To Chip or Not to Chip?

[Barry]

Hi fellow pet-owne... er, I mean, guardians.... I've just come back from a neighborhood disaster preparedness meeting. Sounds like getting my cat, Rudy, chipped is a good idea. He's got a collar, but I 'spose that might get lost.However, I see there is some concern about whether microchips create a health issue. What do you folks think?

[intheflow88]

Hi Barry,

Cute cat :) Good for you for getting to a neighborhood disaster preparedness meeting. I'd take your chances with a collar getting lost over the stronger possibility of Rudy developing cancer or an irritation at the site of the chip. (Which I've heard happens). And have you seen the needle used to insert that thing? It's fat.

Susan

[jesswolfe]

Such a hard choice! I know that there is a chance of cancer at the site they put the chip. I have only had one cat chipped and it was done before I got him. I can feel the chip which is kind of disconcerting. However, in a disaster, that might be the only thing that gets your kitty back home. Hmm. Let us know what you decide.

Jess

Hi Barry,

Cute cat :) Good for you for getting to a neighborhood disaster preparedness meeting. I'd take your chances with a collar getting lost over the stronger possibility of Rudy developing cancer or an irritation at the site of the chip. (Which I've heard happens). And have you seen the needle used to insert that thing? It's fat.

Susan

[KT1]

Hi Barry,

Personally, I opt to have my cats chipped as the benefits far outweigh what appears to be a slim risk. I also write my phone number directly on the collar in case the tag gets lost or damaged. Just a thought.

Handsome cat!

KT

Hi fellow pet-owne... er, I mean, guardians.... I've just come back from a neighborhood disaster preparedness meeting. Sounds like getting my cat, Rudy, chipped is a good idea. He's got a collar, but I 'spose that might get lost.However, I see there is some concern about whether microchips create a health issue. What do you folks think?

[Marty M]

Hi Barry and Rudy,

Rudy is a beautiful cat!!!

It was a very hard choice, and I chose the chip for my dog. Yes the needle is large. I watched my dogs expression when the vet put it in. Her expression never changed, she didn't even blink, I don't think she felt it.

What I found out is that the chip is not "ON", sending out signals continuously. That when they scan the chip, the scanner sends a radio signal to the chip so it can be read it.

There are several companies that make chips and scanners. The chip needs to be scanned by the scanner of the same manufacturer in order to be read. Not every vet or every shelter owns a scanner from every manufacturer. They make a universal scanner and there is a goal for every shelter to buy one.

Also, the Sonoma County Animal Shelter is trying to get everyone to use the same brand of chip.

My dog was "dog-napped" several years ago. She was so friendly she would just go anywhere with anyone. She was gone a week, I almost didn't survive it, I was so heart broken. Finally the people called me and returned her. When she returned she did not have her collar on, she was chipped, but they never took her to a vet or shelter. When I put the ads in the paper, CL, wacco, bulletin boards all over town, every tree and post; I stated in these ads that she was chipped. No one wants an animal that can be traced.

As a previous poster mentioned, It is a good idea to write your phone number on the collar also. I have seen collars with the phone number machine embroidered on them. Sharpie pen ink on the nylon collars blurs a little and fades with time.

I wish you many happy lives with Rudy,

Marty and Kikira,

[peacetree]

well, my 2 cats are both micro chipped as they were both fostered feral kittens from some of the litters I socialized from the animal care and control in SF and Santa Rosa. So far as I know, all animals adopted out of there, and most shelters, get them.( check this when you adopt at a shelter, as with budget axes these days , I wouldn't be surprised if this was something they had to cut back about. If you get the option, I say go for it, even if you pay extra)

I saw all of the kittens I fostered in SF get their chips. Some even purred throughout. Most of the squirming I saw from them was related to them not wanting to be held still in the first place ( feral kittens especially) as the actual insertion didn't even seem to register to any of them.

I have tried and cannot feel them in my cat's fur , under their skin.

I do think a universal scanner only makes sense, and is long overdue. Obviously each manufacturer hopes to become the sole purveyor, hence the specific scanners. However , if the goal is reuniting animals with their human companions, universal readers should be the only thing anyone reads found animals with , everywhere. Also it's important the person scanning uses a good technique.( Good technique involves a thorough back and forth scan over the whole neck area. This can be hard in a wiggling, scared, lost animal, and larger ones have obviously a wider scan area. )I have read that if it is a large ,heavily furred animal it also could be missed in a cursorary pass of the scanner ( large dogs etc).( This happened to a dog that was lost in my neighborhood very recently. He was actually in a shelter and his human didn't know it as the person scanning didn't apparently scan thoroughly.( or who knows , maybe the scanner was not universal??)

Another reason to walk through shelters, checking for your buddy yourself EVERYDAY, especially until universal scanners are everywhere.{Did you know most shelters are understaffed and overwhelmed? Even if you have left fliers with your furred friend's picture, it is very possible the intake person might not have seen it, as they get hundreds of them. Also sometimes when your lost friend comes in to a shelter, they look nothing like their picture , as they are dirty, matted, or otherwise, not their best selves.

I felt much better knowing my cats were microchipped, especially in the event of disaster-not only just earthquakes, there are loads of ways we can inadvertantly, accidentally be separated from our beloved animal companions. I have had friends who were reunited with lost animals with chips after the following: apartment fires, car accidents, the Oakland Hills fire ( now THAT was a real miracle) ( can anyone say Fire Season??( just think about the amount of rain we have NOT had this year), trees falling on a house, travel cross country in a car, travel in an airplane (and a carrier was broken in transit) , and after a sudden heart attack ( my friend was taken to hospital and her cats disappeared while the paramedics were working on her), and one true shocker , months after Katrina.

So , while I am not a fan of over the top interference with animals, this seems really a good idea given all the chaos that happens in modern lives from time to time. I would be heartbroken to lose my small furred friends. It eases my mind to know I have at least some pretty good chance someone could reunite us if something happens to separate us. Peace and Purrs

[bill shearer]

Like flossing your teeth, you should only chip the pets you want to keep.
Cheers, Dodie

[WolfCub]

I understand that the thought of losing ones pet is unbearable but there is actually quite a controversy regarding the safety of chipping. Before chiping your pet i'd encourage you to research possible health hazards. Here is a website that is devoted to the topic:

chipmenot.org

and an interesting article:

https://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/microchips-pet/

[TNPLH Animal Rescue]

Hi Barry, I work as a veterinary technician as well as am the exucutive director for an animal rescue group (There's No Place Like Home Animal Rescue) in the bay area. Microchipping saves lives and we recommend it for evry owned animal! Collars fall off or are replaced but a microchip is permanant. There is no evidence to show that animals have adverse reactions to microchips. Good Luck!

Hi fellow pet-owne... er, I mean, guardians.... I've just come back from a neighborhood disaster preparedness meeting. Sounds like getting my cat, Rudy, chipped is a good idea. He's got a collar, but I 'spose that might get lost.However, I see there is some concern about whether microchips create a health issue. What do you folks think?

[Shandi]

I don't know what the odds are of animals getting cancer from chips, but I do know that the odds of our beloved animals getting lost are pretty high. Collars can come off, be taken off, or become life threatening, especially to cats.

If there's a real concern about chips causing cancer, then maybe a visible tattoo would be an option, although that would be a lot more painful than a chip, unless the animal was put under, or the area was
numbed. I've done no research on the danger of tattoos, but there must be some.

There's danger everywhere, sometimes in our own homes, but that's another story....

[jesswolfe]

I was reading recently there is a chance of cats getting cancer if their vaccinated with a subcutaneous shot. Its much more common if vaccines are given in the same place. Here is an article about it:

https://www.petcarenaturally.com/art...er-in-cats.php

As for whether chipping can cause the same inflammation, I don't know. My cat was chipped at Animal Control before I got him and the chip isn't at the scruff where cats are usually vaccinated. Its at the shoulder. And he has had no problems with it.

The one thing you want to remember though is that you do need to keep the info on the chip up to date. With the chip I have a website I can go to to reset his address and contact info.

Jess

[Barry]

Thanks for all the replies!

Besides all the theory, what it comes down to in practice is two questions:

Has your pet ever had problem that you think was caused by the chip?

Have you found your lost pet thanks to the chip?

I think so far the replies, although helpful, have been negative on both counts.
Can anybody reply positively to either of these questions?

[jesswolfe]

Has your pet ever had problem that you think was caused by the chip? Nope, other than the fact I can feel it, but that's my problem

Have you found your lost pet thanks to the chip? Nope I haven't lost an animal with a chip, thank God/Spirit/Source/whatever is out there protecting my kitties

[Shandi]

Regarding the first question; if anyone has a pet with a problem that they "think" was caused by a chip.

I'd like to see the question re-phrased to this: Has anyone had a pet with a problem that was definitely caused by a chip? Because we can "think" all kinds of things that aren't based in reality. I'd like to know also where the animal (cat or dog) was diagnosed, the exact problem, and the outcome.

The second question is clear, and from the few replies it appears that most pets haven't been found due to the chip. But, since working at the RP animal shelter, I discovered that there have been several cats re-united with their guardians because they were chipped. Although, even some cats were chipped, the guardians weren't able to be located, because they didn't change their contact information when they moved, or they just left their animals in the vacated housing and didn't want to be contacted.

Consider that some people who find pets, don't take them to a shelter, but place a few posts on CL, Wacco, or put up a few fliers. They don't take the time to check with the shelters for reports of missing animals, or take a picture of the animal and post it at the local shelters.

So, I think the odds are that if your pet gets lost, with or without a chip or a collar, and has been missing for days, weeks, or months, the chances are that you may never see your friend again. Things happen to lost, scared, hungry pets. They get chased by other animals, hit by cars, tortured by those who hate animals, or stolen (especially pure breeds). Some find loving homes, but I think the odds are against that.

Your decision about this is motivated by one of two things: FEAR or LOVE

Fear: the chip may cause problems
Love: do what resonates with protecting the pet

Then trust your decision, because if your pet gets lost, know that you've made a decision based on your research and personal feelings.

Years ago when I lived in Hawaii, I had two neutered cats who were never chipped and never wore collars. Mostly I lived on large properties of 3-5 acres. They had a cat door, and went out when they wanted to, during the day. But I kept them in at night because of the predators (wild boars, etc.) They never got lost, even when I moved them to Marin. I was lucky, especially since I moved several times before I finally settled in Sonoma County 10 years ago. One died from cancer, and the other one I had to put down for neurological problems. They lived to be 13 and 15.

Now, I wouldn't have a cat or dog without getting them chipped. Now, the annual vaccinations are coming under fire, and I may not get those for my indoor cat. Other dangers are Advantage and other flea killing products, which I will not use. There are other products that do the job, safely, and less costly.

I'd like to post this subject of "To Chip or Not" in my blog on Rohnert Park Patch.com for the Stray Pet
Network, to see if there's any response. Mickey Zeldes, the RPanimal shelter director, also has a very informative blog there, on all kinds of pet related topics.

Thanks for all the replies!

Besides all the theory, what it comes down to in practice is two questions:

Has your pet ever had problem that you think was caused by the chip?

Have you found your lost pet thanks to the chip?

I think so far the replies, although helpful, have been negative on both counts.
Can anybody reply positively to either of these questions?

[jesswolfe]

Great post Shandi.

Chipping cats is very important. Cats roam and its easy for then to just keep going. I have started to offer people help with finding their pets and have had good success. Mostly cats. As you said, they get scared, or they go too far or something happens to them. Having them chipped ups the probability they will make it home.

I have had cats all my life and I have only lost one that left and never came back, but he was little and had physical issues, so I have the feeling he went off to die. I keep my kitties inside at night and let them out during the day. They don't go too far. I have trained them to come when I call them. If they are close enough to hear me, they will come home (or out of hiding if I can't find them in the house!). So there are things you can do to make them safer.

Jess

The second question is clear, and from the few replies it appears that most pets haven't been found due to the chip. But, since working at the RP animal shelter, I discovered that there have been several cats re-united with their guardians because they were chipped. Although, even some cats were chipped, the guardians weren't able to be located, because they didn't change their contact information when they moved, or they just left their animals in the vacated housing and didn't want to be contacted. ...

[Claire]

We have three cats that came from shelters where they were chipped before adoption. One cat's chip can easily be felt under the skin and has changed position a bit over the years but it doesn't seem to bother him in the least. I have never found the chip on our cat who is very thin and gets petted a lot. Our third cat is very sumptuous and never reveals her secrets.

Last winter (2011) our beloved male cat began to spend increasing time away until he finally stopped coming home altogether. I checked every single day all the shelter websites (what a gold mine for missing pets and what beautiful cats there are awaiting homes) and put ads all around.

I had a very strong inkling that he was nearby on some mission and would show up when he felt like it. In the meantime, as worried as I was, I was immensely relieved that he was microchipped. The shelters assured me that they double scan everyone who comes through with both(?) types of scanners. They said there was no way for him to slip through the cracks and even if they had picked up his lifeless body on the side of the road they would scan it and notify me. The chip helped cover a lot of the possible scenarios and gave me some relief. I could then do the necessary searching but also lean on my intuition which said he was fine and up to something important.

And he was definitely on a mission. :) (Love that cat, although it would have been nice if he had at least made an appearance.)

One morning after he had been gone a few months we got a call from a Vet. His new person, Patricia, had brought him in for some complaint and as he was "astray" they scanned him. Need I mention how glad I was that he was microchipped?
At any rate, It was time for him to come home. She brought him back home that morning. For me it was love at first sight. She had been taking good care of my cat and he had chosen her to stray with!

He returned to her a few times, but his missions had been accomplished. [ I think he's glad to be back. A cool Tom keeps the peace within his parcel. Our guy is like the big neighborhood pub owner, as we have awesome catnip plants and everyone knows it. They have to behave or he kicks them out.]

Patricia turned out to be a very nearby neighbor (he could hear me calling him!), became a fast friend and we shared a year of wonderful coincidences, connections and deep friendship until she passed a little while ago.

This cat certainly was up to something good. It turned out to be an interesting phase of my life and the chip played its part.
As mentioned, you must update your info and if your cat takes up residence elsewhere, someone has to get him scanned. My friend hadn't thought of it. Except for my worry, it was all good, though.

I am much more likely to chip my cat than to get all the vaccines they recommend.

Claire