anyone get their pet the "chip"?

my kitty was a feral cat for over 3 years. she is solely indoor now and scared of everything and starting to socialize...i'm working hard with her!

she won't go near a window but today she was obsessed with the sliding doors leading outside. i don't think she'd ever try to run, but it scares me that if DH leaves the door open, she could be gone.

she would be impossible to catch as i'm the only one who can pick her up and that's when SHE wants to be held.

so i'm considering getting the microchip on the off chance that if she ran out she could *possibly* be caught. it's doubtful, but it would be my only hope of getting my baby back.

anyone know the pros/cons? price? do they feel it?

Re: anyone get their pet the "chip"?

I want to get one for my puppy but he has to get it when he gets neutered but the vet said it was $50

My moms cat is like that too. I dunno if you saw my missing cat post....but he came back home thank god!

I would do it

Re: anyone get their pet the "chip"?

My dog has a microchip and there are several other people on here who have pets who have it. Let us know what questions you have.

Re: anyone get their pet the "chip"?

My Puppy has one

Re: anyone get their pet the "chip"?

One of my horses is microchipped. It's never caused any problems at all -- the chip has been in for probably 7+ years.

I did not have the other horse microchipped because he has a freeze brand with his tattoo number from his racing days. (This is a unique identification to him and traceable to me, so I don't think chipping him is really necessary.)

Re: anyone get their pet the "chip"?

My puppy has one. We got it at his last vet visit. It cost us $35 to get put in and then the activation fee was about $15. Every year the renewal is $10.

The vet takes a long needle and sticks the chip in the back of the pet. My pup did not even flinch. I cringed when I saw the huge needle but my pup was excellant. He just sat there. It was all over in less then 30 seconds.

During Hurricane Katrina, many pets that were lost and later returned to their owners was due to the pets being chipped.

ETA: The vet will also give you a tag to put on the pets collar indicating they are chipped.

Message edited 5/28/2008 10:29:07 AM.

Re: anyone get their pet the "chip"?

Katie is chipped, she also wears her collar at all times. For $50 I think it's worth it.

ETA: Thank you for keeping her indoors! So much safer the her and nice to your neighbors!

Message edited 5/28/2008 1:51:28 PM.

Re: anyone get their pet the "chip"?

My dogs are both microchipped. I don't remember exactly how much it cost, but I think each one was somewhere between $40-$70 (kind of vague, I know, sorry!). I think it's a great idea. It gives me some peace of mind to know there's one more chance of finding them if they ever ran off or got loose.

As for the pain, I'm sure they felt it going in (like you would any other shot), but it didn't seem to bother them afterwards. And they never mess with it or anything now, so I'm sure they can't feel it anymore.

Re: anyone get their pet the "chip"?

Kasey has a microchip, she already had it when we got her. I don't think it hurts, it's like getting any other shot at the vet. It's a small chip that goes in between their shoulder blades. Not sure of the cost, but it certainly gives us piece of mind in case she ever gets out, IMO that's priceless. I haven't heard of any cons.

Re: anyone get their pet the "chip"?

Both my cats have it. It is a law here- if you adopt a pet they all get micro chipped.

Re: anyone get their pet the "chip"?

Posted by dita

Katie is chipped, she also wears her collar at all times. For $50 I think it's worth it.

ETA: Thank you for keeping her indoors! So much safer the her and nice to your neighbors!

Re: anyone get their pet the "chip"?

My baby had the chip put in at his first vet's appt about 4 years ago. I think it was around $40 back then.

Re: anyone get their pet the "chip"?

All of my pets have it. My dogs were older (4) when they got it and never had any problems.

Re: anyone get their pet the "chip"?

My dogs are microchipped with the company Avid. My one dog did get lost once and right away I called Avid and they couldnt even help me b/c their computer systems were down so they couldnt look him up to see if anyone called him in. Thank god 4 hours later after crying hysterical and searching the WHOLE neighborhood for 4 hours straight, the last house I got to, sure enough they had my dog and they said they tried to call in his chip number and that their systems were down. Unreal... the one time I go to use it in emergency and they had computer problems. That wasnt very comforting. I heard Home Again is a good microchip, ask your vet about it.

Re: anyone get their pet the "chip"?

All 3 of our dogs are microchipped

Re: anyone get their pet the "chip"?

Tiger has it

Re: anyone get their pet the "chip"?

We had our cat microchipped when he was neutered. He doesn't wear a collar (we tried, but he always gets out of it, and he's an indoor cat), but it's good to know that if he's ever picked up by the pound or whatever, they'll know where to find us!

Re: anyone get their pet the "chip"?

Our dog is chipped. It's nice knowing that there is a fallback if she ever gets lost and loses her collar.

We haven't had any problems with it, you wouldn't even know it's there.

It wasn't much to have it put in either. Definitely worth the price.

Re: anyone get their pet the "chip"?

My dogs were chipped during their neutering. My vet prefers to do it then, to minmize their discomfort. I have peace of mind if they God forbid get lost...