microchipping

[whatever17]

My dog is chipped by identichip - but I just read their fine print - they talk about 4,500 scanners.

Who's the major firm, I thought I had him properly chipped. He rolls in shit and swims after ducks all the time, we shower him so often cos he gets so filthy that he is often without his collar and ID tag in the house.

If he gets picked up by an authority will they automatically read his chip.

Or should I get a 2nd chip too?

Whoops! Meant to post this in "the doghouse" - how can I move it?

i dont think it matter who scans it will come up that he is chipped,if unsure check with your vet x

if hes taken to a vets they will scan him and dont worry no matter how much of a mucky pup he is the chip wont move, when scanned each company has a unique set of numbers and the start numbers of his id will determine which company he is chipped with my cats are with avid , sadly if an animal is run over by a car and killed and picked up by the council there is not an overall policy of scanning and a lot of people whos animals are chipped never find out what happened to thier animals for the sake of £200 outlay by the council

Whatever, your dog should by law wear a collar and ID wheneve they are out of the house. Chipping provides a very valuable extra form of ID, and approximately 40 - 50% of all dogs are now chipped with the %age steadily rising. All reputable charities for instance will insist on dogs being chipped before they are homed. In Wales, it is likely that the law will soon change so that breeding bitches and pups will also have to be chipped, a very welcome development.

As you point out, the weak leak in the chain is local authorities. Although most dog wardens will scan if a dog is found straying, the situation is very different on weekends and Bank Holidays. Amazingly, many out of hours contracts DON'T require dogs to be scanned - so looking at a weekend like Easter, a dog that was lost on Thursday may have been picked up but not actually ID'd until the next Tuesday at the earliest.

For dead dogs, the situation varies considerably. Some authorities do scan but around half of all Councils don't. In England, the Highways Authority will (for trunk roads/major routes) but in Wales the TRAs don't scan currently. This website here gives a detailed picture of the scanning policies of every Council in Wales - as you will see the picture varies considerably from Council to Council.

It is worth checking and familiarising yourself with what happens in your own Council area, as well as neighbouring Councils, and of course if you ever go on holiday in the UK, e.g. self catering cottage. More dog owners should also campaign to get dead dogs scanned - it's a cheap and simple thing to do, and could provide peace of mind for distraught owners.

Thank you for your advice - issey does that mean that his chip is good for every vets scanner. Will it at least show that he has one.

Scuttle - I will check with my LA - but I don't think they have a dog warden ATM.

Whatver, all chips in the UK meet a common standard so it can be scanned/read by vets, dog wardens etc. There is a microchip working group which is co-ordinated by the British Small animal Veterinary Association, which includes manufacturerers vets etc to make sure of this. Also, for dogs in the UK, the usual place for chipping is between the shoulders, but in other parts of Europe/the world, other parts are routinely used. So, if say you imported a dog from another part of Europe, make sure to ask your vet to scan their neck rather than the shoulder area. Chips can also sometimes migrate if a dog is very thin/has lost a lot of weight.