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Microchip or not?

9K views 36 replies 30 participants last post by  TroyFeeken 
#1 ·
I'm wondering if there is a real benefit to microchiping my dog.
What's the norm now days and what are the benefits?
Are there different kinds?
 
#2 ·
Absolutely microchip.

I view it like putting my name on my on my luggage that I carry on the airport, or my laptop that I put through the metal detector.

Nowadays, I don't believe you can get health clearances done unless your dog is microchipped. I know I just had my dog's eyes redone and they scanned him and verified a match before proceeding.

I can see no reason to avoid microchipping....none.

I look at the Boz story. Maybe, just maybe, if Boz had been chipped, those clowns at the animal control would have made a phone call before handling it the way they did.

Chris
 
#10 ·
Absolutely microchip.

I view it like putting my name on my on my luggage that I carry on the airport, or my laptop that I put through the metal detector.

Nowadays, I don't believe you can get health clearances done unless your dog is microchipped. I know I just had my dog's eyes redone and they scanned him and verified a match before proceeding.

I can see no reason to avoid microchipping....none.

I look at the Boz story. Maybe, just maybe, if Boz had been chipped, those clowns at the animal control would have made a phone call before handling it the way they did.

Chris
Absolutely, I've been chipping litters for years. I've had several dogs returned to their owners because I was tracked down as the purchaser of the chip even though the owners never registered in a database despite my stressing how important it is to register the chip in a database. This year I started registering my pups in Canine Animal Recovery (CAR) for the client or wrote them separate check to ensure they followed up with their pup's microchip registery.
 
#3 ·
I chip my dogs. Its not infallible but it is cheap insurance. I use the ResQ chip, they seemed to be picked up by most readers and there is no annual fee. I've had it checked several times now and no migration from the implant site. They also have a nice website (www.petlink.net) where you can update your contact info. I know others who use Avid and Home Again, both are popular.
 
#5 ·
Yes, chip. Every pup that leaves here is microchipped. Even if the owners forget to register it in their name, it's still in mine. Too cheap to do to even waste time considering not to do it.
 
#6 ·
Yes and as Chris said, should you want to have any health certifications done in the future most require a chip number before any certifications are done.
 
#9 ·
To animal control, police, court of law, it could be the only way to make sure your dog gets back home...not chipped and "it's just another black (yellow, choc, etc) dog".

All pups are chipped before leaving here, too. I've had 2 calls that put the pups back where they were supposed to be. One was a pup of a soldier who was currently in Afghanistan. I was on pins and needles until I got the call back from him since his phone was disconnected (since he was deployed, no need to keep the stateside phone operating), thankfully I had his .mil address. I already had it arranged with the vet's office to pick him up if I couldn't get in touch with him, which they could legally let me do since the chip was still in my name.
 
#12 ·
I chip mine but I am looking into freeze branding. Would be easier to ID and not require a reader. I would do this in addition to chipping. Have seen it done to a few ranch dogs. Might deter a thief from fencing a stolen dog if it has a brand on it. Just thinking out loud.
 
#13 ·
All Gator Point pups are microchipped. This has found several lost dogs for clients over the years. As to a reader, your Vet will have one and can read it for you. Check around and sometimes you can find a good deal on the reader. I got my first reader from the people who sold me the chips and when they had an up grade for one that reads all chips they allowed me to return the old one and gave me a good on the new one. As a breeder you are assured that this is a dog from your kennel. Had a person try to bring in a ringer for a refund. Chips don lie. Never had one migrate that I know of.
 
#15 ·
No. Has to be tattoo or chip for OFA to send results to AKC. Also if one wants the VPI designation. But chip is not required to submit to OFA. http://www.offa.org/pi.html
 
#16 ·
If you are going to "brand" or tattoo them, where are you going to put it and what are you going to put?

When we had Shepherds, we tattoo'd in the ear, but nowadays, there are stories of people removing ears with id in them when they steal them.

My first labs were tattoo'd with my phone number across their flank but that was way way before microchips.

WRL
 
#24 ·
One of my favorite training buddies was an old school vet from Butte MT, he recommended tatooing as a means to ID a lost or stolen dog, this was back in the early 90s, so I took Cody, the dog in my avatar, in to his clinic. I remember him recommending my phone number so some farmer or anybody finding my dog would call me. I was expecting a small tatoo on his ear, what I got was a billboard size tatoo across his whole belly! Cody loved to lay on his back and have his belly scratched, so nobody was going to miss that. Cheryl and laugh about Cody's tatoo to this day.

John
 
#17 ·
I "borrowed" the Gator Pt method- THANKS A BUNCH Bill and Cleo!!!- left ear (drivers side :) ) FH08 ( "FH" for Firehouse, 08 for the year "2008"), right ear (passengers side) A05 ( "A" for the first litter of the year as in A, B, C, and so on with each litter named for a letter in order. And "05" for the individual pup in the litter, as in 1 through 10 in this case since there were 10 pups with this individual pup being the 5th one.). Using this info- FH08 A05, which is how I have it written on the AKC and UKC reg. (as well as it's microchip number) I can easily i.d the dog and so can the owner....which I did in this case on a returned dog, Firehouselabs Water Hammer "Hammie". I have also used it to i.d a dog over the phone when someone called and said that they bought a dog from someone that I had sold the dog to, which made it easy for me to look up the dog quickly in my files and update them with the new owners info. I also have to use the info on "Hammie" to do his EIC and OFA testing since we couldn't find his microchip anywhere, and we looked everywhere!!!! Luckily I had an optional form of permanent I.D. to use for the paperwork since I know for a fact that the microchip was there when I Cerf'd him as a pup with the rest of that litter! I have had chips migrate, but usually we could find them with the wand- and once with the elbow x-ray for OFA :rolleyes:
 
#20 ·
So for those who tattoo your dogs, why would you not microchip them too? If I remember right, I think it cost me 20-25 bucks for the ResQ chip & have it registered. I'm thinking about this like WRL, in the way that a chip has your contact info, & would be cheap security.
 
#29 ·
Dogs can be chipped at any age. While you can buy a chip and do it yourself, if you haven't done it before, I'd have a vet do it.
 
#31 ·
I microchip every dog I own and every pup I breed and I require that the owner select the lost and found option on the AKC paperwork. I purchase ISO chips from the AKC at a very reasonable price and if the pup is sold or transferred the Companion Animal Recovery goes with the dog. You pay one time, no annual fees and your dog is permanently identified and scan-able by just about every microchip scanner on the market and is approved for international travel. The CKC issues microchips for every puppy that it registers so that every dog that is registered is permanently identifiable. I used to use a different brand of chip and the annual fees plus people not registering them with the company became an issue and I would receive calls from the company asking me who the dog belonged to.
 
#32 ·
I don't know about other companies but Pet Plan insurance gives you 5 or 10% off if your dog is microchipped.
 
#33 · (Edited)
When I signed up for Pet Plan, Molly wasn't microchipped, she now is, has anyone microchipped after signing up for pet plan insurance and was your premium adjusted?

I've sent and inquiry to Pet Plan, was just wondering if anyone else had done this.

I also wanted to thank everyone on this thread about micro chipping, my vet mentioned doing it, but didn't stress it too much. The vet tech shared the opinion on this board and explained its the first thing they do anytime a lost dog come in, and it is disappointing when they aren't chipped. It was 55 bucks, but again thats insignificant in the total cost of owning a dog.
 
#34 ·
Not only should you make sure you chip them, but you should make sure your information is registered with the chip company too (and updated when you move, change phone #'s, etc). We rescued our black Lab Jake from the pound 6 years ago. Animal Control scanned him and found a microchip, but there was no information registered to it..... No one claimed him, so after a week, he was ours.
 
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