MICRO CHIPS
an ongoing debate with new problems
by Dan Reeves
Microchipping animals has been met with very mixed reviews over the years.
The biggest problem with pet chips has been that pet owners are consistently under a false sense of security regarding the protection they provide for their pets. "Collars and ID tags can become lost where microchips offer a permanent and additional means of identification. But we are concerned that pet owners could have a false sense of security." said Martha Armstrong, Humane Society of the United States senior vice president for Companion Animals and Equine Protection.
Many pet owners feel that they are a tracking system that locates lost pets when in fact they do not.
The chipping companies claim all participating veterinarians scan incoming pets when if fact they do not.
The number one way statistically that you will
permanently lose your pet is by another person finding and keeping your pet,
this is a situation in which a microchip does not help at all.
The reality is this:
3
If your pet is found and taken to a shelter
3 If the shelter
scans for chips
3 If the shelter uses
the frequency that your chip uses
3 If the chip has not
failed
3 If the chip has not
migrated
3 If the employee
(often volunteers with the best intentions, but poorly trained) scans correctly
3 If the person has paid to
register the chip and paid each time to update their information as it has
changed over the years
...then the pet can get home.
That is a lot of "ifs".
If they are not such a great product then why have they been selling over the years? Pet Microchips are made by large pharmaceutical companies with huge advertising budgets. In addition, they offer large profits to companies that promote the chips (mainly veterinarians).
Now a new twist. There is a new player in the market, one that greatly highlights one of the downfalls of the pet micrchip. A Canadian company has launched its product in the US, currently selling the product through approximately 440 veterinary clinics housed in one of the nation's largest pet product retailers. These chips can not be read by any of the existing scanners in the US.
This is just one more nail in the coffin of a questionable product.
See "Microchips, less than meets the eye"
and "American microchip companies fear competition"
Last updated 04/18/04