Microchip comments...please read!~

I have a 7 mo. old puppy and at my first vet visit for immunizations, I wanted him micro-chipped. My vet said he would do it if I absolutely insisted, but that it is excrutiatingly painful and would prefer to do it when he was put under to be neutered. I did wait because I didn't want to cause him any pain if I knew I would have him neutered in a few months anyway. But I was wondering what everyone's experience was in having it done along with vaccines?

I agree with your vet. My cavs were microchipped when they were spay/neutered. Why cause them unnecessary pain?

This was the advice my vet gave me too, and after seeing the size of the needle no wonder

My boy was such a little thing back then we thought it was great advice

I had my two dogs chipped and they were not put under. Neither of them made a peep or seemed uncomfortable in the least. I don't think it was that uncomfortable for them because even if I mistakenly pull their hair while brushing them they definitely let me know abut it!

But, if you do have surgery scheduled, might as well do it then, just in case!

Personally i'd wait if you are having him neutered anyway. We wanted Chloe done as soon as possible for obvious reasons but the vet said to wait until she had grown a bit. We had her chipped at about 7 months and it was horrible. I've never heard a dog scream like it and she was a nervous wreck for several days later. I felt terrible! We waited until Heidi was spayed to have her done and she never knew a thing about it, the needle is really big for such little dogs

It should not be painful if done properly. I have done my dogs myself with no problems. it takes about 2 seconds, most dogs don't even yelp. the needle looks big but it should be so sharp that they don't feel it

however I was once sat next to the council dog wardens when they were doing microchips at a show & every dog came away covered in blood !
& when I was trained we were told vets often do it wrong because they can't get out of the habit of injecting into the scruff as for vaccinations

Yes, that is a big needle they use! If you can wait til he is neutered, it would probably be best. Just keep a close eye on him, remembering that he has no permanent identification.

We have all our puppies chipped just before they leave for their new homes at the same time they have their final health checkup. What we do is have the vet put a little anesthetic at the injection site. They usually cry just a little bit, but no worse than some of them do when they are getting their regular shots. Oh, and once he has been chipped, have the vet scan for the chip every time you go in to the vet's office. We have had a couple chips go bad on us over the years.

Mine were chipped when spayed. Seems to be the regular practice.

I don't think it is generally 'excruciatingly painful' -- probably not a lot more than having your ears pierced, and it is done in an instant. But if it can be done at the time of a neuter, that makes things easier and makes sense. On the other hand if someone is waiting to do a late neuter I sure wouldn't leave a young dog without a chip for months and months. A momentary discomfort vs having no ID on a lost or stolen dog -- I'd pick the former.

PS I would never do extras while doing vaccines. I'd do the vaccines one time, do the chip another. Same for any procedure.

We had our girls microchipped when they were about 7 months. Not a peep from them, it went very well. Last week they had rabies jabs (for their Petpassports) and they didn't like those at all. Maija was in pain for some time afterwards. But microchipping was no problem at all.

We had Ashton done when he was about 5 months or so and he let out a little yelp then it was all over. To be honest their vaccines seemed to cause him more pain. In my opinion it is far better to have a moments pain than a lifetime of worry if they ever went missing

i work at a vets and chip a lot of the dogs and cats. usually under anathesia but have done a few awake and i have had more bites and scrathes from cats. if done properley it doesnt hurt any more then a normal injection and i no this because i have injected my self with the needle. the pointed bit goes in first but under anathestic, they dont take as much care. i'm not tryin to scare any1 its just the way it is i am afraid!

plus there is always the chance that your dog could go missing before the surgery, i wouldnt wait to have mine chipped, all mine have been done with their second vax accept Alfy because we rescued him so when we started his vax course we had it done then

If the option is to wait until neutering....I would wait until then. Both of mine were chipped while being fixed.

Hi there,

We had Guinness and Tarmac done when they were a few years old - I think that it was quite new then. Not a peep from either.

When we had Willow done(he was just a pup) - the Dog Trust were doing a promotion in conjunction with our Council Dog Warden. They were inexperienced and Willow did not like it at all - we were almost ready to ask them to leave.
It was extremely important for us to have him done ASAP - I want to be reunited with my pup - who may be more likely to make a dash for the door than when he is older.

From this experience - we knew that we had to have Bailey done at the vets. No problem.

One of the best things here is that you can have him done very quickly without having to wait for a surgery appointment - that is if you are having him newtered. What if you are not having this operation? I would be surprised if my vet thought of putting my pet through the risk of anaesthetic for a chip alone.

OK, here goes, I am qualified to micro-chip dogs, I was trained by a vet and I generally chip my own dogs and those of friends. Yes it is a ruddy big needle but it is what is known as a "Sub-Cutaneous" Injection, and if done properly causes LESS discomfort than a vaccination does. This is because they usually flinch a little as the needle goes in, however with a vaccination the serum is kept chilled, if you have ever had an IV needle flushed through with cold water you will know how painful that is (I AM NOT Joking, I speak from personnal experience here!) I was trained to make an "Envelope" of the scruff of the dogs neck and to inject the chip in-between the shoulder blades.

It is NOT a pleasant experience to chip a young puppy, I freely admit to that! Personnally I wait until mine are 6-9 Months old and have more weight over their shoulders, there is far less chance of the chip migrating then, however if your puppy is a bit on the roly poly side and then trims down later get your vet to check the position of the chip as this is the commonest cause of a chip moving. I scan all of my dogs with my reader every 3 months (usually when I worm them) to double check none have moved and so far so good!!

Hope this is of interest/help??

I had Harvey done withs his vacs and he screamed so badly I felt awful so I had Alfie done whilst being castrated. Maybe your pup will be one of the ones thats ok but why take the chance.

On retrospect, if I had known it would be painful and that there would be an alternative, I would have waited. Sammy was microchipped at 5 months, which is standard here. He also needed his anal glands emptied. He hadn't minded the vaccinations at all, but with the chip and the glands, he cried so loud and fought so much that another vet came in to help. Of course it was over with quite quick, but he's terrified now anytime he's on the vet's table.

One more thing - consider taking a small bag of treats with you whenever you take your dogs to the vet. Then any time the vet has to do something your dog won't like, you'll be able to immediately turn a negative experience into a positive one with lots of goodies. My cavs all love to go to the vet because they know they'll get at least one treat while there.

Good information Cathryn. And, Cathy, my guys love to go to the vet's since they are pretty much an entire meal's worth of treats!!!

I'm still of the mind of chipping when altering. Both of mine were altered at six months and chipped at the same time.

I would be surprised if my vet thought of putting my pet through the risk of anaesthetic for a chip alone.

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Agreed!! If I weren't already going in for something requiring anesthesia...no way I'd have them anesthesized just for this.