If you have your pet microchipped...

[Tuffcookie]

and your pet gets lost, what are the chances that someone would even think to have it checked for a microchip? Doesn't it take a special device to read the microchip? Do most dog pounds check the animals that are brought in for one of these microchips???

TC

 

[Disney1fan2002]

If your pet has a microchip and is lost, it takes a special device to read the chip. So many things need to happen. One, someone finds your pet and takes them to a shelter or a vet. (the person may not do that). the shelter or vet has to have the chip reader (not all do)

We did not chip our cat, and he got out when we moved, and we haven't seen him since. I pray someone took him in, and he is healthy and happy. So, when we got a new kitten last year, we chipped her. I know there is a chance she could get lost, and the chip will do no good, but at least she has it, if she gets lost and someone does find her, and take her to a shelter.

I would guess, that if the shelter has the reader, then they would scan every "john doe" animal. That is what it is for.

 

[FreshTressa]

I was at the vet just the other day when someone brought in a lost kitty and the vet checked for a microchip, and sure enough, she had one!

Cody, our dog, has one, and also his tag says "i'm microchipped!" so hopefully that would clue someone in. If I found a dog, I would take him to get checked.

It is not a "for sure" thing, but for the price, it is added assurance.

 

[Aimeedyan]

Most vets in my area have the readers and the shelters do, as well. Mine also wear a tag that has their chip number on it with a 1-800 # so if someone else finds them, they can call and give that number to them and we can be found.

It was super cheap for Harley, and Winston came with one from the shelter, so it was worth it. You never know if they get out of their collar or not when loose.

 

[Am_I_There_Yet]

Like another poster said, when you get your pet microchipped, they also wear a tag that says that they have one.

I got Chloe chipped as soon as I got her. Since we have to be their voices, something, is better than nothing. If it just increases the chances of them being found, then it's worth it for that alone.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Yes there is a problem with chipping.
I know owners back in MO were really mad because they got their pets chipped at Petsmart and there is a big stink with the chips they use. Their pets were being put down.
Alot of the shelters did not have the "chip reader" for the PetsMart chip. I hope PetsMart figured that out.

It was recommended to call your local shelters, animal control and find out what type of chip readers they have.

I haven't got our 2 puppies chipped yet. I will do it eventually. How much is it?

 

[Sleepy]

My friend found a stray cat and took it to her vet many years ago to see if she could find it's owner in the hopes the cat had been microchipped. The cat had been given to other people before they moved and I guess the new owners did not want the cat either. My friend just decided to keep the cat. At least she knows how old the cat is. That info would not have been known had it not been for the microchip.

What I would like to know is.....Have they been able to come up with a lowjack for pets? What a great way to find a lost animal.

 

[TiggerStac]

2 of my 3 dogs are chipped (haven't had 3rd dog all too long yet).

My vet told me he scans new pets that are rescued or he strays, etc...just to be sure. Also, both rescues I got my 2 labs from use them. They, also, check when the animal comes in.

My larger lab's actually worked its way back out. I had to have it redone. It was during the night, I noticed it. So, whenever we bring them in, they are scanned just to make sure....nothing has happend for us :0)

 

[Disney1fan2002]

My friend found a stray cat and took it to her vet many years ago to see if she could find it's owner in the hopes the cat had been microchipped. The cat had been given to other people before they moved and I guess the new owners did not want the cat either. My friend just decided to keep the cat. At least she knows how old the cat is. That info would not have been known had it not been for the microchip.

What I would like to know is.....Have they been able to come up with a lowjack for pets? What a great way to find a lost animal.

Well, since they have it for kids, I am sure it could be used on pets. The cost is probably to pricey for people to spend on a pet.

 

[Andrea]

Most vets in my area have the readers and the shelters do, as well. Mine also wear a tag that has their chip number on it with a 1-800 # so if someone else finds them, they can call and give that number to them and we can be found.

Same here, when we adopted brandy from the shelter she came with one and most of the vets and shelters here in georgia have them. When we moved to montana, they never even heard of them at the vets in our area.

 

[rt2dz]

It is my understanding that shelters HAVE to check for the microchip. Animals that are microchipped can not be put down nor can they be used for any type of animal testing (testing labs also MUST check for the chip on any strays they use). To me, that reason alone makes it worthwhile. Also, all the vets around here have the testing device and check on "found" dogs.

A few years ago, a local dog was in the paper here about being the animal "found" the most time using the chip. Apparantly the dog chewed out of fences, jumped fences and dug holes. He had been found 100+ times, sometimes after 1 day and sometimes after over a week. Owners said it was the best investiment they ever made.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

It is my understanding that shelters HAVE to check for the microchip. Animals that are microchipped can not be put down nor can they be used for any type of animal testing (testing labs also MUST check for the chip on any strays they use). To me, that reason alone makes it worthwhile. Also, all the vets around here have the testing device and check on "found" dogs.

Yes that is true but you have to know that if the shelter doesn't have the chip reader specific to your chip then they are not liable.
They are not all the same, so be warned.

Get your pet chipped at your Vet...NOT PetsMart!!!! Alot of shelters do not have the reader for the PetsMart Banfield chip!
http://www.canismajor.com/dog/microchp.html

Only veterinarians can implant HomeAgain™ chips. AVID® chips can be implanted by shelter personnel, individuals, or veterinarians. Breeders often use the AVID® system because the company offers incentives to chip entire litters, but puppy buyers should be aware that the scanners used by many veterinarians come from HomeAgain™ and cannot read the number on AVID chips. Costs vary with these systems depending on the number of dogs owned and whether the dog is enrolled in the national database.

At the moment, the Banfield chip cannot be implanted in the company's 500-plus animal clinics, but that situation is likely to change if Congress approves the recommendation to adopt the 134kHz chip. Included in the recommendation is a requirement to develop a true universal scanner that can read all chip

 

[janette]

Our youngest dog has a chip, he's the one I worry about most. One of our older dogs is pretty blind and barely goes beyond the back patio to do her business. The other one does tend to get out sometimes but we've always gotten a phone call pretty quickly, she has a tag with our number on it and sometimes I think she gets out just to go visit. She'll find someone in their yard or something and stop to say hello, makes friends and they call, a few have offered to keep her.

I'd definitely do it again with a puppy, with ours they did it when he was fixed. Not a big deal at all.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Our dog had the AVID chip implanted by our vet when she was spayed, it cost around $40, surprisingly low. I think it cost around $15 to register our name with the company. She also wears an AVID tag on her collar.

I elected to do it while she was under anasthesia because they implanted it with a #16 gauge (huge) needle, but had she not been scheduled for surgery I would have gone ahead with it anyway. The discomfort would be well worth it if it someday saved her life.

My previous dogs had my DH's SS# tattooed inside their thigh and that # was registered with the National Dog Registry. I think the chip is a much better system, since the tattoo would be unseen if you didn't keep the hair clipped, and may go unnoticed. We always knew we could prove they were ours, though, if anyone stole them or they were lost.

 

[Debbie Jean]

Yes there is a problem with chipping.
I know owners back in MO were really mad because they got their pets chipped at Petsmart and there is a big stink with the chips they use. Their pets were being put down.
Alot of the shelters did not have the "chip reader" for the PetsMart chip. I hope PetsMart figured that out.

It was recommended to call your local shelters, animal control and find out what type of chip readers they have.

I haven't got our 2 puppies chipped yet. I will do it eventually. How much is it?

My sweet little fur baby was a pound puppy picked up off the streets of a city nearby. I had my vet microchip her immediately... cost about $110, as I recall. Worth every penny!