8 Reasons Not to Microchip Your Dog
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8 Reasons Not to Microchip Your Dog

Sep 21, 2023

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There are plenty of reasons not to microchip your dog. However, don’t take that the wrong way, especially if your four-legged companion has already gone through the process. Microchipping our pets has become a very popular option in the pet market, especially for those little escape artists who always find a way out of the fence.

But, there are some valid reasons for avoiding the microchip. Including the fact that there are some interesting and highly effective trackers out there that don’t require a procedure and can locate your animal.

If you’re a U.S. reader, the microchip process is still voluntary. In other countries, such as Australia and the United Kingdom, it’s a mandatory requirement, while in Canada, mandates are sporadically applied throughout the country. Microchipping is not harmful to your dog, however, here are some good reasons to reconsider.

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When it comes to databases throughout the United States, there are a lot of them. This is why, if you get your dog microchipped, the business doing the procedure has to hand you registration paperwork. If you fail to take that paperwork home and register your pup and microchip, it becomes more difficult to track your dog if it escapes.

For instance, let’s say someone locates your dog 50 miles (ca. 80 km) from your home. They take the pup down to the local shelter, and they realize the dog has a microchip. Even if they scan the microchip, there’s no way of knowing which registry the dog belongs to. It’s not like the microchip contains your address.

If you don’t register, they won’t be able to pinpoint the database your dog belongs to and will never be able to reunite you with your lost pup outside of sheer luck.

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This one is frustrating to deal with and one of the biggest reasons not to microchip your dog. If someone finds your dog a long way from home, and they decide to keep it, you’re in for a long, heartbreaking ordeal. Even though the microchip is there, is registered, and indicates you are the owner, that is not legally binding.

The reason it’s not legally binding is that it would be a nightmare for courts and law enforcement to determine if you’re the initiating source of the microchip. Everyone microchips dogs these days, including shelters, vets, pet rescue operators, owners, breeders, and more.

There is no guarantee under state law in any of the fifty states that your registration and microchip will hold up in court.

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It sounds bad, but it’s not typically a danger to your dog. If you’re looking for reasons not to microchip your dog, this is a common one. Once the procedure is complete, the microchip moves and there’s no telling where it will end up. In some cases, the dog’s body rejects it entirely, like a splinter.

If your dog is lost and later found, a vet will scan it to see if there is a microchip there. Of course, the microchip is no longer there, so the vet assumes the dog never had one. From there, your pup will likely end up in the local shelter and potentially be adopted by another family. The good news is that microchip migration is fairly rare.

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For those who have never had their dogs microchipped, the assumption is that a microchip is an effective GPS device. However, that’s not the case. Microchips operate with RFID technology, which helps vets and shelters scan and retrieve specific information.

What a microchip will not do is help you locate your dog’s exact location in real time. If you want something like that, you’ll need an alternative option, which leads us to our next point.

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An Apple AirTag, Chipolo One, Tile Pro, Samsung SmartTag, Cube Shadow, and more will fit right in on a dog collar. You may have to get a little innovative with how you attach it, but it’s simple enough to make it work. Then there are the more high-tech collars such as Halo.

Of course, anyone who finds your dog can remove and ditch the collar, but you at least have a strong chance of locating it in the meantime. A microchip doesn’t offer this and with strong GPS alternatives out there, you may want something that will help you locate your dog now.

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One of the best reasons to not microchip your dog is the potential for the microchip to fail. Granted, it’s not a very prevalent issue, but the biggest problem is that you won’t know if it fails. If your dog is lost and found with a failed microchip under its skin, it may as well have never had it to begin with.

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While it’s a rare thing, there is the potential for infection when the microchip is implanted. This is far less common when vets conduct microchipping. Breeders and inexperienced personnel are more likely to create an infection when they do the procedure.

The good news is, even when an infection occurs, it’s rarely a severe issue, and nothing a regimen of antibiotics won’t knock out.

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For those who have older microchips in their dogs, there’s a chance that new scanners simply won’t read them. That’s why it’s very important to provide your pup with a collar and an identifying tag as well. If you live in a state that mandates rabies vaccinations, you should have that information on there too.

There you have it, eight reasons not to microchip your dog. It’s not an exercise in warning you to stay well away from microchips. It’s only to point out the weaknesses in the procedure and afterward. To some, it may be far more worthwhile to stick with a GPS tracker. Microchipping is a growing industry and is likely to include more advanced tech in the near term.

If you’re on the fence about microchipping your dog, these negative reasons should give you something to chew on. However, there are several good reasons to get the procedure done as well.

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