do any of you have microchips on your pets?

according to this article from chicken soup for the pet lover's soul over 3.5 million people microchip their pets every year!! have you? do you think it's a good idea? I can see how it has a lot of pros and cons...

 

Yes, several of my pets have been chipped but not by choice. They usually chip them before you get them from a rescue. I guess I don't mind too much but probably would opt out if given the choice.

 

I recently adopted a dog and it was chipped before adoption. I made sure I updated the information online. I kind of feel more secure having done it. At least she's registered in case she gets lost. Collars and tags can come off. But I do keep track of my pets.

I understand there are some concerns as to radiation affects to the pet. I didn't have a choice. It'd already been done. If it'd been my personal choice, not sure I'd have gone there. I don't want a chip inserted under my skin. Don't think I want it done to my animals.

 

My guys are all chipped, and I require it of the dogs that I adopt out, too. our state law requires shelters to scan for chips, which means it's an extra level of safety that those dogs can get back to their owners if they ever get picked up. Dogs that have permanant ID (chip and tattoo, but tattoos are easier to miss in these days) also can't be sold to research labs.

 

thanks for sharing....it's really interesting to hear people's reasoning for getting their dogs chipped. I think its awesome that according to the article over 300,000 pets have been rescued because they had the chip -- that is really exciting news and very encouraging I think!

 

Can't chipped dogs be sold to labs too? What stops them? All they have to do is dispose of bodies and the chips. And in the not too distant past chips weren't standard if the vet couldn't scan for the specific chip it didn't matter if your dog was chipped or not. I am not sure the technology has standardized even now.

 

Actually, the technology is not standardized in any way. I have two of my eight rescue dogs who came to me chipped, but I steer away from this procedure typically, since the chips can migrate in their bodies causing problems and are not completely 100 percent detectable by the multiple scanners out there in the world.

I personally believe the best protection is to have your dog equipped with a proper collar and identification tags including a dog license. Also, they should be in a safe and secured place when not under your immediate supervision.

 

i was going to when my puppy was really small, but now that he's 8 months i think he's too big for me to take him.

 

I am a vet student and have microchips on two of my three cats. Merlin, coming from the shelter came with one. Harrison, being half bob and an outdoor kitty, it seemed to make sense. He is basically feral and sometimes cannot be enticed inside. My baby girl who is very fragile, is not and that is because she is an indoor cat. This is a personal call. If your cats are indoor only, there is little need. If they are not know the procedure. This is something that goes through the skull and hurts for a min or two, alot. No buffers. Ultimately it depends on what you want. Outdoor kitties that could become lost that can be traced. People that hate collars (like me) and want to know their fur babies can be found? I had to sit on Merlin to get him his ID and I knew he could never be outdoor. If I could change it I would have not subjected him to that pain as he bit the vet and it took three of us ((he was 3 months old)) to hold his fuzzy ass down. Do your homework, see the pros and cons. If you have a kitty that is prone to wanderlust yeah it's worth it. Indoor cats no.

 

The problem is, collars come off. Tattoos fade. Chips aren't perfect, but chip + tattoo + collar with tags + lots of work on a recall = best chance that a lost pet will find his or her way home safely. It's just one more line of defense.

 

thats true, I agree with dogstar that it is just one more line of defense for your animals! anything you can do to keep them happy and healthy is a good idea in my opinion

 

my dog has an ID chip..