Microchip movement

[Discussing Labradoodles & Goldendoodles]

Sherlock was microchipped at the age of 4 months. He's 8 months old now, and his microchip has moved from the center of his shoulders down to an inch above his right leg's elbow. It hasn't moved in about 2 months, but the vet said if it moves past his elbow, they'll have to take it out and re-chip him. Did anyone else's dog's chip move? Noah will be chipped at 4 months as well, but I'm concerned the same thing will happen to him. Was this just a fluke or did the vet fail to implant it correctly?

[LuvMyAbby&Kaela]

Thats what I was thinking - about them not bothering to look for it too hard. But I believe the tatoo in Abby's ear may correlate with the microchip. I should email the breeder and ask her. Where did they find Jacks chip?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I'm embarrassed to say that I don't even remember...I was so upset when they couldn't find it, I was just relieved when they did. I think it was near his shoulder, maybe they wrote it down. If not, I'm going to have them scan him again.
I think if Abby has a tattoo relating to her chip, I wouldn't worry. Before there were chips, they used to just tattoo them for ID purposes...that might be a good idea, but I don't know what you would use. Phone numbers and addresses change.

[Mandy&Bailee]

back in the day, I had my old dog tattooed with the one number that never changes in your life....social security #

[LuvMyAbby&Kaela]

She has a tattoo that is a letter/number sequence, I was thinking maybe this is perhaps an id number for the chip as well as the vet? I dont know I will email Joy.

[Mandy&Bailee]

interesting! Didn't you get info about the chip (manufacturer and chip #) in order to register it to your name? If you haven't done that you should do it soon - otherwise the microchip doesn't do a whole lot of good. When a breeder or vet purchases microchips in bulk, they are pre-programmed from the manufacturer with that info (i.e. that vet or breeder's name, address, phone #) until you pay the registration fee to change it to your own info (you can keep the vet as a secondary contact). So if you've never changed the info, that chip will bounce back to whatever info was provided when it was purchased.
EVERYONE, DON'T FORGET TO UPDATE YOUR MICROCHIP INFO if you move or get a new phone #. Super important. Yes both Avid and Home Again charge a fee (they have to make $$ somehow) whenever you change/update information. Also, having the 800# of the manufacturer and the microchip ID # on a tag on your pet is really a good thing - that way, even if someone finds your wandered away pet, they call the 800#, give the service the id #, and presto! The service gives them all your contact info, secondary contact info, and veterinarian.
I'm a big advocate of the microchip in general and even more so the tag - that's the only tag my dogs do wear. My mother-in-law was granddogsitting a few years ago for our jack russell and she snuck out the door and took off after a squirrel (the dog, not my mother-in-law).....long story short, we were on vacation in Wisconsin and getting phone calls from the microchip service saying someone had found our dog! It was so simple & easy - we gave the microchip service my mother-in-law's info and they contacted her and arranged with the finder to get her back.....it was very reassuring to see the system working in action as it was supposed to.

[LuvMyAbby&Kaela]

I did get something with the puppy package about the microchip - I cant remember what it said but I dont remember anything about needing to phone a number to activate it. I am going to have to look again when I get home.

[Mandy&Bailee]

Karen, you are correct - it is VERY small, the size of a grain of rice and no, it doesn't hurt them unless it does migrate somewhere like the elbow or something but I've never seen that happen, usually they must migrate from the center of the shoulder blades to the side of one shoulder.
Here are some ideas about Jack's chip taking a long time to scan:
1) Their scanner needed a new battery - scanner takes longer to catch the radio signal if batteries are weak.
2) Jack's implant is embedded very deeply in the muscle, therefore making the radio signal harder to catch for the scanner (the opposite problem of the migrating chip - the ones that migrate are typically put too shallow - just like a tattoo it has to be just the right depth/placement).
3) His chip is starting to fail and giving a weak signal. It does happen, they can and do go bad.
Next time you're at the vet ask to have it scanned again, and make sure they have fresh batteries in their scanner. If it is still hard to catch his signal, for your own peace of mind, you can definitely have him chipped again. It won't hurt him any to have 2 chips. Would be even better if you got a chip from a different manufacturer than his original chip - then you've got double the protection :)

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Thanks for the info, Mandy. Two questions: Would a second chip confuse things? Meaning, would they get two signals and not know what was what? (I apologize if this is a really dumb question, I have no idea how those things work)
And I did think about having my SS # tattooed on him, but how would a shelter or vet's office track you down from that?
Thanks again.

[Mandy&Bailee]

I don't think a 2nd chip would confuse things if it was a different brand chip. The scanners that vets have will pick up different frequencies (each manufacturer uses a different frequency) so for instance if the current chip is AVID, get a Home Again. That way when Jack gets scanned he would (hopefully) have two different #'s pop up for the 2 different manufacturers. The microchip ID#s are coded differently and the nicer chip scanners beep differently to tell you which manufacturer it is.
Funny thing I realized after one of my earlier posts - all the chips that are staying put and working well on my pets are Home Again - the migrating microchip in my horse is from AVID - not that one is really better than the other, that's just my experience.
As for the ss# being used to track you down (as a tattoo) I don't know if they really could. I suppose they could take the SS# to the police and ask them to run it. It actually was more of a "proof of ownership" thing - no one else could claim that black lab as theirs.
Of course we could all go crazy and take the identification thing a whole level higher - freeze brand? We could even come up with our own unique Labradoodle breed brand, hahahaha!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Okay, so I just got back from taking Jack in for his bi-weekly shot, and I had them check his AVID chip again. It registered right away this time, so I think Mandy was on the money that the batteries in the scanner must have been weak the last time. It is exactly where it's supposed to be, to the left of his right shoulder blade. Whew!

[Mandy&Bailee]

Hooray for Jack and his chip! Glad to help. So can I mark it on my calendar for today that I was right about something and show it to my hubby, lol???

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

LOL- that's my stock line, in reverse! I used to say to my husband, "Mark it on the calendar! Today you were right about something!"
Yes, you can mark it down, Mandy, you were right today!