Carpe Diem Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 I need to decide tomorrow bright and early. The cost is $50 with the following year an annual fee of $15. It doesn't sound like it is a GPS locating thing. Just gets information put out at all the shelters etc. The company is called Home Again. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perry Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 My vet did it for $35 with no annual fee. I'd check for a better deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hornblower Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 I wouldn't do the yearly fee thing but I would chip. Just don't rely on the chip - they can migrate & also they have to actually be scanned & read (there's this big hoopla in the US about this because you have various companies with various chips & they don't all scan each other....Canada and Europe are using one ISO standard....) have a read here: http://www.dolittler.com/2009/01/12/Pet-microchip-companies-square-off-in-a-scientific-scan-off-.html The rescue I foster for chips AND tattooes (while under general for spay/neuter) AND requires all adopters to sign a contract which requires (in addition to a bunch of other things) an agreement to keep a collar & tags on the dog. I like Boomerang tags the best - esp. the flat tags called "Collar tags" http://www.boomerangtags.com/ If you do chip, make sure you update the information whenever you move or change ph #'s. I'd save the annual fee but I feel confident about knowing what to do if my pet is lost & who to contact.....so I wouldn't be relying on that service anyway. hth (btw, that chip fee is high but I know vets here who charge similar for implanting; chips sell wholesale for less than $10. Shelters & rescues run chip clinics here for $20 with proceeds going to the rescue. They can be implanted by any trained person - doesn't need to be a vet. It's just a big fat needle....) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 Good advice already. I think the chips are a good idea, but I think you could find somewhere else w/ a lower fee. I've never heard of a yearly fee after that. Our cats are all chipped, and it was a one-time fee. You can update your contact info as often as you need to. Even if it's not a perfect system, I like that it might increase your odds of getting your pet back should it get lost & taken in to a vet or shelter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yslek Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 :iagree: with what has already been said. My cat is microchipped. ($35, no annual fee, but there is a fee for transferring the animal into another person's ownership.) Our cat got lost within the first month of our owning him. He was returned to us within a week, solely because of the microchip. I'd definitely say it was worth it. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HS mom Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 I'm not convinced of their safety (migrating and tumors). Balancing that with the lack of a unified tracking system, I didn't think it was a good idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tree House Academy Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 We did the chip for $50. I do not do the yearly thing...but I did register my name with the company that made the chip so it would come up as my animal if anyone scanned the chip. Ours is through Home Again as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tammyla Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 Fyi... Our local shelter SCANS all dogs and it cost me an extra $97 dollars because our old Lady was microchipped.:glare: Our dog was a rabbit chaser:001_huh: got loose, caught and scanned.:glare: Our dear Lady passed away, but when we get another pet, the shelter insists on micro chipping them if you rescue a pet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joannqn Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 I would chip. I have a habit of bring stray dogs home and have been able to get them all, save one, safely back to their owners because of chips. All of them had lost their collars at some point. One needed to be scanned twice (two different vets) before the chip was found. One didn't have a chip, therefore, we couldn't find the owner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peek a Boo Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 our dog is microchipped per the SPCA rules. I would microchip another dog or a cat even when we don't get it thru SPCA [because their rules suck]. wouldn't microchip an animal that lived longer [like a horse]. i would find a cheaper option :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonshineLearner Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 Mine is micro-chipped. Where we live, there are only two vets to take pets to ...to try to read for microchips. Of course, if you take my pet to one of them...he's know anyway. I have heard of problems... I think compared to all of the other risks, it seems small. Carrie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texascamps Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 We chose to microchip for $50 when we got our dog out of the pound for the third time (total jail time over the years has cost us more than the price of the dog) We chipped and within a month, he got out, was picked up by the pound and since it was close to our house, they just came and dropped him off....no fee, just a friendly drop off. We should have gotten a chip when we got the puppy, it would have saved a bunch of hassle, money and time. We were just trying to save $50. We do not pay a yearly fee. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tammyla Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 That was money well spent. Here they automatically scan and charge the owner $97 or you can't pick them up. We chose to microchip for $50 when we got our dog out of the pound for the third time (total jail time over the years has cost us more than the price of the dog) We chipped and within a month, he got out, was picked up by the pound and since it was close to our house, they just came and dropped him off....no fee, just a friendly drop off. We should have gotten a chip when we got the puppy, it would have saved a bunch of hassle, money and time. We were just trying to save $50. We do not pay a yearly fee. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KidsHappen Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 I like Boomerang tags the best - esp. the flat tags called "Collar tags" http://www.boomerangtags.com/ What have you found to actually keep the tag attached to the collar? I have been through three of those heavy duty roung metal rings so far and some how they all have managed to get pulled open. I am at a lose as to watch to try next. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tammyla Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 If the tag has a hole(s) in it, you can use metal grommets to secure them to the collar. What have you found to actually keep the tag attached to the collar? I have been through three of those heavy duty roung metal rings so far and some how they all have managed to get pulled open. I am at a lose as to watch to try next. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deidre in GA Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 (edited) i don't have time to check at this moment but i believe our dog is with Home Again. you do not have to sign up for the yearly service, your vet can just do the chip. i'll check in a bit what service i do have but defnitely ask for a service without a yearly fee. edit: curiosity got the better of me. our chip service is with 24PetWatch.com. they do have a yearly service you can sign up for but it's not required so i didn't. i can't even remember what the extra fee was to cover. i must have run into the HomeAgain name when i was researching chipping. our vet charged $35 to insert the chip; we combined it with neutering so it was done then. Edited March 24, 2009 by Deidre in GA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hornblower Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 What have you found to actually keep the tag attached to the collar? I have been through three of those heavy duty roung metal rings so far and some how they all have managed to get pulled open. I am at a lose as to watch to try next. Look again at the Collar Tags on the boomerang site. http://www.boomerangtags.com/page.php?c=collartags They are flat & they slide onto the collar. They cannot come off & they don't jangle - that's why I love them: I hate jangly tags. There are few diff varieties of the flat tag & which you pick will depend on what kind of collar you use (buckle or not) but either way, if you go with the flat, they will stay on. There is no tag like it. Also, you can write a couple #'s on the inside of the collar with an indelible marker. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soph the vet Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 To chip or not to chip, that is the question. Here is my two cents. We chip dogs at our clinic and use the Home Again system, it is probably the most widely used reader. We never push anyone to chip their dog. Personally, I hate doing it, it is a honking big needle and there have been cases (very rare) of dogs bleeding to death after a micro-chipping. For this reason I would recommend it only being done in a veterinary clinic. There is also suspicion that chips may lead to malignant tumors down the road, again rare, but possible. I like tattoos and Rabies tags better. Of course, tags can get lost but we can always find the owner of a dog with tags and no chip. I would say only 15% of our clientele chip their dogs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 We chose not to chip, because of the potential long-term health risks, but if you have a pet that likes to roam, or if you travel frequently with your pet, the benefits may outweigh the risks. Personally, though, I wouldn't do it. Cat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KidsHappen Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 Look again at the Collar Tags on the boomerang site.http://www.boomerangtags.com/page.php?c=collartags They are flat & they slide onto the collar. They cannot come off & they don't jangle - that's why I love them: I hate jangly tags. There are few diff varieties of the flat tag & which you pick will depend on what kind of collar you use (buckle or not) but either way, if you go with the flat, they will stay on. There is no tag like it. Also, you can write a couple #'s on the inside of the collar with an indelible marker. WE use a metal training collar. There is not way to attach a flat tag. It was have to be attached with a metal ring or clip somehow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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