I have just heard some horrific news from my aunt.
She said that dog theives in wales find a micro-chip in a dog, hold the skin up tight and cut it straight out of the dog, leaving a huge gash in it's skin.

This is horrific, i have every puppy of mine i breed micro-chipped, i wouldn't dream of that happening to them. A few of my baby's have homes in wales.

Can anyone tell me if this is true. I have all my adults chipped to.

I know a vet can surgically remove them for a high price but if a thief can do this and get the microchip first time then that's amazing. But, then again, I'm not saying it couldn't happen.

Can't think why a vet would charge a high price unless they meant it would take finding with an Xray first for instance.  If the chip can be felt I don't see why you could not just do as the poster says pinch it up and cut it out   Certainly know someone who had something very similar done with their hormone implant that was causing a nasty reaction, thankfully with the use of local anaesthetic though :)

I know that a vet would charge a high price as we were considering having our dog's micro-chip cut out. For a short haired breed then it would probably be easier for a thief to cut it out but once the coat on the dog is longer then how would they be able to possibly do it without taking all of the skin off the back of the neck?

I very much doubt that the thieves just choose short haired breeds or dogs that they can feel the micro-chip in. So, no, i don't believe that this can be done for the majority of dogs.

why would you want to have your dogs microchip cut out?

It was to do with BackHome not wanting to change the details as I had no proof that I was the new official owner of my dog. A long, long story. But, the vet suggested removing the old one and replacing it with a new one. He checked with BackHome and IDentichip and they both said it was ok.

Yes i've heard this can be done....with a potato peeler, there is a couple of known cases on doglost :-(

How sad that people can actually go to those measures. What can actually benefit them at the end of the day?

They now have an untraceable animal to sell ... :(

Sometimes they'll do it before abandoning the dog, so it can't be traced back to them - as in the case of the greyhound bodies found last years with their ears cut off. :(

If you shave the fur off a long coated dog you end up with a .......... short coated dog :)  If you can feel the chip, which you often can, I don't see it is a major operation to pinch up that area and make a small incision down to where you can feel the chip.  If you can't feel it, then yes, either an xray or more major exploratory opening is going to be necessary hence a bigger quote from the vet.

Also a vet will do it under GA - and that's not cheap either.

My friend had her hormone implant removed under local but I suppose a dog might not sit still :)

I think it's highly unlikely - the dog thieves would have to have bought a microchip scanner to have any hope of finding the microchip as a lot of them move after implantation and they're in slightly different places in different dogs.  In some dogs they are quite near the surface and could be cut out, but in many dogs they are too deep to be able to be cut out.

hi there- yes people are cutting out chips, and they can buy scanners for around £200,  but also now- there are people who actually zero the chips to 0000000000000, so rendering them utterley useless!

scary how these people go to such lengths to steal our pets...

My Scanner cost £106 !(had to have my pup chipped for his Pet Passport :& I do not trust the chip to stay put & working !( & the DNA tests for the ISDS to accept them-His tattoo is better ID & Optigen the DNA company accept them )