Puppy Microchipping: 3 Reasons, 5 Benefits & Crucial Facts!
Microchipping is a legal requirement in some countries and some states, but what is it, and why microchip your puppy?
What Is Microchipping?
The microchip is a small (about the size of a grain of rice) radio frequency identification transponder.
It doesn’t have a battery or any moving parts, and when inserted into your puppy, it remains passive until scanned.
The scanning process triggers the embedded microchip to transmit a unique fifteen-digit code.
When you microchip your puppy, you link emergency contact information with that unique code on a pet log database.
The microchip acts as a unique identification tag establishing your connection to your individual puppy.
3 Reasons to Microchip a Puppy
Vet and animal welfare charities strongly recommend microchipping, and many campaign to make it mandatory.
The primary reasons for microchipping a puppy include:
1. Legal Requirement
In Hawaii (January 2022), your dog or cat must have an embedded microchip, collar, and identification tag.
Across the US, the legal position on microchipping is less clear, only nine states currently require shelters to scan dogs for the presence of a microchip automatically, and a handful (Dallas) insist on microchipping to register your pet.
The UK has a legal requirement for all dogs to have a microchip and wear a collar and tag in public.
If your puppy comes from an area with a legal requirement for a microchip, then the puppy will come to you with an embedded microchip.
2. Reuniting a Lost Puppy
Some puppies are escape artists, and a collar and tag are removable.
If your puppy is lost or stolen, you are twenty times more likely to be reunited with a microchipped puppy.
One in three dogs are likely to go missing at least once in their lifetimes, and although most are local and quickly returned, many never come home.
Sometimes the puppy gets handed into a shelter, and a new family takes it in, unaware that it already has a loving home.
A microchip allows the shelter to identify the puppy’s home before rehoming.
One of the heartbreaking parts of a missing puppy is not knowing if the puppy has had an accident.
A microchip helps you get closure if your puppy is involved in a road accident or other incident.
A vet scanning for a microchip may identify your pet as registered to you and not a potential thief if someone tries to steal your puppy.
3. Establishing Ownership
A microchip registration does not automatically confer ownership of the puppy, but it does help establish you as the most likely owner.
Legal ownership of a puppy varies depending on the State.
Still, the microchip tag together with your veterinary bills and other paperwork will streamline the process because the microchip uniquely identifies your puppy.
In the absence of a microchip, you rely on a physical description of the puppy, and your puppy’s appearance can change.
5 Benefits of Microchipping Your Puppy
The benefits of microchipping your puppy include:
1. Unique Identification
The fifteen-digit code is unique to your puppy and prevents confusion over which puppy is under discussion.
It is not unheard of for unscrupulous thieves to dye a puppy a different color to confuse identification.
Plus, an adult dog may look different from the puppy; regardless of changes, your microchip is a unique identification tag for life.
A collar and tag are removable, but the microchip is permanent.
2. Rapid Recovery of a Lost Puppy
Social media is a fantastic resource for reuniting lost pets with their owners, but the microchip identifies the puppy as belonging to your address.
One scan and the finder can give you a call to swiftly reunite you with your puppy.
Depending on your microchip register, you may get extra benefits like lost pet alerts to all vets and rehoming centers when you report your pup missing.
3. Prevent Rehoming
Instead of rehoming your cute puppy, the rescue center can reunite you with your pet.
This option is more efficient for the center as they can pass your puppy back to you without feeding, boarding, and assessing your puppy.
Typically, you get a few days to recover your puppy from the shelter, but the amount of time depends on your local state rules.
4. Save a Life
It may sound dramatic, but rescue shelters have limited capacity ad resources.
When a rescue center becomes overwhelmed with an influx of dogs and puppies, the staff have few options other than euthanasia to make space for the animals most likely to be adopted.
The microchip’s presence means the shelter can contact you and gives them the option to save your puppy’s life.
5. Identify You
Do you carry personal identification everywhere?
Most people take a mobile phone, but these are locked and don’t allow someone to identify you.
If you have an unfortunate accident while out with your puppy, the microchip identifies you (or someone who knows you) far quicker than waiting for a missing person’s report.
There are numerous news stories where family dogs save their owners in emergencies, ranging from falling in the snow to accidents.
But one feature of a microchip is the ability of rescuers to scan the dog to identify the unconscious owner.
Does Microchipping Hurt Your Puppy?
Microchipping involves inserting a small object about the size of a grain of rice under the puppy’s skin – typically between the shoulder blades.
The process is quick and doesn’t require an anesthetic.
Your puppy needs to weigh over two pounds and be at least seven weeks old before your vet will consider the procedure.
The microchip is passive (no power) and will last for twenty years – it is a single procedure for life.
Potential issues with microchipping your puppy include:
Microchip Migration
The microchip may not stay at the injection site, and it can move around the puppy’s body.
A professional scanner will scan the whole body to find the microchip.
In some rare cases, the microchip may end up somewhere in the body where the scanner does not activate it, or it may migrate out of the body.
There is no physical risk to your puppy, but if the scanner cannot detect the microchip, then your lost puppy will not return to you.
Microchip Failure
The microchip may stop working.
Again, these instances are exceptional, but a scan will not register the microchip if the microchip stops working.
You lose all the benefits of having your puppy microchipped.
Hair Loss
Your puppy may experience hair loss around the injection site.
Typically, it is temporary, and there is no itching.
The hair loss may last for a few weeks or months.
Infection
Any time you pierce the skin, you cause damage and open the puppy up to a potential infection.
When you use a vet, the process will be clean, and the risk of infection is low.
After any injection, you need to watch for signs of infection.
A short course of antibiotics will clear any infection, and there are no long-term consequences.
Swelling
Any injection may result in minor swelling at the injection site.
Any swelling is likely to be slight and will dissipate within a few days.
Your puppy probably won’t notice the bump.
Cancer
There is no reliable scientific evidence linking microchipping your puppy to the later development of a tumor.
Unfortunately, plenty of people speculate that there is a direct link and quote supposedly scientific studies suggesting that microchips may result in tumors.
The possibility that your puppy may develop cancer because of microchipping is minimal; the probability that your puppy may go missing is high.
Microchipping is the most effective method for preventing your puppy from getting lost in the system.
Does the Microchip Require Maintenance?
The puppy microchip is a passive system.
When inserted, it remains in place without any need for further attention by you or your vet. It has no moving parts, and it remains inert inside the body.
You can request that your vet scans to check it is still working and if it has migrated as part of your puppy’s annual checkup.
If you change address or rehome your puppy, you are responsible for updating your microchip database with your details change.
The microchip is only effective in reuniting you with a lost puppy if your contact details are current.
Is Microchipping Compulsory?
In some places, microchipping is compulsory for all puppies, and you have a responsibility to register your details with the microchip database.
In the UK, microchipping your puppy is a legal requirement, legislation introduced in 2016 means all dogs must have a microchip with current details of their legal keeper.
Microchipping is not a substitute for a collar and tag, as all dogs must wear a collar with an identification tag in public.
In the US, the position varies.
Hawaii has legislation demanding microchipping for all dogs and cats, but this law is recent – January 2022.
Dallas has local rules requiring dog owners to microchip their dogs, and California, North, and South Carolina are among the few states where rescue centers must scan dogs for microchips.
In the US, microchipping your puppy is predominantly a personal decision (except when importing animals), but the legal position is subject to local rules and constant change.
Across Europe, most countries require a unique identification for your puppy, but the rules may vary.
In France, you can identify your puppy with a microchip, a tattoo, or both. If you want to take your puppy into France on holiday, your puppy will need a microchip and a rabies vaccination as part of the entry requirements.
Typically, a country will require new puppies coming into the country to have a microchip, but this requirement may not apply to dogs and puppies born in the country.
For example, Singapore requires puppies born in Singapore to be registered with a license and advises microchipping as a sensible identification tag. Importing a puppy from outside Singapore means the puppy must have an ISO-compliant microchip before entry.
The legal position on microchipping depends on your local rules and if you are importing your puppy from another country.
Microchipping may not be a legal requirement, but it is helpful if your pup needs to cross international borders.
Can You Track a Microchipped Puppy?
The typical microchip is a passive transponder that needs a scanner for detection.
Puppy microchipping does not link to GPS, and you can’t use the microchip to track your absent puppy.
Currently, the technology does not combine the identification tag with a GPS tracking function.
You can buy a GPS tracking collar for your puppy, which will allow you to keep track of your puppy (provided it wears the collar).
This product is not the same as a microchip, and you don’t embed it in the puppy.
How Do You Microchip Your Puppy?
An injection inserts the microchip in to your puppy’s body. The needle is large enough to accommodate the microchip (rice grain size).
The chosen insertion point is between the shoulder blades in the subcutaneous layer.
The puppy must be at least seven weeks old and weigh over two pounds. Small toy breeds may need time to grow before microchipping.
Only a vet can microchip a puppy in some countries, and in others, a certified professional can administer the procedure.
The second part of the procedure links the owner’s name by registering the microchip on a database.
The database operators tend to be private companies or charities, and the database supplier often offers additional services as part of the subscription fee.
In most countries, the equivalent of the kennel clubs maintains the microchip database for your puppy.
Can You Remove the Microchip?
No responsible vet will try to remove the microchip.
Inserting the microchip is quick and painless.
Removing a microchip means digging around inside your pet with a scalpel blade, trying to find an object the size of a grain of rice.
The operation is high risk and gives your puppy no benefits, so in theory, you can get the microchip out; but it is not an option in practice.
If a microchip stops working, then the option is to implant a second working microchip and leave the redundant microchip in position.
How Much Does Microchipping a Puppy Cost?
The cost of the microchipping process can be free or up to $70, depending on availability in your area.
Registering your puppy with a pet database can cost a few dollars or up to $30, depending on the package options.
Changing details may be free or have a small fee for each change.
Conclusion
Microchipping is primarily an insurance policy to reunite you and your puppy if your puppy gets lost or stolen.
If you live where it is a legal requirement or intend to travel across international borders, you may need to microchip your puppy.
In many places microchipping is a personal choice depending on your assessment of the risk of losing your puppy.
The process is relatively inexpensive and pain-free for larger puppies.
In most places, microchipping does not remove the need for a collar with an identification tag, and in some areas, it replaces the need for a dog license.
The ease of tagging your puppy with a unique identification code probably means that microchipping will eventually become compulsory in most countries as an efficient method of registering dogs and their owners.
References:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091013185154.htm