Microchipping Pets has become an increasingly popular method for their identification, offering a permanent solution to the age-old problem of lost animals. This technology involves implanting a small electronic chip beneath the pet’s skin, providing a unique ID number that can be linked to the owner’s contact information. While the benefits are substantial, it’s essential to consider both the advantages and potential drawbacks of microchipping our furry companions. Is it a Lifesaving Innovation or a Hidden Risk?
Benefits of Microchipping Pets
Permanent Identification: Unlike collars and tags that can break or be removed, microchips provide a lifelong identification method. This ensures that even if a pet loses its external ID, the microchip remains as a reliable backup.
Increased Reunion Rates: Statistics highlight the effectiveness of microchipping in reuniting lost pets with their owners. Microchipped dogs are returned to their owners about 52% of the time, compared to just 22% for non-microchipped dogs. Similarly, microchipped cats have a return rate of 38%, whereas non-microchipped cats have a mere 2% return rate.
Quick and Painless Procedure: The microchipping process is swift and minimally invasive, akin to a routine vaccination. Anesthesia isn’t required, and pets typically experience minimal discomfort during implantation.
Durability and Longevity: Microchips are designed to last the lifetime of the pet without any need for maintenance or replacement. They don’t have moving parts or batteries, ensuring consistent functionality over the years.
Secure and Private Information: When a microchip is scanned, it reveals a unique identification number. Access to the owner’s contact details is managed through the microchip company’s database, ensuring privacy and security.
Potential Drawbacks and Concerns
Health Risks: There have been reports of tumours developing at the microchip implantation site. These events do indeed happen. The pharmaceutical companies do not wish to link the relationship between microchips and cancer in pets as it would affect their profits.
As they always do, the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) states that the benefits of microchipping far outweigh the minimal risks, but similar organisations that advocate for human health said that about the covid vaccination too. They said it was safe and effective, however, how many people have had adverse affects from the jab and how many people have died? LOTS. Do not trust what these bureaucratic organisations say. Trust your own instincts on whether or not to microchip.
Misconceptions About Tracking: It’s a common misconception that microchips function as GPS devices. In reality, they don’t track a pet’s location but serve as a form of identification when scanned by a veterinarian or animal shelter.
There are companies coming out now that create pet tags which can track a pet’s location. Crumb.com is one of them, but there are others. Search the internet for pet tags that act as trackers and you will find plenty of new companies using the latest technology to help you recover your pet.
Dependence on Updated Information: The effectiveness of a microchip hinges on the accuracy of the owner’s contact information in the registry. If details aren’t kept current, reuniting lost pets with their owners becomes challenging.
Scams and Fraudulent Activities: Pet owners should be vigilant about potential scams related to microchipping. For instance, there have been reports of fraudulent emails claiming that a pet’s microchip registration has expired, prompting owners to pay unnecessary fees. It’s crucial to verify the legitimacy of such communications before taking action.
Company Reliability: The sudden shutdown of microchip companies can pose challenges. A recent example is the closure of ‘Save This Life,’ a Texas-based microchip company, which left many pets untraceable due to the company’s database going offline. Such incidents highlight the importance of choosing reputable microchip providers and ensuring that microchip information is registered with national databases.
Exploring the Pros and Cons
Expert Opinions
Animal welfare organisations and veterinary experts in Australia strongly advocate for microchipping pets as a vital component of responsible pet ownership. This practice significantly enhances the likelihood of reuniting lost animals with their families and is mandated by law in various regions across the country.
Animal welfare organisations and veterinary experts advocate for microchipping as a crucial tool in pet safety. PETA emphasises that microchipped animals have a significantly higher chance of being reunited with their guardians. They note that microchipped dogs were returned over 50% of the time, while non-microchipped dogs had a return rate of only 21.9%. Similarly, microchipped cats were reunited 38.5% of the time, compared to just under 2% for cats without microchips. The AVMA also supports microchipping, stating that the benefits far outweigh the risks. They acknowledge there are indeed instances of tumours associated with microchips but emphasise that no causal effect has been proven.
Please note that the AVMA is in bed with the pharmaceutical companies and as such is going to say that there is no causal effect between microchips and tumours. Don’t believe their claim on that topic for one second. There is only one reason for the tumours – the microchips.
Australian Veterinary Association (AVA)
The Australian Veterinary Association underscores the significance of microchipping as a permanent method of electronic identification. They describe the microchip as a small device, about the size of a grain of rice, implanted just under the skin between the shoulder blades at the back of an animal’s neck. Each chip has a unique number detected using a microchip scanner, and this number is recorded on a database registry with details about the animal and owner.
Microchipping offers a reliable and permanent method of pet identification, significantly enhancing the likelihood of reuniting lost pets with their owners. While there are indeed risks and considerations to keep in mind, the consensus among animal welfare organisations is that the advantages of microchipping far surpass the potential downsides. Pet owners are encouraged to microchip their animals and ensure that their contact information remains up-to-date in the relevant databases.
Last but certainly not least, pet microchipping allows law agencies and governments to know YOUR location as well as your pet’s. If you value your privacy, you may prefer to use a pet tag that has a tracking device in it rather than getting a microchip inserted into your pet. That way your own details remain hidden to those organisations that like to know everything about you.
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