This is for all dog owners how microchipped. Current and going to be chippers please read!

This is my first time here and how strange for me to run across this topic.  I just took my dog to the vet yesterday to see where his micro-chip is .  I was feeling around on his body the night before and ran across something that did not feel like buckshot, he was a rescue dog.  My first thought was that his micro-chip had moved. The object was in the muscle part above his left front leg.  Sure enough, it was the chip.  This is a dog I rescued in Feb 2006 and lost 6 months later, the same weekend my husband's body was discovered in a vacant lot.  I got Petey back in January of this year ( 2 1/2 yrs later)  65 miles from where he went missing because of his micro-chip.  I don't know if his chip moved before or after I got him back, but it is still being picked up by the scanner, of course we were looking for the chip on his shoulder.  I have worked in the veterinarian industry for a number of years and had never heard of this happening before. 

scallahan

.  I just took my dog to the vet yesterday to see where his micro-chip is .  I was feeling around on his body the night before and ran across something that did not feel like buckshot, he was a rescue dog.  My first thought was that his micro-chip had moved. The object was in the muscle part above his left front leg.  Sure enough, it was the chip. 

See, it happens quite often and many people will never know until its too late!

~thranax~

 I don't know how often you think "often" is, but working at a shelter I see very few dogs or cats come in with chips that have migrated.  IMO chips are a great option for most people and one of the best ways to stack the deck in your favor when it comes to finding a lost pet.

 If you read the article, a lot of shelters are 40-80% nonworking  chips (In Massachusetts)*Nonworking means not being able to complete the task of contacting the owner from them** . These little chips are easily moved. Due to migration of the chips some become nonoperational. I do not argue with the fact the chips really help many pets get back with there owners, but this is to let you know of the risks that might occur, and actually occurs in 40-80% of the pets in shelters. Those percentages aren't just though out of my head, there was an article on the news about it, and thats my fact source for percentages. I just think spreading the word about what has proven to be a problem is a good thing. :)

 ~thranax~

I wonder if the 40-80% figure also includes outdated chip info?  That seems to be the biggest hurdle to tracing owners from chips here - people move or rehome the dog and don't change contact info so the chip is worthless.  We've resorted to sending certified letters to people and keeping the dogs for a while afterward (10 days I think) if we can't contact them via phone.

I think it's pretty common knowledge that chips can migrate, even though rarely.  When I brought my dog in to get chipped, the breeder could not remember if she had already done it.  The vet scanned her entire body with different types of scanners before he was satisfied there was no chip.  Likewise when I found a dog on the street and took him to get scanned, they scanned his whole body when they didn't get a hit on the shoulders.

I agree that it's a good idea to have your Vet scan your pet once a year when they get their annual check up to make sure the chip is in place and the info is readable.  No method is foolproof but a microchip is certainly one more way to help identify a pet if it becomes separated from it's owner.  I have collars with tags and with brass nameplates attached and my dogs are all chipped.  One dog is tattooed also.

I have found several dogs who had chips but the owner never transferred the chip to their name.  In one case the owner was tracked down but in three cases the owner couldn't be found because the chip showed the shelter info and the shelter had no good phone number/address for the owners.  Many people assume the shelter will transfer the info despite being given the paperwork to make the transfer and being instructed to do so. 

I know that if my dog/s were to go missing, I would be in every shelter in the area every day and calling all Vets in the area and doing all I could to find my dog.  I won't be sitting around waiting for someone to find me.  I don't have a false sense of security because my dogs are microchipped; it's my job to find my dog, IMO.

It is a good article for the most part but I am not sure on the percentages without the source for the info.

 Yes, a lot of the percentage is outdated information. Some of the time the information never is added to the database, now that would personally tick me off!

~thranax~

I worked in shelters for many years now - and I have come across more than my fair share of strays. It's VERY common knowledge that chips can shift. We scan the entire dog/cat - with a universal scanner. Several times, by different people - just to be certain.

I've never come across any chip anyplace other than near the shoulder blades (and yes, we scan the legs, chest and even belly)

The BIGGEST struggle we run into is outdated information. I can't even begin to tell you the numbers that DON'T go home because someone never updated their phone number.

erica1989

I worked in shelters for many years now - and I have come across more than my fair share of strays. It's VERY common knowledge that chips can shift. We scan the entire dog/cat - with a universal scanner. Several times, by different people - just to be certain.

I've never come across any chip anyplace other than near the shoulder blades (and yes, we scan the legs, chest and even belly)

The BIGGEST struggle we run into is outdated information. I can't even begin to tell you the numbers that DON'T go home because someone never updated their phone number.

Thank you very much for your personal input on it! Many people don't believe what i'm trying to say is true. If they did, I think they would share it more with other dog\cat owners! It's so true and so scary when you think about it.

~thranax~

Migration of the microchip is not a huge issue as long as shelters and vets know to scan the entire dog a couple times for it.

Outdated and inaccurate information IS a huge issue.  I'm always updating my girl's info and making sure everything is up to date and that there is just as MUCH info on there as I can squeeze in.

I'm amazed at the amount of people who either don't bother entering their information at all (a former coworker of mine got two dogs from a rescue, both were microchipped, she never bothered to register her info so it would just come up blank or with the rescue's info) or who don't put any real info down.  I get the "lost pet in area" reports from Home Again and so many don't have pictures or any real info.  One even listed the dog as a Miniature Dopple Dodson and in the more info category said "she loves everyone."  Really?  If I hadn't spent so much time online I might not have known what they meant by "dopple dodson";) and certainly the extra description wouldn't tell me if I found their dog.

Thought this article was a great one on the benefits of microchipping based on scientific research!

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091013185154.htm

Oh and FYI - some of the posts from this thread have now been added to the original link.  Thranax did you get permission before posting those quotes?!

I've not actually had either of my dogs microchipped.  I've gone back and forth on the issue for a long time.  Being that until recently they have always been on leash outside these 4 walls and always put in their crates  before we leave.   But after Zackies escape from the dog park I have been considering this more and more.   I'm glad I saw this though.     You whats really sad though, the microchipped dogs that never make it to the shelter, some near do well takes the stray in off the street and keeps it and never even has the dog checked for a microchip.   Being that one of my dogs is  a more desirable breed, that is my fear.    

 They need some kind of GPS microchip or something.   That would be ideal.  Because not everyone checks for a microchipped dog.   And shelters are not always the ones that get the stray dogs.