Tuesday, July 29, 2014

The dos and don'ts of microchipping your pet

This week we're working on something very important: transferring Lulu's and Jasmine's microchip information.

Both dogs have microchips registered with 24Pet Watch via my parents. But I must admit I never transferred ownership of both dogs on the microchips (and I've had Lulu going on three years). So this is a big step.

Couldn't we be playing instead, Mom?
This happens to coincide with a lot of questions I've gotten lately about microchipping pets. I was following a Facebook group this weekend where this was a big topic.

People want to know if microchipping is safe, if it will hurt their pets, is it worth doing?

Without a doubt, it is. There's ample evidence that done right, microchipping works. Pets have been found years after they disappeared. And it doesn't hurt your pet. It doesn't require surgery, it's just an injection. But there are some things you need to consider.

DO make sure your pet's microchip is registered. There are many places where you can get the microchip registered, but different shelters use different chips and registries. And did you know you can register your pet's chip in more than one registry? Some charge, some don't.

DO make sure to keep your contact information up to date. Did you move? Did you split up with your significant other? Did you change your phone number? It's important to keep the microchip up to date. If you don't, a shelter won't be able to find you if they have your dog.

DO make sure your pet's microchip number will be found. There are many databases, but some participate in a universal database that animal shelters and vets can access. This makes it easier for your pet's chip number to be found. That's the AAHA’s Universal Pet Microchip Lookup Tool. These microchip registries take part in the lookup tool:
DO consider cancer risk. I want to make it clear: there's no conclusive evidence yet that the microchip causes cancer. Testing done on rodents shows cancer at the injection site. Dogs and cats have a different biological makeup than rodents. Any instances where it might be connected appear to be rare.

The microchip is only activated when its scanned. Otherwise it lets off no radiation. And it's not a tracker or a GPS. All it does is store the registry number for scanning purposes. But should there be a risk, it is something you should consider. But is the risk worth the benefits? I think so.

DO get your pet's chip checked yearly. Your vet can scan the microchip during your annual visit. This will help make sure the chip hasn't moved (which can happen with the older chips especially) and that it's still scanning right.


DON'T implant two microchips without good reason. If you have two microchips, it doesn't hurt the pet. However, most people don't realize that a pet might have two microchips. So whichever one the scanner picks up first is the microchip number they will look up. So if you don't have information updated for both chips, you may not get your pet back.

One of the first things I did was get Jasmine her own tag.
DON'T ditch the collar tag. Just because you have a microchip doesn't mean you should get rid of the good old fashioned collar tag. There is always a chance the microchip will fail or can't be found. If your pet still has their tag with contact info, you will still find the pet.

DO consider other forms of identification. The more forms of identification you have for your pet, the better than chance you will find them again. For instance, Lulu has a collar with a QR code plate. Anyone with a red laser app on their phone (which everyone should have, by the way) can access the information via PetHub.com. PawsPrintsID is another QR code database.

Lulu's QR tag from Pet Hub. As you can see, it's a plate on her collar.
But there are other ways too. There's Tagg, which is a GPS collar. 

And now, there's a growing number of programs that involve facial recognition. There's the PiP App. You take a picture of your pet, and if the pet becomes lost, you activate an Amber Alert system. Finding Rover is the same kind of program.

August 15 is Check the Chip Day. Be sure to check out the American Veterinary Medical Association's website for more information and FAQs about microchips.

15 comments :

  1. Lots of good info here! Thanks - I'll be sure to have the vet check Rita's chip next time we're there. She's 1/2 beagle, but thankfully not a runner like my previous full-beagle was! That girl got away from us a couple of times - total heart attack!

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    1. Oh I know. Thank god for the beagle nose, because it seems to be the only thing that slows them down! Thanks Jackie!

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  2. Good article. Knowing my dog has an up-to-date microchip and an ID collar with his license number put my mind at ease in case he were to ever get away. I know the shelters, etc. check for one right away. Just a heads up- I read that microchips could be problematic if the dog is getting an MRI, so make sure the vet and whoever is doing the MRI knows a chip is there. Whether or not it would have to be removed first, I don't know...

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    1. I had not heard that! That's something to follow up on. Thanks for that Val, and thanks for reading.

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  3. Great, informative article! Our 2 dogs are both microchipped, but also wear their name tags with phone number, rabies tag, and microchipping tag at all times. You can never be careful enough!

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  4. If this is a duplicate comment, please delete - my first one disappeared. My dogs are all chipped and wear ID tags on their collars at all times. Each year at wellness exams our vet scans to make sure the chips are still findable.

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  5. Once a year, I double-check our microchip registry --- just to be sure. Back when they were first implanted, we had to send a PAPER form to register the chips, and I realized later that the information had been entered into the database wrong. I don't think it's an issue anymore since most people type their own information online, but I still check ... just to be sure the information is right.

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    1. Might as well make sure you are absolutely right! That's good to know that can happen.

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  6. This is a great post, however the cancer thing disturbs me. There isn't any actual evidence that chipping can cause cancer, but it prevents some people from microchipping their pets. At the shelter, I see the heartbreak of lost pets that were not microchipped every day that I'm volunteering. There's always someone walking up & down the aisles in tears looking for their lost pet. When I ask if the pet was microchipped the answer is almost always NO.
    Love & Biscuits,
    Cathy, Isis & Phoebe
    www.dogsluvusandweluvthem.blogspot.com

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    1. Hi Cathy!

      I thought really hard about whether to include cancer. The problem there is a big contingent of anti-microchippers who talk about cancer (dogs naturally magazine did a big post). And since I know there are a lot of people in the beagle community who'll read something like that, I figured I had to say something. I hope I made it clear I'm for chips!

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  7. Great advice here! As for the PiP app, readers here with a Smartphone can download the PiP My Pet app to keep your pets on the radar. And ... it's completely free. New, advanced technology to help re-unite lost cats & dogs with their families. Go to www.pipmypet.com

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    1. Thanks for stopping by! I do hope to do a more thorough post later on about PiP. :)

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  8. Great post! Thank you. We didn't microchip the puppies, because we're worried about the risks. I'll speak with our vet about this tomorrow.

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