Please DU'ers, if you love your pet

[pnwmom]

why don't you microchip it? It's cheap and your vet can do it in a few seconds. It doesn't hurt more than a shot.

My family has allergies, asthma, and now a big hairy -- but extremely skinny -- beast in the garage. (Actually, an older golden retriever.) He was lost or abandoned with no collar on, and was heartbreakingly grateful when we gave him some food and water. He stood outside our garage and barked intermittently until we finally let him in.

The Humane Society is closed tomorrow, so I'll take him to the vet and see if he has a chip -- knowing he probably doesn't. Wish me luck!

And please take care of your own animals!

[NJCher]

1. a big hug to you, pnwmom

For taking care of this lost dog. I hope he finds his home soon.



Cher


and p.s. my pets are chipped, even though they are indoor cats

[pnwmom]

16. Thank you, NJCher.

:hi:

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

2. My guess is that he was dumped.

I doubt most pets go missing long enough on their own to get really skinny.

[Mojorabbit]

3. There are lots of websites where people post lost

animals. We had a pit mix show up. Sweet as can be. We put an ad in the paper with a generic description that did not include id marks and put signs up in neighborhoods near where we live. A week later a person who spoke broken english called and described the pup to a tee. One of his friends had seen one of our signs. The dog had been missing for three weeks. Happy ending.

[hfojvt]

4. I have never lost an animal

although I did not know where my beagle was for about an hour on two occasions. Once he took off after a squirrel and then could not find or hear me but was sitting by the car when I went to put his mom in there so I could search for him unencumbered.

I have a big fenced in yard now, but then again sometimes the stupid meter reader leaves the gate open. I guess I got lucky a few times. The one time I did not even know which direction to look in and he was long gone in the wooded country. That was the last time I let him run free in my woods. I cannot remember what I did in the other three woods we used to walk in. Probably he was running free, but unlike on my property I was paying attention to where he was.

[pnwmom]

7. Seriously, I meant it about the microchip.

My neighbor's dog escaped his backyard and was found 5 miles away. Fortunately, the finder took him to a vet's office, who immediately found the microchip.

It's a really good idea!

[KT2000]

5. You are a good person

and it is not easy to take on such a heart rending job.
I hope it all turns out well for you and the dog.
I don't understand how people can be so heartless.
I too took in a starving dog once. Since I have a house of cats, I finally found a place that would not put her to sleep. It is a sad thing to get involved in but letting them starve is out of the question.

[pnwmom]

8. That's the problem.

This isn't the right animal for us -- so big and all that hair (we already have a small non-shedder) -- but I hate knowing that the Humane Society is likely to put it to sleep.

[EFerrari]

10. Wish you were closer. I'd take him in a heartbeat. But so may

someone else.

Our best to you, pnwmom.

[pnwmom]

13. He does seem like a sweetie.

Besides being so skinny, he seemed so fearful at first. We had seen him running down the street, looking a bit lost (we have a leash law here so maybe that's why we thought so). A few minutes later, he turned up in our backyard, so my husband went outside to try to look at his collar. (Every couple years or so we end up with a dog like this, but we've always found the owners.) No collar -- and the dog was running away from my husband, and barking over his shoulder. Not typical Golden Retriever behavior. By this time we had all noticed how skinny he was, so I sent out some dog food and water. Hah! Suddenly, he wasn't so fearful. We made him a little nest under the deck because we didn't want to keep him from going home, if he had a home, but he didn't want to stay there. He wanted to stand in front of our garage and bark -- not often, just enough to get our own dog feeling territorial.

So we brought his "nest" into the garage and he's been sleeping there quietly for a few hours.

My son says he knows how to "sit." The dog has a lot of white hair on his face, but he wanted to chase a ball, so he's not that old. I wish I did know someone who could take him if I can't find his owner. I found a Golden Retriever rescue online, so I'll call them tomorrow, too.

[EFerrari]

22. That's so great, pnwmom. Someone is either missing this guy or

could really use him in their life. My dog is my anchor.

[pnwmom]

23. Hurray!

As I was driving toward home this morning, I was thinking about where and how to put "found" notices on telephone poles and lights. Made the turn into my neighborhood. Long story short, right at the entrance there was a man putting his own notice up on a pole -- about his lost golden retriever with no collar. He and his two teenage sons were looking all over the the dog.

Turns out that the dog WAS quite old, and that's why he was so thin. . . . Or maybe they should switch to my brand of dog food. ;)

All's well that ends well -- but I still wish everyone would microchip their dogs -- and then keep the manufacturer up to date with their contact info.

[EFerrari]

30. Beautiful! LOL!

:applause::applause::applause:

[robinlynne]

47. yeah! I was about to offer to take him in if you're near me.

[pnwmom]

57. Aw. I bet you would have, Robinlynne.

He did seem like a good dog for almost any dog lover. I wouldn't have minded keeping him except one of my friends has a Golden, and my asthma really acts up when I'm around that dog.

[cali]

6. I love my dog

to pieces, but I have no intention of microchipping her- or my 2 cats. Hey, my dog is 19 years old, and though she's never been a leash dog, she has never had an interest in wandering (well, except over to the neighbor's funky compost pile). If I lived somewbere else, I might do it, but honestly, where I'm located and knowing my dog, it's just not necessary.

[pnwmom]

9. I'd say after 19 years you must know that dog awfully well.

But most of us can imagine circumstances where we'd wish we'd taken that precaution. Statistically, the odds for ever finding a lost pet are very poor without the chip.

[EFerrari]

11. I last saw my Buster charging over the next hill. He never came back.

And I'll never forgive myself for not chipping him. Maybe he made out okay. But I have no way of knowing that and it just kills me.

He was just running as usual at the ranch and then, he wasn't. That quick.

[pnwmom]

14. Oh, I'm so sorry! That must have broken your heart.

[EFerrari]

21. I've tried to be so careful but at that time, Doug was going off about every week

and I was distracted all the time. My dear, ugly mugged Buster just went for a run and found a hole in the fence. I still can't figure out where he went and no one responded to my posters. Maybe someone agreed with me that he was so ugly that he was cute.

Well, no more loose animals on the ranch any more. Not dogs, not cats, not geese, not horses. I gave my chickens to a friend who could keep them better, too. That was hard because you wouldn't believe (unless you've seen it) how funny it is to watch chickens taking their daily walks -- the cocks in front and the ladies bringing up the rear. They look like nature hikers, lol, poking around and being very interested in the features of their walk.

At the time though, that was better for them.

[pnwmom]

27. You don't even need cats

to keep down the "vermin"?

[EFerrari]

31. Oh, all the animals are still there -- they're just not loose!

My mom and I turned into Leash nazis, lol, because the thought of losing anyone else was just too awful. Since there was no good way to contain the chickens, they had to go to a friends where they could take safe walks. :)

[pnwmom]

33. The thought of all those chickens taking their walks does crack me up.

Thanks!

:hi:

[EFerrari]

38. They look like portly19th Century tourists

:rofl:

[lligrd]

12. Chip Doesn't Mean Chit If You Don't Keep Agency Informed

of your whereabouts. Our newest addition is chipped but unfortunately the phone number and address attached were not kept up. Oh well, we have a wonderful new collie as an addition to our family. (And yes we tried all the web sites and local animal agencies and even checked posted signs where we found her.)

[pnwmom]

15. That's true. And it's why our vet recommended that we use

their address. But we would change it, obviously, if we moved out of the area.

[AtheistInBabylon]

17. Good idea

That´s beautiful, pnwmom. Good on you; and you´re making an excellent friend. Shame on anyone who treats a dog badly.

[pnwmom]

25. We found the owners, and it turns out

the dog was very old -- that's why he looked so thin. Who knows -- maybe he has doggy Alzheimers and got lost? Anyway, as I was driving into my neighborhood this morning I saw a man sticking a "lost dog" poster on a light fixture. He and his sons were looking all over for their Golden Retriever. Hurray! Case solved.

[AtheistInBabylon]

28. Excellent

Hey that´s great pnwmom. Looks like I spoke too soon, but that reaction is due to being a dog-lover and prizing them above all else in the world. I´m really happy they got their dog back, and what you did in the meanwhile was really great. I just hope you didn´t have enough time to get too attached :loveya: - similar thing happened to me once as a kid and returning him to the owner damn near broke my heart. Anyhow, kudos to you for your kind and responsible attitude. :thumbsup:

[pnwmom]

29. Yeah, I know exactly what you mean. I had that happen when I was a kid, too.

During breakfast, I was suffering as I listened to the dog out in the garage. He was pawing the door, making frustrated little noises, and every once in a while letting out a hopeful "woof." It was all I could do not to bring him inside -- but I didn't know if he was sick and I had my own dog to worry about. Plus I was hoping to find the owner and didn't want any of us to get too attached. But darn it anyway, that dog was so endearing. Once he decided we were his friends his tail wagged about 10 times a second.

And I don't think ANYBODY likes my food as much as he did.

Welcome to DU, AtheistInBabylon!

[AtheistInBabylon]

37. Thank you

Thanks for the welcome, pnwmom - I appreciate it.

Poor little guy. I´m sure you made his adventure away from home a good one. Some of them like humans so instinctually that when they sense the feeling is mutual it becomes difficult to tell if they have an owner or not. My family´s second dog is constantly on my mind and in my heart to such an extent (just like the first) that I just light up when I see another one on the street, which is often noticed by the dog in question. A life without friends like that would be a poor one.

One word of friendly advice to everyone: every little boy or girl should have a dog when they´re growing up. It´ll pretty much ensure that the kid turns out alright, and often a democrat ;)

pnwmom - person of the day :)

[faithnotgreed]

43. a happy ending~ yea and thank you for caring pnwmom

i personally would not place any foreign object in my animal companions because i am way out of the mainstream/all about alternatives but i do understand why you advocate it

and again thank you for your love of animals
i am so happy for the whole family who were reunited

[pnwmom]

54. Me, too. The funny thing is, the man insisted on giving back to me

the collar I had bought for the dog (so I could put him on a leash, as needed.) I pointed out that I had no need for it (what am I going to do with a huge collar?) and he said that he didn't either -- because he had two at home.

[faithnotgreed]

67. with the love you showed i would not be surprised if you may have need

of the collar again some time - perhaps another rescue mission .... we just never know do we

thank you again
you may think it a small gesture on your part but in this world we live i cling to stories just like this (especially when they involve the defenseless)

[pnwmom]

68. Hmmm . . . guess I'll put it in the doggy drawer after all.

You're right, it could happen again. We have a large, wooded yard across the street from a subdivision with smaller yards, so we seem to get a lot of roamers. (Despite the leash law.)

[InvisibleTouch]

51. Yay!

Happy ending for the dog and the owners. That's the way I like to see it happen.

Thanks for taking this guy in and giving him food and shelter!

[pnwmom]

56. That was an easy decision. Glad I didn't have to make any harder ones. n/t

[InvisibleTouch]

18. All my sighthounds are chipped...

...including puppies before they go to new homes. But thanks for the reminder - I do need to send in my address info for last year's pups that I kept.

Good luck with your found dog. Golden retriever rescue should be fairly easy to find on the web, since it's a common and popular breed. Hope he finds a perfect home!

[Bozita]

19. check your local shelters for low-cost microchipping services

Mine charges $25. The registration (mail-in) was another $20.

I had my vet do it. He charged $60. The registration was $20.

[pnwmom]

26. My vet charged the same as your shelter. Apparently there's a wide

variation.

Of course, when you factor in the all the other costs of owning a dog, this is fairly minor.

[Behind the Aegis]

20. Doing it today!

Great advice. It also would have been very useful down here after Katrina. A few months back, one place, (I couldn't find it) was doing free micro-chipping so it would be easier to reunite people and their pets. It is a good thing because it is not just the possibility of "run-aways" but if there is a natural disaster, it will greatly help people find their fur-babies!

[pnwmom]

24. I hope you do!

I did it the day I read about chips in the NYTimes. I made an appt. for that afternoon.

Yes, you're right, it's not just runaways. There are natural disasters and other situations that could cause an animal to get separated from his owners. I've also read that it's very common when people travel with their pets.

[Behind the Aegis]

64. I did!

And he didn't even wimper! He was a good boy! Here is all ready for Mardi Gras! Voodoo, as the Court Jester.

[pnwmom]

65. What a cutie! n/t

[michreject]

32. Both my Dogs have chips in them

What ever the cost was, it wouldn't be as much as the pain of loosing them.

[pnwmom]

35. Absolutely.

I loved my dogs when I was a kid, but after having children of my own, I never thought having a dog would be a big deal again. Wrong. All of us will be heartbroken some day when our sweet and funny dog reaches his end. He just brings a light into every gray day.

[Liberal In Texas]

34. I worry more about my dog being stolen than running away.

She's really a cute dog (not just dad's pride here, people point at her all the time when we're out) and if somebody grabs her out of my car or something, the only way one might hope to get her back is through the chip.

Perhaps it's paranoia, but I feel better with the chip embedded.

[Ahpook]

36. We have 3 dogs and 1 cat...

None will be chipped, or need to be.

It's pointless if you take care of each other.

Can't understand why people are doing this. Fucking lazy..

Edit: I have found the owners of many pets locally by calling in the tag to the vet. If they can't get a tag very unlikely they will chip. Seems like a fucked up idea anyway. What's next, us?


If i couldn't find the owner, i took it in and found a new one.

Fucking losers can't take care of them self, much less anything otherwise. They don't deserve..

Very tired of it:(

[pnwmom]

40. Tags aren't as good. The writing on them fades. They can fall off collars.

And collars can slip off dogs.

Animal shelters have returned thousands of stray dogs with chips who otherwise wouldn't have found their owners.

Also, dogs are not just lost, they are stolen. Did you know that some people steal dogs, then sell them to research labs as strays? But labs are required to check all dogs for microchips, and return these dogs to their owners.

[Ahpook]

79. I am sorry if i came off harsh, but..

Everywhere i go since i moved to Tn., i see animals walking the roads. I really don't understand people here. What is it? I get as many back to thier owner as i can. Most of these freaks probably don't deserve it.

I took in a female Pitbull a few days ago that was running the roads, ready to get hit. She had just obviously had a litter of pups. There is no way i could let her run knowing these fucking rednecks like to fight with that breed. I put out signs and got her home. The owner seemed concerned.

When i lived in DC i never saw such irresponsible behavior. Fucking people here have adult dogs tied up in thier backyard all day, making a new litter constantly. Then they are either walking the road getting killed, or taken to the vet to be killed.

Extremely frustrating for me.

I still think the chip is not needed though, if people would take better care.

The whole idea is creepy to me anyway.

[Lisa0825]

39. As I have posted before, Be careful which chip you choose:

Most vets/shelters will push one or another brand, because that's the brand they say more places' readers will recognize. In Europe, they have had universal chips for years, and there is a movement on for that here.

My understanding of the situation is this, based on what our shelter uses... Crystal Tag has been fighting for use of universal chips and scanners, like used in Europe, so that any animal's chip can be read by any scanner. Avid has used encrypted chips so that only their scanners could read their chips, and I think their scanners only read their chips too, but recently Home Again came out with one that would read their encrypted chips. I think it used to be the same with Home Again, but apparently their new scanners and chips are starting to read/be read by others. Wydell explained it this way when a friend of mine asked what to get:

Avid cannot read a universal (ISO) chip-they are the(expletive deleted)s. Home Again's new scanners can read ISO and Avids encrypted chips. Our scanner (Crystal Tag) can read ALL chips. If she is that worried about it, just tell her to chip her dog with ours and Home Again until these folks are ordered by law to knock it off (lawsuits have been filed). That covers all bases.

There have been lawsuits over this because Avid (and possibly others) have claimed infringement on their proprietary chip, but the bottom line should be what is the best way to find a lost pet. So far the concept of Universal chips/readers has been winning, and hopefully it will be the rule soon. In the meantime, I would at the very least stay away from Avid.

[EFerrari]

52. I'm go glad you posted this because I know zip about this issue

and am looking at chipping my girl very soon. So much to keep track of. Thank you, Lisa.

[ChrisCat]

73. My cat just got an Avid chip and the scanner couldn't pick it up.

We just adopted him from a shelter yesterday and the volunteer thought she couldn't find the chip because he's a little overweight. She suggested making an appointment to have him chipped again, but I'll see if they can use a different type of chip this time. I'd rather him have one that can be read by all scanners. Chances are though, because we live in a rural area, if he gets out the coyotes would have him before anyone would find him, so we plan on being especially vigilant about not letting him out.

[pnwmom]

78. You're right about the risk from wildlife.

I live in a city and a few years ago a Pekinese was carried off by an eagle.

[Lisa0825]

41. A comic strip about chipping....

that an artist made for us to use in a coupon:

[Holly_Hobby]

42. Microchips cause cancer

I'm sorry to bring bad news.

http://www.vetpathology.org/cgi/content/abstract/43/4/545

Fibrosarcoma with Typical Features of Postinjection Sarcoma at Site of Microchip Implant in a Dog: Histologic and Immunohistochemical Study
M. Vascellari, E. Melchiotti and F. Mutinelli
Abstract

A 9-year-old, male French Bulldog was examined for a subcutaneous mass located at the site of a microchip implant. Cytologic examination of the mass was suggestive of a malignant mesenchymal neoplasm. Histologically, the mass was confirmed as a high-grade infiltrative fibrosarcoma, with multifocal necrosis and peripheral lymphoid aggregates. By immunohistochemistry, the sample was investigated for vimentin, smooth-muscle actin (SMA), CD3, CD79, and CD18. All the neoplastic cells were positive for vimentin. Scattered cells at the periphery of the lesion were also positive for SMA, highlighting a myofibroblastic phenotype. The lymphoid cells were positive for CD18 and CD3. No aluminum deposits were detected by the aurintricarboxylic acid method. A diagnosis of fibrosarcoma morphologically similar to feline postinjection sarcomas was made. Fibrosarcomas at the site of injections have been reported in dogs and ferrets. Furthermore, neoplastic growth at the site of microchip implant in dog and laboratory rodents has been described.

So...

Implants cause cancer in dogs, cats and rodents.

And don't keep dogs in a garage. They're pack animals and long to be with their human conterparts.

[EFerrari]

44. Omg! I don't understand much of the language in this post but am very concerned

I'm about to chip my girl. Is there an English translation? Cancers found at the injection site?

[Lisa0825]

48. I will look into this and get back to you....

First of all, "neoplastic" does not mean "cancer." It could also mean a benign growth. The sentence "Fibrosarcomas at the site of injections have been reported in dogs and ferrets," raises red flags for me. It doesn't specifically say that it is only for implants, but at injection sites. It has long been known that pets sometimes develop cancer at injection sites, which is why injections should be made on the leg as opposed to the shoulder blade area, because legs can be amputated if necessary, whereas shoulder injection site tumors would be more difficult to treat.

Making a blanket statement that microchipping causes cancer is a bit careless, IMO. If you have more detailed info, I would like to read it.

Also, what are the statistics? If microchipping saves 1 in 100 pets from euthanasia when captured by animal control, and one in 1000 gets cancer, what is the better choice?

I am not discounting your post. I think it is an important consideration, but I would like more information about it, before changing my opinion on microchipping.

Thanks.

[pnwmom]

59. Thanks so much, Lisa. I hope you'll let me know if you post more about this.

[Lisa0825]

74. will do. The shelter director has a call in to the Crystal Tag rep

and she printed out the abstract and brought it with her to the vet this morning. Hopefully we will hear something today.

[Lisa0825]

76. Here's the scoop on Chips/Cancer

From one vet: "I have not ever heard of such a case, and I keep up my continuing education, including all the latest on cancer in dogs and cats and microchip technology. The microchip site is also a site for many injections (vaccine, antibiotics, ...etc. (between the shoulders)). I am sure the microchip is not the culprit. Some vaccines are known to cause a slight risk of cancer at the injection site (this is why we have moved toward doing vaccines in the leg whenever possible). So, I would be willing to bet that any cancer at that site is more likely due to the risk involved with vaccinating, as opposed to the microchip injection."

From the second vet: "Anything that causes inflamation can cause a sarcoma in animals genetically predisposed to sarcomas. A cat bite, pennicillin shot, vaccine, microchip, anything. That is why vaccines get a bad wrap. Anything that causes inflamation if you have the genetics for a sarcoma can induce one."

[pnwmom]

77. That's very helpful, Lisa, thanks.

[pnwmom]

58. Don't worry, I don't keep my own dog in the garage.

But I didn't know how healthy this animal was and I had my dog's health to think about, too. Letting him stay in my open garage, on top of a pile of blankets, was better than leaving him outside, don't you think? The temperature only got down to the fifties, but it was raining outside. With the door open, he could go to the bathroom as needed. Plus, I wanted him to be able to go home if he knew how.

It's very hard to know what to do when a dog has no collar. My vet's office was closed and the Humane Society was closed for both Sunday and Monday.

[Recursion]

45. Well, no, because I love my pet I won't

But I know I'm not where most of the board is on this.

[mrreowwr_kittty]

55. If you're worried about it being painful

It doesn't seem to bother mine at all. The initial shot looked like it hurt them briefly but they were just fine afterward.

[pnwmom]

60. I became a believer when a friend's dog escaped,

leaving his collar behind, and was recovered several miles away. Someone found him and took him a vet, who discovered the chip right away. What would have happened otherwise, with no collar?

[Recursion]

71. Well, I have a bird and she's banded

not much she can do to get that off of her.

[in_cog_ni_to]

46. 1-800-HELP 4 PETS is what we use for Isabelle. Check it out. $20.00 a year and worth every penny.

Isabelle has run away 4 times. ONCE without her tag because she had just had her bath and I didn't get her collar back on soon enough. Thankfully, a young man found her and took her to animal control. The other 3 times she picked a house and sat on their steps until the owners found her and called us. The last time she ran away the people could hardly read her tags they were so worn down. That's when I found 1-800-HELP 4 PETS. Her collar goes on IMMEDIATELY after her baths now. No more chances and these tags don't fade or have engraving that wears down. Here's some info:


http://www.help4pets.com/howitworks.aspx

The Pet Protector is the only pet I.D. that can help your pet in any emergency, anytime, anywhere. It's a 24-hour, nationwide hotline system with live operators that works like "9-1-1" for your pet.

More than a simple I.D. tag that only works when you're home. Better than a microchip that's hidden under your pet's skin.

The price of this life-saving service is only $20 a year. But the peace of mind is priceless.

[pnwmom]

61. Sounds like another good option, as long as the collar is on. Thanks! n/t

[northofdenali]

49. All 5 of my little rescued kitties are chipped -

I hate - an absolute, blind, irrational hatred - people who abuse animals.

[Broken_Hero]

50. I admit,

our pom Spotamus Prime is chipped...my mom was all the rave about it. She is a vet tech, and she offered to do it for us, so we let her do it...the whole process/system seems to work well, imo.

[mrreowwr_kittty]

53. I got my 2 doggies back recently because of it!

The latch on my back gate was broken, unbeknownst to me, and they figured out how to push it open. They're super friendly so they only got a few houses down the street before they met some agreeable humans. My neighbors called the number and the microchip company contacted my ex-boyfriend, who called me right away. The reason I didn't get the call is because I hadn't updated my info with them :blush: so make sure you do that if you change your number or address.

[zonkers]

62. We found a dog with a chip -- only it was put in by the breeder not the owner and

when we tracked the chip down, it led us to the breeder but he had no way of hooking us up with who eventually ended up with the dog.

[pnwmom]

63. Doesn't sound like a very responsible breeder. They're supposed to

keep track of who they sell the dogs to.

Too bad.

[LeftyMom]

66. That's a piss poor breeder.

If you find yourself with the time, please do post to any boards or groups for that breed that the breeder does not follow through and keep track of her dogs and that one never found his/her way home as a result. This is a very bad sign and highly indicative of a problem breeder, and people need to know that and get their dogs from somebody else.

[zonkers]

69. It was a silky terrier breeder out of Missouri. I will ask my vet for the details.

Great little dog though -- a little terror. I like terriers. Never owned one, though.

[Skittles]

70. mine are chipped because they just refuse to wear collars

yes INDEED

[MadHound]

72. Call me paranoid, but I am ethically against chipping a pet

I collar and tag my dogs, always have. And they all live in a fenced in yard or are walking with me. But I'm not going to encourage the chipping of any animal, for down that path lies the chipping of children and other humans, all for the supposed good. Sorry, but I'm going to push back on our Orwellian future as much as I possibly can for as long as I can.

[Arugula Latte]

75. Thanks for helping him!

:hi: