 To chip or not?
#301435 - 11/01/2010 05:59 PM |
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I was going to get both my dogs micro-chipped for ID security when we travel. But after some research, I'm having second thoughts. I found a recent article about microchips causing cancer: http://www.naturalnews.com/030108_microchips_animals.html
Does anyone have more insight on this? I wasn't aware there were any serious health risks. Almost every shelter dog these days is microchipped, and many pet owners are also encouraged to microchip. I've never chipped one of my dogs before, though.
Thoughts?
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Re: To chip or not?
[Re: Kiersten Lippman ]
#301436 - 11/01/2010 06:25 PM |
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What I would do is consider what the risk is of developing cancer vs the risk of not getting your dog back if it should get lost and wasn't chipped as well as the chances of it being returned if it was chipped.
Also, there are other alternatives the best of which would be tattooing the dog someplace where a thief would not be likely to cut it off such as the dog's inner thigh.
There are risks to just about everything in this life and we must weigh the pros and cons and come to the best informed decision we can based of the information available. And, it's important to not rely on just one source.
"A dog wags his tail with his heart." Max Buxbaum
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Re: To chip or not?
[Re: Elaine Haynes ]
#301438 - 11/01/2010 06:31 PM |
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What I would do is consider what the risk is of developing cancer vs the risk of not getting your dog back if it should get lost and wasn't chipped as well as the chances of it being returned if it was chipped.
Also, there are other alternatives the best of which would be tattooing the dog someplace where a thief would not be likely to cut it off such as the dog's inner thigh.
There are risks to just about everything in this life and we must weigh the pros and cons and come to the best informed decision we can based of the information available. And, it's important to not rely on just one source.
I'm so glad you posted, because I was getting in a tizzy. But now, thinking back, every "I found my dog" story I have heard or read in many years has involved a microchip.
But I'm glad of the O.P. too ... we might research the incidence of cancer from chips ... Has anyone seen any stats?
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Re: To chip or not?
[Re: Connie Sutherland ]
#301439 - 11/01/2010 06:36 PM |
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It feels a lot more secure to me knowing my dogs are chipped, although I'm still a worry wart about somene getting lost anyway.
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Re: To chip or not?
[Re: Connie Sutherland ]
#301440 - 11/01/2010 06:38 PM |
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I think that there are not any good statistics available at this point. My dog is microchipped...
For me, the benefits outweigh the potential risk of cancer.
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Re: To chip or not?
[Re: Lynne Barrows ]
#301446 - 11/01/2010 07:32 PM |
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I chip and tattoo my dogs. The benefits far outweigh any potential risks in my mind. One of my dogs has been chipped for 13+ years and no cancer <shrug>
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Re: To chip or not?
[Re: Ingrid Rosenquist ]
#301450 - 11/01/2010 07:48 PM |
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Personally I like tattoos. Except that they are never checked, no one knows who to call, they are easily altered, misread, or discounted, and they fade.
Chips are IMO the best available option for now to actually prove a dog belongs to you beyond proof of possession. They also are a way to link registration, health records etc, to the actual dog being identified on paperwork.
I do chip, I'll continue to chip, until they come up with something better. When I think of all the dogs I encounter in a year, all the breeders I know, all the rescue dogs I meet, and I have not heard of one dog getting cancer at their chip site I have to wonder if problems like this are overblown. On the flip side I can't count how many dogs I know of who have taken a trip, disappeared, been stolen, or otherwise had contested ownership where a chip could have been the deciding factor in getting the dog back.
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Re: To chip or not?
[Re: Melissa Thom ]
#301451 - 11/01/2010 08:11 PM |
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I chip. Heck, I even chipped my horses... lol.
I HAVE heard of cancer being 'caused' by the chip (foreign body), but I've never seen any reliable research done on it.
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Re: To chip or not?
[Re: Ingrid Rosenquist ]
#301453 - 11/01/2010 08:20 PM |
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I chip and tattoo my dogs. The benefits far outweigh any potential risks in my mind. One of my dogs has been chipped for 13+ years and no cancer <shrug>
I do the same. Those that have a tatoo also have a chip.
I also chip all my rescue/rehome dogs. Of the many dogs I have placed over the years, only one failed five years after placement ,a divorce situation. Somehow the dog ended up in a shelter in another state, they notified me within hours of her being there by her chip.
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Re: To chip or not?
[Re: Tammy Moore ]
#301458 - 11/01/2010 08:58 PM |
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The breeder I got my dog from has the puppies chipped before they are allowed to leave. She puts herself down as second contact so if for some reason, the dog is lost and they are unable to contact the owener, they will contact her next.
Being a responsible person was one of the things that drew me to this breeder.
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