification of those dogs with microchips could be achieved.

There are some drawbacks. AVID® encoded its chips so that the number cannot be read, even by the HomeAgain™ universal scanner. Unless the shelter has an AVID® scanner, the best it can do is identify that a chip from AVID® is present. Thus it is still necessary to have access to at least two scanners in order to assure that the chip number can be retrieved.

A few chips do move out of place and can't be found by the scanner, a problem that Schering-Plough's Destron system addressed with a polypropylene shell on the tip of its transponder. This coating bonds the transponder to the dog's subcutaneous tissue.

Dogs can be scanned when picked up by an animal control officer or brought to the shelter. If a chip is present, the scanner will read the number and the shelter staff member can call the appropriate registry for the identity of the owner.

As a double protection for dogs chipped with HomeAgain™, veterinarians who install the chips have scanners. Thus a found pet can be taken to a veterinary clinic for scanning and may never make the trip to a shelter.


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Industry changes
Until February 2005, the American Kennel Club Companion Animal Recovery affiliate served as the registry for the Schering-Plough HomeAgain™ system and accepted enrollments from other systems as well. At that time, Schering-Plough set up its own registration/recovery database. However, AKC/CAR continues to enroll microchipped animals from any system for $12.50.

The chips used by HomeAgain™ and AVID® work on a frequency of 125 kHz. Banfield the Pet Hospital, a chain of animal health clinics at PetsMart stores, tried to get into the market by selling chips that work on a frequency of 134 kHz, the standard chip used to identify livestock, zoo animals, and wildlife throughout the world. Scanners that read the 125 kHz chips cannot read the 134 kHz version. A lawsuit from AVID® blocked Banfield from selling its chip.

However, since the 134 kHz chip is standard in 150 countries and the US is part of the International Standards Organization governing scientific standards, the US Congress is considering an addition to the 2005 Agriculture Budget Bill that directs the US Department of Agriculture to write regulations to provide for the use of the 134 kHz chip and reading wands in the US.

Only veterinarians can implant HomeAgain™ chips. AVID® chips can be implanted by shelter personnel, individuals, or veterinarians. Breeders often use the AVID® system because the company offers incentives to chip entire litters, but puppy buyers should be aware that the scanners used by many veterinarians come from HomeAgain™ and cannot read the number on AVID chips. Costs vary with these systems depending on the number of dogs owned and whether the dog is enrolled in the national database.

At the moment, the Banfield chip cannot be implanted in the company's 500-plus animal clinics, but that situation is likely to change if Congress approves the recommendation to adopt the 134kHz chip. Included in the recommendation is a requirement to develop a true universal scanner that can read all chips.

What does this mean to pet owners and breeders? Not a lot. There's no reason to assume that federal approval of a standardized chip will result in a mandate to use that chip. Current databases will continue to enroll dogs. Shelters and veterinarians will continue to scan dogs with the wands they have now and will likely switch to the universal wand when it is developed. As in the past, companies are likely to donate scanners to shelters and rescues.


* Destron-Fearing changed its name to Digital Angel.Corporation.

[Jenn218]

Originally Posted by Yorkiedaze

I forget the name of the company that has that huge needle. The YTNR rescue uses that company and when I fostered for them they would send me those needles to take to the Vet. to get the fosters chipped. It's a nasty needle and the poor dogs would scream. They even shave an area before giving that nasty shot. I refused to do it after awhile.
My Zada is chipped with AKC Companion Animal Recovery. I suppose the needle wasn't as large, because they didn't shave her hair.

That is different then what my vet has. It was a big needle (to me it looked huge) because it has to fit the chip. And of course because of that, all breeds/sizes of animals uses the same size needle. With what my vet uses, there was no need to shave any hair, it was like any other shot. She said that most people fear the pain that the needle/injection would cause, so she therefore recommends (to those of us wusses) to have it done while the pet is "under" (for teeth cleaning, etc). - and this helps with the comfort of the pet as well. I don't think I would want to have it done if they have to shave...that would be horrible!

[chachi]

Neither Chachi or Jewels were shaved when it was done

[Jenn218]

[QUOTE]

Originally Posted by connie777

There are some drawbacks. AVID® encoded its chips so that the number cannot be read, even by the HomeAgain™ universal scanner. Unless the shelter has an AVID® scanner, the best it can do is identify that a chip from AVID® is present. Thus it is still necessary to have access to at least two scanners in order to assure that the chip number can be retrieved.

A few chips do move out of place and can't be found by the scanner, a problem that Schering-Plough's Destron system addressed with a polypropylene shell on the tip of its transponder. This coating bonds the transponder to the dog's subcutaneous tissue.

Dogs can be scanned when picked up by an animal control officer or brought to the shelter. If a chip is present, the scanner will read the number and the shelter staff member can call the appropriate registry for the identity of the owner.

As a double protection for dogs chipped with HomeAgain™, veterinarians who install the chips have scanners. Thus a found pet can be taken to a veterinary clinic for scanning and may never make the trip to a shelter.

Thanks for all that information!!! That was wonderful!

The AVID must be the one my vet said that not all scanners could get the number...so the HomeAgain is the better choice. (IMO)

Thanks again!!!

[Suzy]

Neither of mine were shaved at all to put it in.

Someone asked about the chips moving-they CAN travel down into the shoulder or the leg-but it's rare, my vet said. And, in a yorkie, it's not a problem if it does move, because they're such a small dog that the reader would pick it up anyway. It's only really a concern in larger dogs-if the chip moved down the shoulder of a mastiff, a vet might have a harder time finding it right away on the first scanning.

[eaglez28]

I had all 4 of my Yorkies Microchiped at the Vet when they went in for their 12 wks Vacination.
No more of a cry than with the Vacination.
I just got lil Stormy Microchipped last month - she only weighed 1 1/2 lbs at the time.
Brand: Home Again $50 for the Chip at the Vet & $17.50 for a Lifetime Registration.

[Suzy]

I just registered Milli's last night, and it's $14.99 per year to have the "extras" for the service-for about $1.25 a month, it's totally worth it!

I also signed up to be notfied if there are any lost pets in our area-that way, I can help to find lost pets in my community, and I will have other people to help in case I ever need it! I urge you all to sign up for this!