Tuesday, February 3, 2015

Microchipping Your Pet

   We finally did it.  Last Friday we took Bentley to see our AAHA accredited vet to be microchipped.  It is something that I have given a lot of thought to over the past few years.  I had what I considered legitimate excuses.  The thing is; that’s exactly what they were…excuses.  To be honest, they weren’t even great excuses.  Now, Bentley walks around with a chip between his shoulders!
 
Bentley is in chip-shape and I have the card to prove it.
 A microchip is a tiny computer chip housed in a special glass that is compatible with living tissue.  Once your pet has been microchipped, there is no need to change or replace it.
   Our vet, Dr. Mirts cleaned the skin where he would be inserting the chip.  He showed us the needle and explained everything as he proceeded.  The special syringe is large, about a 14 to 16 gauge.  The actual microchip is the diameter of a pencil lead and as long as a piece of rice.  It is inserted under the skin between the shoulders. 
   One of my biggest fears was that it would be painful for Bentley.  Unless the
A scan assured us the numbers matched
on our records and the chip.
chip is being inserted during another medical procedure, there is no need for sedation.  The doctor said it would feel like getting a flu shot.  Bentley did not even flinch or yelp.  Of course, having all that excess skin may have helped.  Bentley claims it’s because he is one tough cookie.
   Before inserting, Dr. Mirts scanned the syringe that included the chip with a special handheld device. He then compared the chip number to make sure it matched the packaging. As soon as the chip was in place, he scanned the wand over Bentley’s back.  It displayed the chip number from inside Bentley’s body.  We were able to read his unique chip number on the screen.     
   It’s a good
Bentley did not react at all to the needle.  Big Boy!
idea to have your vet scan your dog’s chip on your annual visit to ensure that it hasn’t moved.  That’s all there was to it at the vet’s.  *Bentley wants everyone to know that he has lost FIVE pounds!
   All that was left to do was register our microchip with the company.  A one-time fee may apply, but ours was included in the cost of the implantation. Registering was very quick, easy, and our chip’s site Petlink, was user friendly.  I also have a card with the chip number to carry in my billfold. Bentley has a tag that lets folks know that he has a chip.

   The best way to keep our pets from getting lost is to be a responsible owner
Yes sir, it's in there all right!
.  Don’t let your dog or cat run loose.  Always make sure your pet has ID tags on their collar with current information.  I now know that microchipping is simple and painless for a pet.  Our next pet will be microchipped right away.  It gives me a sense of security that I didn’t realize I was missing. 
   Are your pets microchipped?

**SPECIAL NEWS BULLETIN: We are beyond excited to announce that we won The Lucy Pet Foundation's $500 shelter donation!  Our local Humane Society of Northwest Louisiana will be thrilled. Thank you so much to the fabulous people at The Lucy Foundation!

28 comments :

  1. I was chipped when Mum did my gotcha
    Well done on the donation
    Loves and licky kisses
    Princess Leah xxx

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  2. I am very glad you did this especially before your road trip. I believe all pets should be microchipped but is is absolutely essential that traveling dogs be chipped. Look for my post about traveling pet microchip tips later this month!

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  3. Yep all the furries here are and ii always get the chip scanned at annual visits..we had them all scanned prior to moving also as we were moving 3 hours away..and one of the girls chips had gone awol..so just as well we did check! but also updating records as you move too :) good boy Bentley for losing some weight! :) loves Fozziemum xx

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  4. Chipped here and would not be without it. Have a terrific Tuesday.
    Best wishes Molly

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  5. Great post!

    You know, it's funny. Just the other day we talked about Harlow's chip. The folks we rescued her from lied to us about so many things, we are starting to wonder about her chip. We sent paperwork in but never really received anything back from the company - different then the one Monty has. We have plans to bring her in and have her scanned/rechipped.

    Monty and Harlow

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  6. I have a chip too... like the Terminator :o) It's law here for dogs&cats and for the most breeders it is routine to chip a pup before he goes to his furever furmily. I think it was a good idea, to make it to a law... but as always there are a lot of people who ignore that fact....although much vets offer chipping for a super moderate price :o(
    Easy Rider

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  7. Geez Bentley! I had no idea you were not chipped! We were all chipped as tiny pups. Katie and I both have two chips as we have our original European one which not all US readers can detect and our US one we got when we moved to the US. Getting chipped is so easy and good for security if we should ever get lost.

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  8. that is one thing Mom insists on - as soon as we are old enough (8 months is the usual age) we got chipped. But did you know there are different types of chips in other countries. The chips used in Australia for example use a different frequency.

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  9. Well, 50% of my pack is micro-chipped. The senior rescues aren't but probably should be. They rarely leave the house and sleep most of the time so we haven't felt the need.

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  10. What a brave boy Bentley! Congratulations on getting microchipped! And HUGE congrats for winning the contest! That is awesome!

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  11. 2 of my huskies are chipped, I have yet to get Koda done, but he will be done this year at some point for sure. Micro chipping has so many benefits!
    CONGRATS on winning!!!! The shelter will be so surprised!!!!
    ღ husky hugz ღ frum our pack at Love is being owned by a husky!

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  12. CONGRATULATIONS on winning the donation to your local shelter !!!!

    WE both have microchips... our mom ALWAYS has our Dogtor Scan our chips... during our annual visit...
    One NEVER knows what may come along... Thieves ... getting loose after an Accident... getting away when a walkin sting breaks.. WHATEVER... and with a microchip... there is the chance that we can be reunited with our beloved peeps.

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  13. Yay, this is very important to be chipped cause then they will find us
    Lily & Edward

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  14. Chewy came to me chipped. Flash and Patches are nearly 13 years old and don't get far from home. I should probably worry about that more than I do.
    www.dogtreatweb.com

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  15. Congrats on winning the donation for your shelter!

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  16. Yep we are both chipped. There's a law in Denmark which says, all dogs have to be chipped and all cats will have to be ear tattooed or chipped. And congrats on winning the donation :)

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  17. Great job, Bentley and congrats on winning the donation! How awesome!!!

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  18. Oh Doggies...now our Tracker has a chip on his shoulder...sounds like a pretty simple deal!

    The Mad Scots

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  19. So glad you took Bentley in and got him microchipped and thanks for the great post about it. Congrats on wining the donation to your shelter, that is great! You are one lucky gal, do you play the lottery?

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  20. We wear tags, but we aren't microchipped. The mom says she needs to get that done, but so far, she hasn't.

    Congrats to your shelter! That's PAWSOME!!!!

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  21. My new baby from the shelter came "equipped" with a microchip! LOL

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  22. Our dogs are microchipped. Actually, we are very lucky that in our county, they received a grant that allows them to do microchips for $10. My husband knows the animal control officer and she came by our house when Küster was a puppy and did his right in our driveway! There's really no fuss to it and it can be your pet's best insurance for getting home if something happens. Your dog can lose a collar, but they keep that microchip with them. Every year when I take them in for annual exams, I ask them to scan it, just to be sure it's still working and still in the right place, and so far, no problems! Bunny and Morgan have had theirs for five years now.

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  23. Valentino is tagged but not yet chipped. However, it will be done this year. BRAVO to you and your local shelter on The Lucy Foundation winnings!

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  24. First - YAY! CONCATS on the donation!! Second - we're SO glad Bentley didn't mind it - we felt SO guilty when Allie yelped that we decided to wait until anesthetized teeth cleaning for the boyz. All three - DONE!

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  25. Congratulations on winning the Lucy Pet shelter donation! Your shelter really is going to be so thrilled, and you can feel so good about helping them as well as getting the word out.
    Luke is our only dog that is microchipped, but we plan to get all our pets chipped from here on out. We're only not doing the others because they're older.
    Jan, Wag 'n Woof Pets

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  26. Yay, our pups are both microchipped as well :-) Their chips were inserted during their respective neuter & spaying surgeries.

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