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Pros/ Cons of microchipping?


Kadie
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I have two young BCs, Mila and Gypsy, who wear ID tags at all times. Problem is, Mila is a "nature dog", and goes around taking off collars. She thinks the other dogs should be naked. I have considered microchipping them both, but have no prior knowledge. I have heard that the chip is like a grain of rice, but how do they put it in? My vet said he could do it with or without anesthetic. Which is better? Is there a particular brand that is better, a better registry? I dont want to hurt them unneccessarily, but want them to be safe. Oh, and what about tatooing? will they have a number? How do shelters know if a dog is chipped? Sorry to be such a lump!

Kadie

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it is put in with a big scary looking needle type gun thingy. i nearly died when i saw it, but my dogs didnt even look round when they had theirs done! my friends bitch squeaked a bit when hers was put in, but thats the worst thing i saw. i certainly dont think that it would justify an anesthetic just for the chipping. but if she was getting an anesthetic for anything else, like a spaying for example, i would definately get it done then. as for a tattoo, mine hurt like hell when i had it done! i have never seen a dog get its tattoo though, so i dont know how they react. oh, and i am a total wuss when it comes to pain, so my tattoo experience probably doest count!

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We put the microchips in where I work...it's a BIG needle, 14 gauge, but we do a topical anesthetic (lidocaine) before inserting the chip. I can't recall any animals having any more reaction to it than to regular injections. We use AVID microchips, no particular preference to them, but they've done well by us. My first dog was chipped back in the early days of chipping, and his chip slipped under his chest because they didn't insert it into the muscle, just under the skin. On my animals now, I have them tatoo'd as well and I have "AVID MICROCHIP" tatoo'd on their thigh. No more than that. Numbers are difficult to trace. And, keep that tatoo shaved regularly. If someone finds them, they should know to have them scanned for identification.

 

I would have yours microchipped, but keep in mind, if lost and found, you're still counting on the person finding them knowing to look. Agencies such as animal control and rescues regularly know to check. I swear, one of mine have ever been hurt by microchipping. Go for it!

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Our dogs are micro-chipped. the Border Collie came with a Home Again chip (as a pup) and our vet put the AVID microchip in our Collie when she was spayed. I think that these days most shelters, vets and many rescues have readers that will read both kinds of chip and they check every animal that comes in. There have been stories on this board in the past, about how long AVID takes to get the registration completed, and how long they take to update a change of address--use the "Search" function (upper right corner on your screen here) and type in "microchip"--the oldest discussion goes into some detail:

Microchip or Tattoo?

 

I helped with a microchipping clinic last year and only one of about 20 dogs even yelped at all. It is a big, scary-looking needle but it's quick.

 

If your dog is prone to getting loose, make sure you also have recent photos of him, front and side--and ideally, you have a ready-to-copy LOST DOG poster to put up, so you can react quickly if he does get out. You can put the microchip number on the poster, too.

 

Deanna in OR

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Go for it! If your dog is going to be sedated for something else, that's a great time to do it. If not, it is no big deal - the needle surely looks worse than what the dog seems to experience.

 

I used to tattoo our dairy goat kids at one week of age. I would like to have my dogs tattooed but I am not sure I would like to have it done without some tranquilizer or sedation. If your dogs are already going to be under, what a great opportunity to do both these safety procedures.

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Everyone in my household (minus the bunny) has a microchip. Two are AVID, two are HomeAgain. There is a time lag between chip implantation and information processing for both companies but if your animal is lost during this time, they can still contact you by going through your vet.

 

Both of the dogs were microchipped without sedation. It is no worse than the average vaccination. I would highly recommend chipping your dogs especially if one is fond of removing collars. Most shelters are getting the new universal chip scanners that read both.

 

Also, if Mila takes collars off other dogs, be very aware that she could get her teeth caught in Gypsy's collar. Dogs freak out when this happens (it happened to one of my dogs as a puppy) and have choked each other to death. Please check out this thread - its about a crate hanging but includes some good sites and info about collar safety.

 

Crate Safety Warning

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we tatoo our dogs at the same time as they get fixed, Misty is the only dog with no tatoo as she is not spayed lol Blair is not neutered but he was tatooed with the rest of his litter as a pup. I personaly prefere tattoo because anyone can read a tattoo, but a chip can ONLY be read with a scanner, so the average person off the street, if they find your dog just call a vet or the shelter, read the tattoo to them, and the vet/shelter simply calls the owner and puts them in touch with the person who found the dog, its so fast and easy, we got Ripley back this way before we even knew he was gone we had a call saying he was found and the finders phone number lol and becuase this was in the evening just as the shelter was closing and on easter weekend, if he had been chipped instead, the shleter would have had to come pick him up, scan him and hold him till the long weekend was over.

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Irayburn, thank you for the warning. I have read that thread, and it was what brought up the Microchip question for me. Gypsy is crated at night, and I do not want her to be without identification at any time, in case she gets out before her collar gets put back on, or, heaven forbid, we are driving and have an accident and she gets loose from the crate and has no collar. (also Milas nature-dog preference). both will be getting boomerang collars, though, thanks to that particular thread!

Thanks, you all have put my mind at ease.

Kadie

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