We have a 3 mth old CKCS and not sure if we should have him chipped. We had a cat chipped once and he went missing and we never saw him again so I have little faith in the hole chipping thing.

But jakesmum you have a better chance of getting your dog or cat back if chipped just look at doglost to see how many chipped dogs are reunted. If i was you then i would get her chipped.

My neighbour asked me to help her with a stray cat that had somehow managed to get a front leg through its collar.  Obviously the cat was limping badly, was very thin and very hungry.  When I cut the collar it didn't fall away because it was embedded in the cat's flesh and the smell was very bad.  My neighbour called the RSPCA, they scanned the cat and she was happily re-united with her very grateful owners a couple of days later.

There is a very interesting debate in the FAQ Forum about Microchipping.

The thread in FAQ is interesting as they raise the query about chips not being picked up on scans outside the dog's area.  Does that still apply though?  I would be surprised if the chip didnt' work anywhere in the country.  What would be the point of chipping? My dog is only likely to get herself lost if I took her somewhere she'd never been before.  Also if she was stolen, thieves aren't likely to sell a dog in the same area they live in (not my dog anyway, she's too distinctive).

My dog is chipped and tattoed and it's just peace of mind really.  If she did go missing at least I'd know I'd done everything possible to ensure that she could be returned to me.

Mine are all chipped, and when they had their boosters recently I got the vet to check they were still where they should be. :-)

My vet was laughing at me the other day. I'd taken two pups to be vaccinated, then when we were waiting I started to feel unsure -had I really brought the right bitch? The two were so similar, and easier to tell apart when side by side, and mine was to be vaccinated but not the one that was going soon. So I asked the vet to scan the bitch pup to make sure, as I remembered mine had a chip that ended in 2 28 -my birthday. :) It was the right pup but my vet thought I'd lost my marbles.

also cats are very different in peoples minds.
Many people I know have said "we have just taken in a stray cat", I always say to them have you looked for the owner and they say "no it is a stray" If they found a dog they would never even dream of just taking it in as it is a much huger responsibility in there eyes adn therefore morelikely to look for the owner.

I would get her chipped as minnie mouses said you then have a bigger chance of getting her back

Definatly have her chipped. That way you can always identify her should the worst happen and she becomes lost or stolen.

Thank you all, I think I will get HIM chipped. As you said it will make things easier if he does go and get himself lost.

oops sorry both mine are girls so i just ortinmatically put her
sorry
Hope HE never gets lost in the first place :)

Jakesmum....WHOOPS .......soz........dont usually get the men and women mixed up..... must be getting old and past it ;) :P

The chipping is only of use if some one checks for the chip, and then chooses to contact the registered chip owners.

Now especially with a cat many people would just adopt it, and even if taken to the Vet the likelihood of it being scanned are pretty low.

Chips can sometimes be missed by rescues, if they have moved, batteries are low, or the rescue group do not have a scanner.

That said on top of having mine ear tattooed, and wearing the legally required tags with my name and address on I have all mine chipped.  The more forms of ID the better.

my recent experience of finding little lost unchipped dogs confirmed my decision to have nips chipped when he was 11 weeks old! fortunately the little lost one was claimed very quickly but given her age and condition, i wouldn't like to have predicted how long she'd have been kept in kennels.

of cats, i think they have a wonderful habit of "straying" in quite a different way to dogs and agree with brainless that i doubt many are taken to be scanned.

I always have mine chipped and they wear a tag showing that they are chipped, so if they are found then they will know to scan them.

Bev

Same here, my dogs are chipped and tattooed and have 4 tags on their collars - one for microchip, one for tattoo and two with name, address, home number and mobile number.  I also get them scanned periodically (at the annual dog shows - Wag and Bone etc) to make sure the chips are still functioning, and are where they should be.

You sound like me but mine only wear two tags

Pure paranoia on my part :D one tag on each collar also says "I need daily medication" - neither dog does, but it's a deterrant to thieves (I hope!)!

Mine has a tag with my parents address and phone number as well because if we lost him we would be out looking for him and not there to answer the phone. With my parent's no as well there would be a good chance of someone around to answer the phone.

I'd recommend it, if only for the idea that putting as many forms of identification on a dog/cat as possible is a great idea.

My RR is chipped and tattooed (details here:  http://www.dog-register.co.uk/) and wears 2 tags on his collar' 1 warning he is chipped and tattooed and the other with my name, address and tel number.

I don't believe rescue centres are legally obliged to check for chips, or that they even have scanners which will find them - but if they do and it gets you and your dog back togehter then it's money well spent....

Highly recommend the tattooing as well, a great visible detterent to thieves and easily spotted by police/rescue centres, etc.

Just out of interest how many of you have had the chips checked recently?

Two of mine were chipped and both dogs chips appeared to have vanished and when i pressured the vet to rescan all over they were found in their shoulders This was only due to a routine vaccination/worming visit and i mentioned it to the vet to check.

All my cats and all my dogs that are chipped are checked at least monthly simply because the kids get a kick out of running around and scanning everything in sight. :D

lol oh what a toy to have your own scanner :D my daughter would be scanning every dog in the neighbourhood!!

All mine are chipped but I have got some that have moved :rolleyes:  2 have moved around to the front of their chest, the other ~ well what a performance I had not long ago when taking her for a DNA sample!!  3 of us spent a good 20 mins trying to find her chip, just about to give up when the scanner bleeped ~ it's moved to the front of her lower jaw   I've spoken to Petlog who said she can have a 2nd chip & they'll record her details as such ~ shame they won't pay for the 2nd :rolleyes:

Message for Mandy ~ 7 chips + 1 please :D

I get all my puppies chipped & registered with Petlog before they leave here & so far all of those have stayed in place ~ the only ones to have moved are the ones put in by stoooopid Vets that see them as just an injection :rolleyes:

my dogs moved to just below her right ear. The vets phoned petlog and they sent a free chip.
Perhaps get your vet to phone - you might get a different answer

Maybe worth a try ~ although I'd still rather Mandy actually put it in for me as hers have never moved so far as she puts them in properly :D

well my vets gave it to me to  look after as they didn't want to charge me by accident. you could then go and give it to mandy.
my vet puts them in properly and the only reason why hers moved was because she was a wimp and moved at the crucial time so it went just under the skin instead of deaper. none of my other animals have moved and they have all been put in by the same vet and between the sholder blades noot the scruff. Maybe i just have a good vet :)

Good thinking Anna, thanks for that :D

I had my new pup done on Wednesday unfortunately my vet was not taking part in the countrywide Microchip month but one day a week it costs £15 instead of £18, it has gone up by £3 in the 2 yrs since I had my other dog done.

I used to be against chipping.  I wouldn't have anything implanted in my animals TYVM!!  But I have four ferrets, all of which I got from the RSPCA so therefore all are microchipped.  I never thought anything of it til one escaped one night.  We tried everything to find 'Smeegol' but as you can imagine, finding a ferret is not easy.  We told the RSPCA and they advised to get another one (we only had two at the time) to keep the one that was left company as they pine if kept on their own.  So nine days after he went we got another one from the RSPCA to keep 'Sirus' company.  We got 'Mina' on the Sunday afternoon and on Monday morning we had a phone call to say Smeegol had been found!  He was 11 miles away!! He had wandered into someone's garden and they'd taken him to their local vet who scanned him and they phoned us.  Without a microchip I may never have got him back.  Now all my animals are chipped (the dogs are tattooed aswell).  So from personal experience I'd recommend it.

Debs

having tried, fruitlessly, to find a chip in the lost dog i found, i was cheered to discover that the first attempt produced a microchipped jack russell terrier - nosy little so and so got in the way of the scanner!

Do the vet do the tattoo's? How long would it take to do? I will phone the vet to get Charlie in to be 'chipped' on monday.

No, the vet doesn't do the tattoos. They're done by a representative of the National Dog Tattoo Register, and takes about 5 minutes.

Thanks foe the link . There is a chap just down the road that does it. I think I might get Charlie a nice tattoo ;)