From what I've read it seems like a normal collar with an ID tag would be better, but I would like to hear other people's opinions on this. At first I thought chipping a dog meant you could GPS track your dog around the world and find them that way, but since that's not the case I have no idea if it's something worth looking into or not. Thanks in advance!

I think its definitely something worth looking into. A, if your dog is lost and many many miles away and slips his/her collar or loses his/her tags and a shelter finds her, they can scan for a chip and find that the original owner was indeed you. B, if your dog is ever stolen, a micro chip would be another way to try and prove that you were the original owner.

Those are some pretty good points. Does it hurt the dog at all or affect them in any way?

AMB wrote:

Those are some pretty good points. Does it hurt the dog at all or affect them in any way?

Hmm.. as in 'hurt', maybe only the way a rabies shot may hurt. Cloud is a big baby when it comes to shots but Yuki doesn't care at all. And no, they don't act any differently, its a very tiny chip that goes into their shoulder. Cloud has one and Yuki doesn't (yet) but neither seem different.

I see... I might look into it then, thanks!

It is pretty painless. It is a micro chip inplanted with a shot/needle. I got all my dogs done. Our lab/pit mix went visiting neighbors one day and the Dog pound picked her up and scanned her, Instead of taking her to the shelter they just brought her back home for us.

I was told the needle they use is pretty big, so they preferred to do Karli's when she was under for her spay. It definitely helps with huskies because they are escape artists and its always good to have that extra security. The shelters or vets can scan for the chip and contact you if they find your dog. Definitely worth it.

Yeah, they were definitely pretty big! All of my dogs took it with no yips or problems though. This is what they use..

Okay now I'm pretty interested. Is there any physical change in their shoulder area after the shot (i.e is it implanted chip shallow enough to feel when petting them or something?) Also how much would it cost? The more I'm reading about it the better it sounds but I'm not 100% sold on it quite yet...

It was $48 for Karli's chip...and no there is no change. Like she's chipped, but I have absolutely no idea where. I couldn't find it to save my life.

Oh that's actually cheaper than I thought. Okay I think I'll do that then, what would be a good time to get them chipped (especially if they were already neutered/sprayed)?

check with your local spca to see if they microchip, ours does and it's only $15 and then you pay to register it with the microchip agency that stores all your info.

Dakota was chipped when he was fixed at 2 months ( fixed early due to undescended testicle) Rusty was chipped at 4 months by the spca.

I feel so much safer knowing no matter what happens to their collars if they get out they will get back to me if picked up by a vet or the spca.

Most people these days will take a stray dog they find to a vet or the spca to be scanned to see if they have a microchip, it's becoming standard practice.

It's having a "tag" that can not be removed.


also the needle may look really big but it's the same size needle they use when you donate plasma to the blood bank. I can tell you from personal experience they don't hurt any more than any other injection i've ever gotten, including my last tetanus.

The girls were chipped before I picked them up at 8 weeks. Denali I had done his first puppy check up when he was 12 weeks or so. Dakota and Juneau were around the same age when they had theirs done as well. Rockie, Tikaani, and Timber were done when they were neutered. Such a piece of mind, as others have mentioned, to have a tag that can't be lost.

My vet doesn't fix pets until they are 6 months old so I did not wait for him to be under anesthesia....through the grape vine I heard to have his 4 siblings have gotten out and were never seen again (doesn't help that the owners didn't look for them) anyway it made me nervous so we chipped him. He did yelp, but he yelps very easy. He was fine right after and ready to play.

Reasons for microchipping
If the dog loses it's collar or if someone steals the dog, then the microchip will be an identifier. We prefer to chip our dogs. The process is not painless however, dogs are stoic and do not seem to mind, even younger pups.

Location
The chip is usually inserted between the shoulder blades, however it can migrate until the tissue firms up around it. One of our dogs had their chip slide down to the front shoulder. We have never been able to feel the chip while petting the dog.

Cost
Cost varies widely. Our local spay-neuter clinic does it for $10 while the dog is in for the operation. The chip company gives them free supplies because they will make the money back when you register the dog. Registration can cost $50 for lifetime or $10-25 per year.

Other IDs
We also have them wear collars and three types of tags

1. Town-issued licence tag, which is also proof of rabies vaccine (required)
   
2. one tag with the chip information,
   
3. standard ID tags with the animal's name, our address, and our phone number.
   

We always use collar tags from Boomerangtags.com because they lay flat against the collar. It is more difficult for the little dears to tear off when they are playing. The tags with our phone number has returned them to us several times.

AMB wrote:

Okay now I'm pretty interested. Is there any physical change in their shoulder area after the shot (i.e is it implanted chip shallow enough to feel when petting them or something?) Also how much would it cost? The more I'm reading about it the better it sounds but I'm not 100% sold on it quite yet...

the chip is about the size of a grain of rice so once it's in they can't feel it and you won't be able to find it. when i had my puppy chipped i was in there and she didn't even flinch when they put the needle in.

i think i paid $40 to have mine chipped and i paid like $18 dollars for a lifetime registration

I got mine chipped when they were puppies. I held treats in front of their face and they didn't notice getting chipped at all. They were too worried about getting the treat! I think every dog owner should get their dog microchipped. If they get loose and loose their collar (or someone steals the dog), you can still prove the dog is yours. If your dog lands in a shelter, the shelter will check for a chip. I think it's one of the best ways to get your dog back if it ever gets loose. I've found the home of a stray small dog before by taking it to a vet and having them check for a microchip. Sadly, that was the only dog out of the 5 or so strays I've personally found that had a chip and two I never found their owners. A chip would have helped reunite them with their families.

I got Blaze chipped when he was neutered. We were required to have her chipped at the shelter before we could have her. There are lot of events here that are dog and owner friendly and someone usually ofters cheap microchipping at these events like about $20 or less. I found two different dogs one was chipped but the information was out of date on her I was still able to find her owner and they updated the information afterwards. The second dog I found had not collar and no chip I end up calling the shelter to come and get him he was a beautiful Malamute or husky mix wasn't sure.

Oh I want to add I am always worried about someone stealing my dogs I figure if they did when they took them to a vet they would scan for a chip and get them back to me ( hopefully).

Both of our dogs have them, they usually get done same time as their injections

We took Sky for her chip a few weeks ago, she gave one short yip of surprise and nothing else, no struggle or fuss.

My 5 year old who was with us cried for 10 minutes

Okay thanks guys! That's a lot of convincing posts, I think I'll go for it when the time comes. Thanks again!

My sibe is chipped and he screamed like it was nobodies business when it was done. It certainly is not painless to have it inserted (it's a huge needle) but once it's in they're fine. There are some negatives associated with microchips so I prefer not to microchip my non-flight risk dogs. So only one of my 3 dogs is microchipped, and I don't intend to ever get my Chihuahuas done.

It usually isn't too bad for them. Lycus was a big baby and screamed bloody murder with his parvo shots so I got him chipped when he was neutered lol.

One thing, tho, you cannot GPS a dog with a microchip. That eould require a battery and processing chip that couldnt possiblly be inserted under the skin. But there are some great products--tracking collars--that seem great. You can even use a moble app to track. 10-12 bucks a month service fee.

@Huskyluv: What kind of negative associations? I think I remember reading something about a study linking it to a type of cancer (that would be pretty bad!) but I'm not sure...

@Rocio_Caballero: Yeah I think that if I do this I might do it when they neuter him since it doesn't sound very pain-free...

@Mishka'sMom: Yup, I was such a noob for thinking that. >.< GPS tracking takes a lot of battery power and would be way more expensive as well.