To chip or not to chip (new dog)

I'm adopting a girl from the Buffalo Humane Society and I'm wondering about having her chipped. I like the idea of the peace of mind I'd have if she ever got lost but I've also read that there are high instances of malignant tumors growing at the implant site in as many as 1-10% or more of mice, rats and dogs. That's quite a lot of animals.

One

Two This one ...At first they say that the chip was attached to the sarcoma and then they say it wasn't....so not sure what to think about them.

Three

There are several other sites that talk about it. I've just picked those three.

I mean...I would not get myself chipped, but cancer is only one of several reasons. I didn't have my recently deceased girl chipped and she lived with me for 12 years. I never let her too far from my sight. It would be the same with this new girl. Also- neither my lost girl or this new girl are purebreds, so there's almost no chance that any one would want to try to steal them. I do live in a safe, family neighborhood.

Also another thing to note: If I have her chipped before she moves in, she'll be having it done during her spaying this week- the reason I mention that is she'll be just coming off anti-biotics for pneumonia she developed after having kennel cough at the shelter (she was taken into foster care 10 days ago to recover). So her immune system might not be happy about having a foreign object injected.

This is "Katie" as she's called now. I'll have to change her name- my neighbors' daughter has the same name. Leaning toward Sara or Abby, but I'll have to get to know her better. She was still under the weather in this picture. She's about 6 months old and just as cute as can be. Almost all black except for some white toes and that spot on her chest.



Would you get your pet chipped? I'm leaning toward no (considering I wouldn't do it to myself).

I have not got a dog but a cat and I had him chipped, why? because if he gets lost or run down (please no) at least they can find out who he lives with.
I had a cat which just vanished (not chipped) when I was a kid and it still breaks my heart not knowing what happened to her, granted having a chip doesn't mean you will find your pet but It ups the odds.

I used to have show dogs and they were chipped. They always retained a hard lump of tissue ( like a knot) between their shoulder blades. Later a vet acquaintance of mine told me of the tumors he had found in some pets with chips underestimated by all means since most pets do not get necroscopies when they die). I would not chipp again. You can tattoo if you are concerned about losing her. That is what they did for a long time before chips came out.

As an aside, the same vet told me that annual vaccines for pets were nothing more than a money_grab and that you do see increased rates of injection site tumors from shots. He said every three years was plenty and supported by the literature

She is adorable! I love her!

I have four dogs. Two are chipped and 2 are not. I don't think I would do it again. It hasn't really caused any problems, but with as careful as I am to make SURE my dogs are protected, I just don't see the need. I think chipping dogs and kids is like all the specialty dog beds, expensive clothes and other items... Just a way for someone to make money (read "take my money")

In your position, I wouldn't do it. Just my opinion.

I got my dog from shelter. Mandatory chip & neutering for any adopted dog. I'm ok with that, but probably he is not. Anyway it was better than die in a cage.

they track how many times you bring them to the vet to.
I just hate being tracked....it's like big brother.

reply to post by Hushabye


Firstly - big congrats on the new addition to your family! "Katie" is absolutely gorgeous, and I bet you cannot wait!

I have had my 2 eldest (JR and tomcat) microchipped and my feline girl that passed this year was also microchipped.

I haven't read your links (worried about seeing pictures of animals ill), but I haven't had any problems with mine that's been chipped. My tomcat has had his chip for nearly 9 years, my kitty that passed had hers for 6 years, and my eldest JR has had hers for 3 years.

My youngest JR still hasn't been chipped or spayed... she's over a year old now, but I still think she's too small! She's not, she's big enough, but I compare her to the size of her mother (my eldest JR)... which I probably shouldn't as the mother was the largest out of a litter of 11 - so she's a little bigger than most JRs.

When I feel ready, both my kitten and my youngest JR will be microchipped... but I want to feel comfortable about their age and size before that.


Yearly shots however is a completely different story... I've seen the damage yearly vaccinations can do, and subsequently the sad passing of pets having gotten them...

My tomcat has not had a shot for 4 years now... he'll either get one next year or the year after that. My eldest JR had her initial shots, and none since. My youngest JR had her first initial ones not long ago. My kitten still hasn't had any, as she's not allowed outside yet (she will get her initial ones, but after that I'll give it 5-6 years until she gets a booster).

Thank you for your replies.

I think I will hold off on it for now, especially considering her immune system might not be 100%. She will have a tag with her phone and address on it. I will probably at least get her tattoo'd.

reply to post by rimjaja


Ugh. That scares me. I know you're right too- I mean, I didn't have my girl autopsied even though we don't know the ultimate cause of her death (but she was 13).

As far as the shots go, I'm with you there. I do them every three years because the law says she has to have the rabies. We rarely have rabies here and when we do, animal control drops food pellets with rabies vaccinations in them over the more wild animal populated areas- my dogs have eaten them.

reply to post by Benevolent Heretic


She is adorable, isn't she? She came to meet my housemates' dog last night- I could barely stand to let her leave! They think she's a lab/pit mix. She's got labby webbed feet and a bit of a pitbaby face and ears...and tail of death (long thin whip tail).

She was very active, playing with George, while she was here last night. Seems to be recovering well from her illness.

reply to post by Trueman


Most of the shelters here do that too, but it seems the Humane Society isn't doing it. I can have them do it if I want, though.

reply to post by obnoxiouschick

That's just creepy.

reply to post by aspiechick


Thank you for your input!!
There are no horrible pictures in the links, BTW. I'd have warned!

My cats haven't had shots in years. Only one goes out regularly and eats mice etc. He's healthy...he's an old guy though and now I'm paranoid after losing my girl. If he breathes funny or sleeps too deeply next to me I panic a little.

I have my cat chipped but not my dog. The cat came chipped when I adopted her. I found my dog on Craigslist so he wasn't chipped. I won't go out of my way to do it because for one I can't afford it.

I have always had my cats chipped since it comes with their adoption. My cats have always been indoor cats so the chip kind of makes me feel better in case they got out. I don't keep collars on my kitty because she is indoor and two her fur gets tangled and it cause matting in her mane. She is a persian so she has tons of hair!

My dog when we go out he has his tags on so I'm not worried about him being chipped.

I think it just depends on personal preference. If you dont feel safe doing it then just make sure you keep up to date tags on your pet. Both of my cats that were chipped were sick when I brought them home. I had to give one meds for a week after I brought her home. They didn't seem bothered by the chip. The cat I have now I can feel it between her shoulder blades.

I know when I worked at the grooming shop people would stop by and ask us if we knew the dog they found, they never had tags on. I think that if you have a yard that your dog spends time in they should have tags on because you just don't know if it will get out. This was the case with most the dogs people brought to us to identify they got out of a gate. My dog is inside always unless I walk him, we live on the second floor so he isn't escaping any time soon. He did run out recently when the delivery guys were delivering the washer/dryer. He hauled butt out the door and down the stairs and then ran in the guys direction and jumped. He wanted to play! It was hilarious but kind of freaked me out since he never does that. He tends to show off when people are over lol


Cute dog btw and congrats!

OMG those eyes just melted my heart! Congrats on your new little one, she's gorgeous!

Our humane society doesn't chip either thank goodness, we got our Lab/Mutt mix from there . With all the talk about tumors at the chip sight, I don't think I'd feel right about it. Cancer's a bad way to go for anything, and if he ever got it, I would always wonder if it was my fault. I don't worry about him though, he's so happy to have a family and so attached to my husband, I don't think he'll ever run off.

Congrats! Thanks so much for adopting.

Go with the chip. My dog has one, old dog did too. The benefits and secure peace of mind against them being lost, stolen or running away...outweigh the risks!

Thanks again for adopting!

*My son...Lucky the Wonder Dog (He does flips!)

reply to post by Hushabye

The choice is yours.

Heres a couple ideas. If there is ever a reason your pet should get out of the house while you are away... say theres a fire, a break in, an earthquake, whatever and your pet escapes and winds up at the animal "shelter". If its chipped, you'll get a phone call. If not...

If you take your pet to the vet for some routine thing and leave it there while you are at work and they mix up your dog with another one to be euthanized... they always check the chip ID against the procedure just prior...

I know, mistakes never happen.

I mailed the foster mom this morning to let her know that I would love to make Katie (Abby (Abigail)? Sara? Annie? Addy (Adelaide)? ESTHER?) part of my family...Ruth (the FM) made me wait over night to think about it...even though I knew...and she knew I knew. xD I just got the return email saying they're going to let her come live with me! I'm so excited!

The foster mom is going to try to get her to the vet for spaying this coming week...and she should be finished with her antibiotics in a few days...so I've got a few days to get ready for her. She'll need a new bed- I won't use Chuns' (my sweetest girl whom just passed) as it probably smells like dying dog (not sure that's a smell that will wash out). She'll need a new collar and tags and leash too. And DOLLS...and pully chewy toys.

Ohh...what about Dorothy? I could call her Dotty!

www.nationaldogregistry.com...

What about a tattoo?

And if your pup is out traveling, or camping with you, get one of those collars with the built in tracking device. They can be followed with your smart phone if the dog gets away as long as they're not out of range, and haven't been taken out of their collar.

reply to post by snowspirit


I'm thinking about a tattoo. I hope I could get it on her ear so I don't have to have a shaved spot all the time.

I have my wolf pup chipped. I also got him a GPS TAGG collar so that I can track him on the ranch. Bummer is the TAGG tracker is not waterproof and it has shorted out twice in three months. Customer service is a drag.

The GPS is great I wish we had a better product than a TAGG tracker here in the states though.