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microchipping pets

904 views 8 replies 7 participants last post by  cheekywhiskers 
#1 ·
I am looking into this for our new puppy, when we get him. I have been reading about tattooing and microchipping and I am actually thinking about doing both because the seem take care of each other's shortcomings. I am noticing that there are multiple microchip registries. Do they work with each other? (meaning, if my dog is registered with one and the finder calls another registry, will they have the info? I am guessing not) Does anyone know if one is more often used than another? It would be a shame to have this done and then someone not know what to do if they find our dog. How reliable is this, anyway?

I am not clear on how it works, in a practical sense. All the web sites are giving me is a sales pitch about how perfect it is.
 
#3 ·
My pets are microchipped by Avid. It's the most common, so all vets and shelters should have the scanner. Unfortunately, some manufacturers use a different kind of chip, so not all readers can read all the chips. In the US there are two microchip companies, Avid and HomeAgain, and both use the same frequency of chip. Most shelters will have scanners that can read both of them. The companies probably don't keep records on competitor chip #s, but I'm sure if they called HomeAgain and you read to them an Avid # that they'd be able to say "that's an Avid # and you need to call this number".

This thread had some good information posted about microchips: http://www.veggieboards.com/boards/s...ad.php?t=33019
 
#6 ·
We have HomeAgain microchips at our hospital. They're readable by Avid readers, but not all Avid chips are readable by HomeAgain readers... at least thats what the company told me. I'd think a microchip + a collar and tags will probably cover all your bases.
 
#7 ·
I still think I am going to do the tatoo, as well. We have had a lot of "lost" dogs in our neighborhood in the last couple of years and from what I have read people who are stealing them for labs are more likely to dump a dog that is tatood off somewhere because the labs will not buy tattood dogs. You can't see the chip, so they don't help discourage potential theft at all. (note- I did say discourage, not eliminate)

Anyway, it can't hurt (for more than a few minutes).

I will probably go with the home-again chip, because from what I can tell it is what is most available around here, so if he got lost locally at least there would be a better chance of him getting scanned with the right reader. I wonder if there is any regional difference in what is used. ?
 
#8 ·
Avid is more widely used, but HomeAgain is sponsored by the AKC.

They both use 125mhz frequencies. It's some of the foreign chips that use different frequencies, so if you come from or go overseas you might want to get a new microchip.

Avid does offer "secure chips" that can only be read with special readers. I don't know why anyone would want to use one of those.
 
#9 ·
Check into the costs of the chips, I think HomeAgain is starting a registration fee for the life of your pet (meaning it's more expensive over all). Mine are both AVID chipped. I chose that because it seems to be the most popular brand and is picked up by most scanners, it was also the only brand available at that time on the island (plus very cheep, less than $10US).

I have a couple of personal stories about how those chips have saved animals lives and gotten them back home. One was a dog from the far south Chicago suburbs that liked to wander. First time he got out, dad was smart and got him chipped. The third time he got out he was missing for a few days. He was found wander up in the city near a major expressway 20-30 miles from home. We think someone tried to steal him, but he got away. Without that chip he never would have made it back home.
 
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