Microchipping your pet is becoming increasingly popular these days – the reason – it helps to restore your lost pet to you, the rightful owner, of course. For example it is estimated that 86% of microchipped pets are restored to their owners, and in the UK, under the new Pet Passport Travel Scheme, dogs leaving Britain on holiday have to be scanned and identified before they are allowed back into the country. Successful microchip identification, together with documentation of flea & tick treatment and blood-tests for rabies, means that a dog can re-enter Britain without having to undergo 6-month quarantine.
How microchipping helps
Lets understand what this does and what it doesn't do. Microchipping does not mean you can track your lost pet in the way you have seen satellite tracking devices (there are devices that can be used like this but they tend to be relatively large and need to be attached to your dog's collar).
The microchip is meant to be very small (the size of a grain of rice), and when injected under the skin, become invisible to the naked eye. It require no maintenance but will provide a whole range of identity and contact information when scanned by a hand-held scanner.
What are the Pros and Cons?
On the positive side it can be very helpful in identifying your pet very quickly (sometimes dog capture patrols do not have the financial resources to keep a lost pet for very long). Also, as mentioned above, Pet Passports in the UK are using them extensively. To some extent microchipping may deter theft of your Chihuahua as well.
On the negative side it has been reported that occassionally microchips have "migrated" to other parts of the pet's body and become difficult to locate and scan.
However, if your Chihuahua is seen by your Vet at least once a year for a health check,
it is usual practice to check that the chip is still in place and working.
It is also occassionally reported that a chip has gone faulty, but this is becomming a very rare occurence it would seem. Also some scanners occasionally are unable to read certain chips but likewise Universal scanner types seem to have resolved this problem now.
Microchip (magnified)
Photo Don Farrall Getty Images
Who does it and what does it cost?
The microchip is held inside a tiny glass vial, about the size of a rice grain, which is implanted under the skin on the back of a dog's neck between its shoulder blades. The chip contains a unique code number, the dog's name, age, breed and health as well as the owner's name, address and phone number. This is usually done by your vet as a quick, painless injection. There is little or no bleeding and the dog doesn’t usually show signs of distress, the paperwork is then sent off to a central database and is available to be accessed 24 hours ,7 days a week.
In the UK many dog owners microchip their dogs with the details logged on the national PetLog database. Vets, dog wardens and RSPCA branches offer the service at a cost of £10 to £35.
Summary
It goes without saying that microchipping seems to be a good idea but don’t rely on it completely – make sure your Chi also has Tag ID that not only gives your Chi’s name but your contact details and a mention of the fact that she has a microchip. This information may also deter a would be pet-napper from taking her if they know she has this chip and can easily be identified.
This page was last modified on Thursday, May 20, 2010 05:50:26 PM
back to Home page