Animal Microchip Questions for FReepers

self | August 12, 2022 | fwdude

[fwdude]

I have a question on identity microchips which is pertinent to me and probably a lot of others.

When an animal is microchipped and registered in a national database, vets and others with a connected scanner can identify the registered owner of the scanned pet.

Let's say you lose your pet and then someone else finds it, unaware that it is a lost pet belonging to someone else. It has no collar or other identifying markings, but you had it microchipped and it is currently registered. If the new "owner" likes the pet and claims it for himself, and subsequently takes the pet to the vet for a checkup or medical procedures, is the vet obligated to scan the pet for a chip with or without the new claimant's permission? What if the new "owner" doesn't disclose the history of the pet (my vet never has asked about any I have brought in.)? The presumption seems to be that the claimed owner IS the owner, so there would be no impetus to scan the pet for a chip.

I have lost a couple of cats and people around me have lost cats, and have advertised on the various lost pet sites, like PawBoost. I just want to know if vets or other pet service providers routinely scan pets for microchips.

Let's now say that a vet does scan the pet, perhaps because a new chip was requested by the new "owner," and discovers the old chip, the one I had placed in the pet. Is the vet obligated to notify the recording organization that the pet has been found, or just to tell the new claimant about the finding?

I can see lot's of room for this to get very messy.

[Organic Panic]

(From my friend who is a small animal vet.)

-—”None of the Vet practices I worked for scanned for chips as a regular checkup. We didn’t scan in my practice. Only if someone brings in a stray. The shelters and animal control will scan them and call the last registered person.”

That’s what he said at least. I have never had any of my animals scanned in all the years of going to a vet. Most vets know their customers and their pets so I doubt it is common anywhere.

[DoodleBob]

Wow...that’s the first time I’ve seen a full transition from FReeper to DUmmie in one post. What next, cheer on Garland?

[madison10]

Not so sure about that. The person will demand worship and I think there will be many who will do so voluntarily. There will be some that will know who/what he is and refuse.

See Vax for reference.

[Robert DeLong]

The unique identifier in the chip won’t do you any good unless you register it with a national pet recovery database.

When you register your dog’s microchip, enter all relevant contact information. It’s a good idea to include both landline and cell phone numbers for you and anyone else in your household who is responsible for ownership. You don’t want to miss a call telling you that your canine companion has been found. Remember to keep your contact information up to date with the registry, too.

[Scarlett156]

Some animal-rescue type folks go around looking for evidence of dogfighting and dog-baiting - if they find bodies they will scan them for chips. They will also scan road-killed pet animals if they find them. They get paid for it, right? Some folks will volunteer for that kind of work because who likes pit bull breeders and dogfighters?

Many times pit bull breeders will bring their animals hurt in baiting and fighting to vets - it’s like a pimp taking an underage hooker to Planned Parenthood, right? They watch the vet EVERY SECOND to make sure he doesn’t scan the dog or otherwise try to blow the whistle on them.

Microchip identification makes it a lot harder for criminals to get away with this stuff.

[SkyDancer]

Meanwhile here in Seattle, the King county council declared car theft a non-crime.

[marktwain]

Cats like to get lost. That’s what they do....or run in front of a car.

It is not the cats' fault of coyotes like cats...

I don't think coyotes worry about microchips...

[Sarcazmo]

Yes... true. Maybe buy a scanner and go around scanning Coyote turds.

[Tallguy]

Happened to me with an adopted dog. Cops picked her up as a stray and slapped her in a kennel. The vet that ran the kennel wanded her and failed to find the chip (they float sometimes). My vet, on the other hand, found the chip on her initial wellness visit. He reported the dog, they tracked down the original owner who, fortunately for us, declined to claim the dog.

[MayflowerMadam]

Same with ours. To the vet in a cage. They really HATE that! It breaks my heart to see little cat bodies by the side of the road.

[gundog]

Oh, I’m aware of them. They used to work Eugene pretty hard. Cats aren’t likely to hold still for a van pulling up to them, though.

[waredbird]

Or hide in a car engine.

[telescope115]

Yeah, same here.
Our Charlie just walks right into the carrier. He loves going for a ride.
Coco, on the other hand, once she sees that carrier with the door open, she skeddadles for parts unknown, and it’s a real chore hunting her down, grabbing her, getting her into the carrier without getting shredded.
Once she’s in there she starts shedding like crazy, crying, and no amount of sweet talk trying to calm her down will help. Nothing. Putting a toy in there with her, a blanket for her to lay on- it just gets pooped or barfed on.
Thank goodness it’s only once a year!🙀

[Glad2bnuts]

No chips for my pets, the same as it is for me and mine.

[woodbutcher1963]

The largest percentage of cats that go missing here in southern NH is attributed to coyotes and Fischer Cats. A member of the weasel family.

These are primarily nocturnal predators.
Many new residents learn the hard way when Fluffy goes missing after they are put out at night to do their business and never come back.

[vetvetdoug]

Before I retired we had two different scanners and ran them over animals upon examination and recorded them on the record. We just documented the chip. Microchips are sold indiscriminately and many animals with microchips have never had the registration completed so it is a dead end. If a stray was brought in then we'd give the finder the chip registry and let them do the legwork. Universities using animals for research are diligent and if a chip is found they try to find if it had been lost or stolen. I was involved in a animal “scam” years ago where a man was stealing dogs everywhere and selling them at “First Monday” to a dog dealer that sold to universities for research. One of the first microchipped animals from our area was found at UC Davis, over 2000 miles away. The thief kept the rabies tags in a coffee can and when his place was raided the LE brought us the tags and we identified the dogs to which they were given. There were hundreds of them. He was charged with a misdemeanor. Vets are under no obligation to research the microchip's registry, only to document if one were to be found.

[Sacajaweau]

You bring it to the pound....not a vet. A vet’s job is “care” not a lost and found operation.

[LilFarmer]

I was so frustrated with our local shelter. Our dog ran away many years ago (was chipped and the chip was registered). He was brought to the shelter by some Good Samaritan, but they didn’t scan and we were told no dog fit the description. We ended up physically going there anyway and there he was. They then charged us for room and board as well as shots (he was up to date and still wearing a rabies tag with our vets number). All in all it cost us a few hundred to get him back!

[Varda]

Shelters are very indivdual and sorry to say some of them are run by scammers (they collect dogs to sell), animal rights people (they try to keep animals to euthanize them) and just plain incompetents. Humane Society is a phrase they trade off of because people don’t know that there is no real humane society.
I was a shelter worker at one time. It was eye opening in how low some people are.

[crz]

Right you are..now go argue with someone else.