Microchipping your dog can mean the difference of life or death for your pet should it ever stray, or be stolen, lost, and end up in an animal shelter. But what happens if the chip malfunctions or if the shelter employee fails to scan the entire dog and cannot find it? Your pet is now at risk of euthanasia unless the shelter is able to find it a new home, or it will wither away for who knows how long in a cage with limited human contact or time outdoors. As with everything in life, there is a bit of "maintenance" needed once your pet has been chipped, either by the breeder (preferred) or by your vet (second best) or other person. First and foremost- REGISTER THE CHIP!!! A microchip is next to worthless if the chip is not registered under the owners CURRENT name, address, and reliable phone number(s). Adding your vets number and a secondary phone in case of an emergency is also a great idea. Keeping that information up to date is paramount! There is generally only a one-time fee regarding the registration unless your need to change your address, phone, or other owner information. Some popular registries include: AKC ReUnite and HomeAgain as the largest companies, but there are others. After your pet has been chipped, you need to have your vet check to make sure that it is working, not only right away, but also at every vaccination or wellness visit, and certainly when performing any health clearances or prior to any surgeries on your dog. If you happen to have your own microchip scanner, you can and should also do routine scans of your pet- when giving monthly heart worm preventatives, or when bathing/grooming, and certainly before any trips with your pet to make sure that the chip is working as it should. There have been instances when microchips have stopped emitting signals after x-rays have been taken for health clearances or medical purposes, so it is important to check after any radiographs are taken. One of the most "over looked" aspect to "chip failure" is that sometimes, a chip can migrate after placement in the lower neck/between the shoulder blades area. Sometimes they can end up in some really odd places! The photo above is not of one of my dogs, but it may as well be! My girl Twister- a large black lab that I had chipped as an 8wk old puppy- was having OFA x-rays taken and my vet and I immediately noticed an "artifact" on the radiograph by her left elbow, on closer inspection it was her chip! It was still functioning and from there on whenever she left the premises, she wore a collar with "Chip located left elbow" written on it in big bold letters. We considered placing an additional chip- which is always an option!! There is NO RULE saying that you cannot add a chip and register it as well with either another, or the same chip registry-obviously you will have to call and inform the registry as to why the dog has an additional chip. Another great idea is to make a note with your registry, your vet, and any other person routinely in the care of your pet know the location of the straying chip. Petsitters, trainers, and in the case of a missing pet, be sure to let each and every surrounding vet clinic, shelter, and rescue know, along with any postings online, that your pet has a chip but that it is in a non-typical location. In a nutshell- a microchipped pet has a vastly increased chance of being reunited with its owner -even many years after being lost- IF that chip has been registered, the information is up to date, and the chip is working or can be located easily by the scanning operator. So be sure that your pet doesn't suffer an "Identity Crisis"!
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