I used tattoos before microchips and hated it. It is terrible to close the pliers hard enough to make the impression and hear the ear cartilage crunch and the puppies scream.
I have a pliers and two sets of numbers and letters I will sell cheap : )
This has been a big issue I our local news after someone saw a local hog hunter had his dogs tattooed. What an uproar by the local press. Luckily several local vets backed the guy saying it is a common and acceptable way to mark a dog.
PI have never done it, but it use to be very common back in the day and I have known many dogs that had tats.
We tattoo all of our pups at around 7 weeks. No big deal. They yipe when you close the pliers and then it's over. We use the Ketchum brand tattoo plier and letters which I ordered through the Canadian Kennel Club, I'm sure there are other places to get them as I think the same size unit is used for rabbit tattoos (so maybe a farm supply store). The most important thing is that the ink makes a huge difference. Some ink does not seem to take the same way that other ink does. I am sitting next to a 10 year old dog right now that I tattooed at 7 weeks at it is legible and clear (good ink!), but used a different brand on my last litter and they needed to be redone.
Discussing tattoos on RTF a few years ago Angie B mentioned that she'd had a dog who had an allergic reaction to tattoo ink. That could be a potential issue I guess although I've tattooed probably 20 litters and never had a pup with a reaction.
Hudson was tattooed by a "Tattoo-A-Pet" franchiser. Not sure if the company is still around, but they hand wrote the number on his flank with a "regular" tattoo gun and black ink. Its still legible 6 years later. However, I think it takes a bit more skill and may not be so easy on puppies. But, he didn't seem to mind it, and he's a big weenie. The person that did it was an Irish setter breeder and I know she did her pups before they left, so it can be done that way too.
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