Losing a dog is a pressing problem for many owners. Widely used identification methods that allow a pet to return to its owner - address tags, branding - most often turn out to be ineffective. Address cards and collars are lost in the process of wandering, the brand is not readable. The modern world offers a new way of applying information to a dog - introducing an electronic chip under the skin. From the article you will learn: is the chipping procedure mandatory, how and where it is performed, what advantages and disadvantages it has.
What is chipping
Microchipping of dogs is a manipulation involving the introduction of an electronic device under the dog’s skin—a transponder that is microscopic in size and does not cause any inconvenience to the animal. It contains unique information and code. The small device consists of parts:
- receiving block;
- transmitter;
- antenna;
- information block;
- the capsule itself, which has a bioglass shell.
The chip is programmed with information about the dog, which must be entered into a single database compatible with similar international resources. The code consists of 15 characters:
- country code (Russia – 643);
- manufacturer code (next 4 digits);
- a unique dog code that cannot be faked or changed in the future. This code contains information: name, breed, age, health status, existing pathologies, complete data of the owner.
The question arises: is microchipping pets the responsibility of owners in our country? Conversations and discussions have been going on since 2011. It was planned that the law mandating such a procedure would come into force in 2021.
In December 2021, the Federal Law “On the Responsible Treatment of Animals” was adopted, which contains information on the need to label animals in certain circumstances. But there is no question of mandatory microchipping. At the same time, the Order of the Ministry of Agriculture of Russia includes dogs in the list of animals subject to mandatory identification by any known method.
Thus, the legislation does not yet directly indicate the mandatory microchipping of pets, and no administrative liability has been established for the lack of a procedure. But some regions of the Russian Federation are adopting local legislative initiatives that provide for mandatory registration of animals - microchipping.
Microchipping an animal becomes a requirement if you are planning to travel abroad.
Since there is no law on mandatory microchipping yet, such identification is voluntary. When adopting such an act, the owner will be able to carry out the procedure “retroactively” in order to comply with legal requirements.
Photo: media.defense.gov
What the owner should know about microchipping
When microchipping a pet, the owner should know what to pay attention to. It is imperative to make sure that the chip introduced into the dog complies with international standards ISO 11784 and 11785, otherwise it will be impossible to export the pet abroad.
If the owner of the kennel sells already chipped puppies, then it is necessary to check whether information about the dog is entered into the Unified Database. The same information is required when microchipping in the clinic. If an institution enters the code only into a local or individual database, then identification will not be possible.
When microchipping a pet, the owner must fill out a form, the data from which will be placed by the veterinary hospital employee in the database. A special barcode is glued into the dog’s veterinary passport, which corresponds to the microchip data. The dog owner is issued an identification card, which serves as a legal document to confirm the rights to a specific animal in court. The owner must check whether the data has been entered into the animal-ID system and whether there are any errors in the application form.
A week after microchipping, the dog owner must check whether the information is available in the international and national databases and whether it is entered correctly. Often owners, knowing that a transponder is implanted in their pet, are shocked when, when crossing the border, for example, the customs veterinary service does not detect the dog’s electronic passport.
If the record could not be found, the owner can make an application, have it certified by the veterinary clinic, providing a microchipped animal to check the code, and send the application by mail for registration. The same procedure is provided when changing contacts. Electronic identification is one of the items required in documents for exporting a dog abroad to the countries of the European Union, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Japan, etc.
When choosing a microchip, you should make sure that it complies with ISO standards, otherwise you may have problems reading the code. There are no universal scanners yet and some transponders cannot be read.
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Why is microchipping necessary?
As soon as the first such electronic devices appeared, owners of rare and expensive representatives of animal breeds paid attention to them. By inserting a microchip under the pet's skin, they hoped to protect it from theft. Please note that such a device cannot be tracked. The standard transponder does not have a GPS module; its range of action is several centimeters. You will have to bring the scanner close to the dog to read the information.
Why is it necessary to install a chip? It allows:
- obtain complete information about the owner;
- be confident in purchasing exactly the puppy that was chosen;
- resolve a dispute about the ownership of a dog;
- prevent the substitution of animals at exhibitions and competitions;
- freely visit other countries with your pet;
- participate in exhibitions (since 2010 – a mandatory requirement);
- quickly obtain information about health, existing pathologies and allergies when changing doctors, moving, or traveling.
Photo: media.defense.gov
Will a chip harm our pet?
The pain level of microchipping a dog is comparable to vaccinations and is much less painful than animal tattooing, which is often misunderstood as a humane alternative to microchipping. The microprocessor is inserted under the skin of the animal using a syringe. The procedure never lasts longer than a few minutes and does not cause pain later.
Good veterinary clinics also use special anesthetics for the chip insertion site. They are aimed at calming the dog and eliminating the stress associated with needle sticking.
When can an animal be microchipped?
The chip can be inserted from a very early age: 5-6 weeks. The main condition is that the dog must be healthy. Implantation of the device does not require any special preparation from the owner and pet. It is carried out in any veterinary clinic trusted by the owner, or at home.
When traveling outside the country, pay attention to the requirements for the introduction of chips at the place of arrival. In some countries, vaccinations given before the implantation procedure may be considered invalid.
Should a dog be microchipped?
Microchipping of dogs is not mandatory, but without it it is impossible to take your pet abroad to a number of countries. The reason for taking a pet abroad may be an international exhibition, mating, or sale of a pet.
Owners of show dogs resort to electronic tagging even if they plan to participate only in exhibitions held in Russia. A marked animal is easier to identify if it suddenly gets lost at an exhibition or is replaced. By the way, the microchip will protect against replacement of a puppy that was left with the breeder before reaching a certain age.
This procedure is carried out in case the animal gets lost, in the belief that with a microchip the pet will be found faster. In some cases, this really helps to find the owner of the animal, but the difficulty is that not every person who finds the animal will guess about the possible presence of a microchip. To detect it, you need to take the animal to a veterinary clinic, where they will help you find the dog’s owner using the database. Therefore, you still need to attach an address tag to the animal’s collar, with attached information about the owner.
Microchipping dogs does not allow you to find the animal using GPS. For this purpose, there are special devices that are attached to the collar.
The presence of a microchip simplifies the animal registration system in veterinary clinics and canine structures.
How does chipping work?
The insertion of the chip itself is a simple manipulation, reminiscent of vaccination. Everything takes a few minutes. It all depends on the mood and psychological state of the animal.
- Before the procedure begins, the veterinarian must scan the chip to ensure it is working.
- The chip itself is inserted with a disposable sterile syringe, subcutaneously into the withers area or under the left shoulder blade (long-haired individuals), into the area of the inner thigh (short-haired individuals). In addition to the device itself, the syringe contains a liquid that facilitates injection.
- The size of the equipment being introduced is comparable to a grain of rice. The shell is made of bioglass, compatible with living tissues. After a week, such a capsule will be tightly surrounded by tissue and will be motionless and will not bother the dog.
- The entered chip is scanned again. After scanning, the veterinarian enters the information into the national database. The largest at the moment are: https://www.animal-id.ru/ and https://animalface.ru/, Internet resource PETMAXX. These resources are part of international systems and will allow the owner to obtain information outside the country.
- A note about the procedure performed is made in the veterinary passport - a barcode is pasted in.
The introduction of an electronic chip is a once-in-a-lifetime procedure.
How to properly chip a dog
Dogs are microchipped in veterinary clinics and dog training centers. A microchip is not administered to dogs under 1 month of age. No special preparation of the animal is needed before the procedure. For long-haired pets, the chip is inserted into the area of the withers or left shoulder blade. At the same time, the fur is pulled apart, and the skin at the injection site is treated with hydrogen peroxide or another disinfectant solution. For dogs of short-haired and hairless breeds, the transponder is inserted into the inner thigh.
Before this, the functionality of the microchip is checked, which is removed from a sterile package and then inserted into a syringe. The area of skin near the puncture point is treated with alcohol. The procedure is painless and is performed without anesthesia. The liquid makes it possible to insert the transponder without damaging the tissue.
Microchipping dogs is a fairly humane and safe technology compared to the commonly used vulgar branding and tattooing. After the procedure, the dog should not be bathed or brushed for several days. If your pet tries to reach the injection point, you should limit its capabilities using a plastic collar. The microchip body is made of glass, which does not cause allergic reactions, and the shape of the transponder prevents it from moving in the dog’s body and growing into its tissues.
Microchipping of dogs is less common today in the CIS than in the EU, which is why not all clinics provide this service. However, in big cities, microchipping can be done even at home by calling a veterinarian. Due to the simplicity of the manipulation, it can be performed in familiar conditions.
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Preparation and contraindications
As already noted, no special preparation is required before chipping. In fact, there are no contraindications to the insertion of a chip. Some individuals may experience an allergic reaction to the components of the injection, but very few such cases have been identified. No other complications were identified after the chip implantation procedures. What difficulties may arise:
- During the procedure, as well as during vaccination, individual individuals may whine, twitch, or even bite. This is the result of the dog’s emotional state, and not the pain of the procedure. However, you should only contact experienced veterinarians;
- A lump may appear at the site where the device was inserted, which will resolve the next day. You need to monitor the injection site and if inflammation occurs, contact the clinic immediately.
Are there any complications after microchipping?
The chip capsule is made of hypoallergenic material (biocompatible glass or ceramics) that is not rejected by the body. This means that the immune system does not mistake the chip for an enemy and does not try to dissolve or remove the foreign object. Therefore, complications after microchipping are extremely rare and are often associated with the incompetence of the veterinarian performing the procedure. Electronic chipping of dogs must be carried out with a sterile instrument, and if necessary, additional disinfection of the puncture area is required. The chip itself must also be sterile. Since the chip is inserted deep under the skin, inflammation can be quite severe - swelling, bumps, abscesses. But these are the consequences of the doctor’s negligence, and not the procedure itself. Therefore, it is wiser to contact a trustworthy clinic.
The procedure has no contraindications, except for infectious and chronic skin diseases. Pregnant, elderly animals and small puppies from 1.5 months can be microchipped. Often the procedure is combined with vaccination so that you don’t have to go to the clinic one more time.
Advantages and disadvantages
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How much does it cost to chip dogs?
Currently, the introduction service is performed by almost all veterinary clinics. The price of microchipping dogs is low: from 1000 to 2000 rubles, depending on the location (at home or in a clinic), on the size of the hospital and promotions. Public veterinary hospitals often offer free microchipping promotions.
Offers have appeared on the market with chips that cannot be read by standard scanners and do not have documentation, licenses or technical support.
Chipping with such devices will not bring any benefit; information from them will not be able to get into national and international databases.
What does a microchip look like?
The dimensions of the microchip are comparable to the size of a grain of rice - only 2x12 mm. It consists of an inductor containing 15 digits of a unique code. The coil is enclosed in a capsule made of bioglass and does not cause rejection by the body. The chip is programmed only once.
Microchips differ in memory capacity, frequency, and case material. Therefore, when deciding on the procedure, it is important to find out whether the microchip complies with the international ISO standard (11784/11785), otherwise, when arriving in a country where chipping is mandatory, the microchip simply will not be able to be read. If the electromagnetic frequency does not meet the international standard, the pet owner must provide a personal reading device.
By the way, some microchips can be read by mobile devices that support NFC (Near Field Communication) technology.
Finding a chipped dog
The microchip does not contain a GPS tracker, so a microchipped dog cannot be tracked in real time if it is lost. But the owner has the opportunity to immediately contact one of the Internet resources with a database of microchipped animals. There, an application is drawn up indicating the details of the lost pet. As soon as the chip is read, the owner will know about it immediately.
It will be impossible to take such an animal out of the country; an application from the owner on the website is a statement of theft of property. Thus, it is much easier to find a lost dog using a chip.
What to do if your chipped dog gets lost
In case of loss of a dog, the owner must take the following actions:
- go to the database where his pet is registered. It must have a virtual board with search advertisements. We have all the data on chipped animals and their owners collected in the Animal Health Protection Department (international concern Bayer, website www.bayer.ru in Europe)
- fill out the ad according to the example provided
- a missing person notice appears on the “Animals Wanted” page
- In the personal card (electronic passport of the animal), a note about the loss appears: “Wanted”
- within 24 hours from the moment the ad is submitted, the dog is listed as wanted in all Internet search engines
If a dog gets lost or runs away, it will soon end up with volunteers, the catch and control service, or simply with the person who found it. It will be scanned (a tag with a chip code will indicate that the loss is chipped and will facilitate identification - it will be possible to see the code without a scanning device) and the owner, address and telephone number will be determined using the code entered into the unified database of chipped animals. And the owner will be immediately informed about the find.
If the lost one is equipped with a microchip, finding its owners is not a problem
If for some reason the dog’s electronic passport does not contain the owner’s information, the finder will leave a “Found” announcement indicating the location and contact numbers.
If a dog is stolen, sooner or later the new owners will have to contact a veterinarian or a kennel club, or cross the border. After scanning the animal, everyone will see a note indicating that it is wanted.
Common questions about microchipping
Is the procedure always painless?
Yes, sure. A prerequisite is that it is performed by an experienced doctor. An inexperienced doctor may insert the microchip incorrectly, it will get tangled in the fur and get lost.
Is it possible to wash the dog after the procedure?
It is better to postpone washing for a week while the device becomes fouled with fabric.
Can the device deteriorate over time?
Yes maybe. For various reasons: demagnetization, defects and others. Before traveling abroad, you need to check the functionality in the clinic.
How to make changes about the owner if the dog has changed family?
It is not possible to make changes to the device. Exit: remove the old chip, enter a new one with new information.
Owner reviews
Ivan K.
We are a very active family and travel constantly. We got such an active breed - Jack Russell terrier Archie. We decided right away that the dog would go everywhere with us. I really didn’t want to leave him at home alone. We came to see the doctor about what vaccinations we need to get for a trip to Germany. They explained to us that to cross the border of the European Union countries we would need a chip. It sounded a little scary. But the device turned out to be microscopic. The procedure went quickly and unnoticed. There was no inflammation. We go everywhere. It is very convenient to microchip a dog - in any country the doctor understands the dog’s health status, there is no need to waste time on fussy explanations.
Olga H.
I am a Husky breeder. Microchipping is a mandatory procedure for all puppies in our kennel. Firstly, this is a mandatory condition for participation in exhibitions both in our country and abroad. Secondly, I am not afraid that the dogs may be stolen and tried to be passed off as their own. Such disputes are resolved very quickly by simply bringing the scanner to the dog.
Briefly about the main thing
- Chipping is a modern way of registering and further identifying an animal;
- The law does not contain a requirement for the mandatory introduction of an electronic device under the skin of a dog on the territory of the Russian Federation, only in certain regions;
- Manipulations can be carried out from the age of 5-6 weeks, there are no serious contraindications;
- Having a chip is mandatory for traveling abroad and participating in exhibitions;
- It has many advantages and minor disadvantages.
Have your pets undergone this procedure? Why did you decide to do it? What are the benefits? Did inserting the chip help? Tell us about your experience in the comments, please.
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