Dogs & Microchips

[rt2dz]

Hey, I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who responded!!

Someone PM'd me a great lab site with a discussion board, eerily similar to the DIS. This board is FULL of not only lab lovers, but breeders, trainers and vets; there is a wealth of information and experience. And, boy, is it active. I got several answers in just a short time!!

Taking feedback from here, they confirmed that it is by far best to wait until a lab is full grown, especially for a pet like mine who is an inside animal and not allowed to run loose. A dog can only get pregnant when in heat and will not go into heat until full grown. The trick is to do it as soon as they are full grown before the first heat cycle. Most labs aren't full grown until 10-12 months, so just at/under the 10 month mark is best/ideal. Most said that 7-9 months is fine too, just not ideal; they cringe at under 7 months. While many vets said they will spay at younger ages (which shelters & rescue groups frequently require) since you can't "prove" any health complications/stunted growth, it isn't the best thing for the animal. Some breeders even said it was in their contracts that spaying before 9 months isn't allowed, although they admitted they can't enforce it. It amazed me after reading these posts how universal the answers were, with some variation, of course.

Anyhow, they also recommended calling the local shelters and seeing what scanners they use. They warned most shelters have more than one scanner, but they frequently only use one type. Home Again seems to be the most popular among vets so that seems to be what many said their shelters tend to use more. I can't seem to get to a person, just recording after recording at our local shelters and it's getting frustrating, but I'm going to keep trying.

They also say not to wait until spaying. Very few dogs are bothered by the implantation any more than they are bothered by any other shot. And a puppy who is not fully trained is more at risk of getting out and a young puppy is more at risk of being stolen, so…

 

[rt2dz]

Ive used both AVID and Home Again. While chip readers don't all read each others' chips, they DO pick up that there is a chip in there.

Is that true? That would take a huge amount of worry off my shoulders!! We are so attached to this beautiful little girl the thought of anything happening to her turns my stomach. I've never had a dog get out that I haven't caught within minutes, but I'm always fearful of it--many of my dogs have been rescues where they wandered off/gotten out. I hope I’ll never have use for the chip, but if I do, I want to know I have a useful chip, KWIM?

 

[DVCsince02]

I worked at a vet.

The needle used for the chip is pretty big, so the best time is when they are sedated (i.e. spay/neuter or dentals).

I suggest spay/neuter before 6 months. It's easier on the doc and the pet.

A lot of the chips now are universal. In other words, other brands of scanners can read the chip. We used ResQ.

 

[C.Ann]

DD and her DH had their dog chipped just before they moved into their new house in 2006.. I think he was 2 years old then - or just about.. He never even flinched..

 

[phragmipedium]

I had never heard of spaying that late. My lab is 10 1/2 months old and she's fairly small. We had her spayed at 5 1/2 months because she kept getting puppy vaginitis and the vet said that sometimes it's a recurring problem until they get spayed. He never mentioned anything about growth. I don't mind her being small, but I don't want there to be an increased risk of dysplasia or other orthopedic problems because of this.

As a somewhat funny aside, we rescued my boy lab at 1 1/2 years and he was not neutered yet. We took him in, and I fully expected him to look like every other male dog I'd seen neutered - no remaining evidence. Well, imagine my surprise when he came home with a little "coin purse" or "turkey waddle!" We were so surprised that DH called the vet to see what the problem was. Apparently once they're full grown, it's better for boy dogs to just take out the insides and leave everything else.

 

[Aimeedyan]

If the chip hurts the dog, someone is doing it wrong. Your dog should not even flinch when it's inserted.

It's always best to do is ASAP and not wait until the dog is put under - it could be a life or death for your dog if ever lost or stolen.

 

[stamper]

Here is a link for some info regarding when to spay/neuter and why: http://www.naiaonline.org/pdfs/LongTermHealthEffectsOfSpayNeuterInDogs.pdf As breeders, we are now recommending waiting until at least one year old before altering. To say it's "easier" on the vet and the pet (as one poster did) in light of the health risks is upsurd and quite honestly, unethical! So, you deal with one heat cycle...not a big deal really.

 

[PrincessKsMom]

We have a pure breed lab and the breeder chipped her (AVID) before we brought her home (at 7-1/2 weeks). All of our breeder's dogs are chipped before they leave her. As far as the spay/neutering, we had our girl spayed right after her first "cycle". Our vet recommended that we let her go through one cycle, to make sure everything was okay, before spaying. Also our breeder required us to sign a contract that we would not breed our girl and would have her spayed. I'm sure that was not only to make sure that the world wasn't overpopulated with little lab puppies, but also to make sure we're not dirtying their linneage and cutting in on their profit margin.

 

[yoopermom]

I just placed a litter of nine, and had all chipped at 9 weeks, no anesthesia, none even flinched. We used Home Again. Like the other breeder said, I have my name put on the info, then the new owner's, so we'll both get contacted if the dog were to get lost. I wish everyone would get their dog's chipped!

Terri