Microchip, Tatoo or both??

flacrwdog · 06-29-2008, 05:26 PM

My boy is just about to turn a year old and I haven't chipped him yet. My breeder is suspicious that chips can cause cancer and advised me to just tattoo instead of chip. Not sure if I buy that or not but she swears by it. What should I do? Tattoo, chip or both?

I am more concerned with my dog getting stolen than lost as I watch him like a hawk. If your dog is stolen how effective are either the chip or tattoo in recovering your dog? I would think a tattoo might be more effective because it is visible and you canvas all your local vets to be on the lookout.

Of course if my boy ever gets lost and lands in a shelter the chip is a surefire way to identify him. Thoughts?

thea2003 · 06-29-2008, 05:35 PM

my thoughts are, is that if someone is stealing your dog they will not be taking it to any vet any time soon and lots of vets only keep lost signs up for about 6 months.

I like the chip, but you can do fun things with tatoos, my friends dog has a flower on her dogs ear and her name i think.
And the tatoo like you said would be more visible, even the vets had a heck of a time scanning my dog for her chip.

**voodoolizard** · 06-29-2008, 05:43 PM

we just have chips.. have not herd about tattoos.. dont know if its reached the uk yet LOL we are a bit behind !!

dobesanddragons · 06-29-2008, 05:49 PM

Since these are protection measures and only in place for rare emergency situations it makes me feel better to do both to my dogs for peace of mind. Yes, there have been some risks with chips; however, I feel the benefits outweigh the cons for my animals. I like the tattoos since they are visible. I like the chip since it is a good form of ID too in case they do end up somewhere that has a reader. Their tags read on one side : ID chip, Tattoo to let people know just in case.

Even with these measures in place, if someone stole my dogs they aren't ethical to begin with and it would be hard to track them down, however, I would have a couple forms of "proof" they belong to our family when I finally did recover them and get leads. I don't leave my dogs unattended in my yard ever. If we leave the home, they are comfortable inside the home. I know this doesn't eliminate the risk, but it helps it not be as easy for someone to accidentally leave gates open, case the neighborhood for “x” breed of dog, or for my dogs to get bored as heck and leave the yard in some way.

**berkshire** · 06-29-2008, 05:49 PM

Here's a brief summary of the hype about microchips and cancer...

College of Veterinary Medicine

I might do both, but Tucker is already microchipped. A lot of tattoos are placed on the inner thigh where there isn't much hair. And as another DT member pointed out, how many people will be rolling a strange Doberman over to check for a tattoo? One is a visible sign for those who check...the other is potentially more permanent. I've seen some very illegible tattoos, and some poorly placed microchips. If a dog is stolen, it probably doesn't matter how it's identified. If a dog is lost, however, most shelters have universal scanners to check for chips, and know to look for tattoos. I think both methods of permanent ID are viable, and have their pros and cons.

**Doberdog** · 06-29-2008, 06:03 PM

Q and my Maggie Mae have the chip. I'm thinking of getting a tatoo also. What if I forget to renew my contract with the chip folks? I would feel safer with both. If they ever get lost I want them to have every chance of being found.
So do you take the dog to a tatoo shop? Does the Vet tatoo them? Who does it? Do they need sedated? Where do most people have the tatoo placed? Is inside the big floppy ear a good place or is it to vascular?

Scoob · 06-29-2008, 07:11 PM

Who does the tattoos? Is it done at a tattoo parlor or the vets or where? Is the dog asleep or what?

Scoob

zeus and me · 06-29-2008, 07:19 PM

hmmmm trying to remember.....when I had my doberman tattooed It wasnt a vets office.....it seemed to me all the lady did was dog tattoo's they put the last 4 digets of my SS# on his inner thigh....my dog was 100% awake.....it was done when he was about 3mo old

edit to add......it looked like a viberating pencil type tool.....it left a bit of redness but didnt seem too painfull

Dobemom2b · 06-29-2008, 08:01 PM

That sounds like a home made tat gun. (made with a ball point pen shell, a guitar string needle and model car/boat motor)
Vets can do it, some breeders have the equipement and some tat parlors will do it if you hold the dog and catch them at a time of day they are bored with no customers.

There is a tattoo registry Welcome To NDR
visiting that site would likely tell you a lot about it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by zeus and me

hmmmm trying to remember.....when I had my doberman tattooed It wasnt a vets office.....it seemed to me all the lady did was dog tattoo's they put the last 4 digets of my SS# on his inner thigh....my dog was 100% awake.....it was done when he was about 3mo old

edit to add......it looked like a viberating pencil type tool.....it left a bit of redness but didnt seem too painfull

**Burns** · 06-29-2008, 08:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by flacrwdog

My breeder is suspicious that chips can cause cancer and advised me to just tattoo instead of chip. Not sure if I buy that or not but she swears by it.

How many dogs has she known that have been microchipped and have developed cancer at the site of implantation?

Berkshire's link has good information about how rare it is for such a reaction to occur. Virtually anything can cause cancer, including vaccines, but you have to look at the risk versus the benefit. It is possible for the injection itself to cause an infection or localized swelling, but this reaction is extremely rare and can be easily treated. Any potential risks of microchipping are far outweighed by the benefits.