microchipping?

[SpringerLover]

What's everyone's thoughts on microchipping? Are your pet(s) done? Why or why not?

I like to keep mine as safe as possible for my peace of mind. Therefore, we had the dogs done when I first found out about it. From there it progressed to one of the kitties last year, and another was done on Saturday.

I was talking to my aunt and her vet talked her out of it because of the chip having the possibility of moving. A person I know had their dog chipped, and it travelled to the dogs leg. They found it, removed it, implanted a new chip and that one has stayed.

I know no plan is fool proof, a dog who was microchipped and tattoed was lost and no one thought to check the # or scan him.

Would I ever tattoo? Maybe, but it'd have to be some place that's both obvious and concealed, so that would be hard.

So, we have 4/5 of our animals chipped now, 2/3 cats and both dogs. It makes me feel safer.

SpringerLover

[D.Schäferhund]

i love microchiping becuase shelters eithanize so fast and if you haven't chiped you sometimes do not have a chance to find your pet, but next time i chip i will use the GPS trackable ones....

Ain't taking any chances anymore...

[mulroony]

Considering every vet/shelter/rescue I know checks for a chip when bringing in a new pup I see it as the best way to get a lost dog back (obviously in addition to notifying everyone that will listen within a 100 miles). The present very little risk and are not uncomfortable to the dog. Collars fall off, tags fall off, but the worst a chip does is travel a bit in the dogs body.

[KennelMom]

All our greyhounds are tattoo'd b/c they are retired racers...but unless the person that found them even know to look for them and/or know how to look them up, the tats are pretty pointless.

Some are chipped, some aren't...mostly its our seniors 12+ that aren't chipped. They all wear tags 24/7.

Some people think if their dogs are chipped, they don't need to wear tags and I would encourage them to rethink that and always keep ID tags on their dog.

[SpringerLover]

I worry about collars/tags getting caught more than anything...

Buzz wears a Premier KeepSafe collar with a Boomerang Collar Tag (made to go on plastic buckle collars) all the time but Bailey always loses hers so she's nekkid. She lost it MANY times and I found it, until the last time... haha

Two of the kitties (ones who are chipped) wear safety collars, the old girl doesn't go anywhere, nor will she keep a collar ON... I SHOULD have her chipped and get her to wear a collar but I keep putting it off...

Strangulation scares me more than my dog finding a new owner I guess...

[Vanilla]

I agree with microchipping.Tattoos fade after awhile and become hard to read.I work with both rescue beagles and greyhounds and all of the greys come in tattooed and many of the beagles do and after some time the tattoos which are in their ears fade.

So I am for microchipping,along with wearing a collar and tags.You can never be TOO safe!

[Novel]

I agree you can never be too careful. That said, none of my dogs wear collars, when they are just lounging about . With the way they rumble and horseplay, it's safest not to. When we are out and about they do wear collars, but they are collars for the specific training we are undertaking. Their tags are not on them, they are in their individual folders that I keep their records in.
They are all microchipped, except for Whisper (9wks).
I am comfortable with the risk I take by not having them wear collars with ID at all times.

[SpringerLover]

I only use flat collars so they each have a Lupine Combo Collar with their tags on it that they wear in public/at shows/etc. And then we have flat collars without tags for when we do obed/rally.

Dangling tags scare me... even on their martingales I have a quiet spot to keep them together/reduce the risk of anything getting caught!

[Beryl]

I believe in microchipping and my dogs have both the 125 and 134.2 kHz ISO chips. They also have tags because I don't want to take the chance that a person would not bother to take them to a vet or shelter.

I feel much safer knowing that they are chipped.

[Cassiepeia]

It's the law down here in Australia that dogs and cats must be microchipped, so yes...my boy's got a chip in him.
Even if it weren't the law I'd have him chipped. But I also make sure he always wears his collar and tag. It's far too easy for someone to steal a 'supposedly' lost dog and keep it...never taking it to be scanned.
I was terrified of that when my boy went missing some time back...thankfully I found him.

Err...sorry, I got side tracked...anyway...yes I'm all for microchipping.

Cass.

[Charlie_boy]

I think chipping is a great idea and got Charlie done back when he went for his puppy check at the vets. He does wear a collar when out side which has a tag on saying that he is microchipped. He doesnt have one with a number or anything on it though. He doesn't wear a collar inside because he has long hair so it just causes knots around his neck.
I was wondering though, those of you that have said they have tags on their dogs collars, do you have their name on that tag as well? I have ALWAYS worried about that as it can make it so much easier for a dog to just go with some one if the dogs name is called out.
I was just wondering out of curiosity

Sharon and Charlie

[mulroony]

Charlie - My dog's have their names on their tags (well we still have to get one for Mackenzie), but if we are out and about and my call trumps a strangers call (well for Shelby, but Kenzie follows Shelby's lead..). At the same time though if they are lost and a kind stranger finds them hearing their name may make them easier about going with a strange person.

[Winjammin]

Ours are all microchipped. They have 2 versions...the 125Khz and the 135khz (I think), and that supposedly covers the wands that all the shelters use. We don't keep tags on the dogs either, but we do keep them with us at the shows in the grooming kit.

[Mom2Many]

Were all chipped over here too. It just makes good sense to do it and it is very cheap considering the heartache it could save you in the long run!

I hate collar tags, can't stand the jingling. We do use collars with flat tags attached that you can get from Dr. Fosters and Smith, they are way cheaper and nicer than the other pet tags out there if you ask me.

[Sheltiemama]

I'm all for microchipping. Brandi has a tatoo on her right inner thigh but I still feel more comfortable that she has a chip inserted too.

One thing though one of the vets in our area refuses to use a microchip implant in animals because he says that there isn't enough research regarding what affects these chips may have on a dog's body. I'm not sure if he's being extra cautious or if he knows something that the rest of the vets in the world are not telling us???

With what I do know I think microchipping is a very good way of identifying and returning lost pets.