Purrs In Our Hearts - Cat Forum UK
Cat General => General Cat Chat => Topic started by: Sonnie on January 28, 2009, 07:34:31 AM
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Hi all. ;)
I was talking to my mother in law the other day about getting Felix chipped.
She told me that one of her work colleuges has a pursian who she got microchipped when it was a kitten.
After being a little under the weather she apparently took the persain to the vets for a check up. While in for some tests the vet informed my mother inlaws friend that the mircochip was "missing."
The vet said that they could do somoe xrays to see if the chip had travelled somewhere in the kittys's body, but this would be at the owners expense! The owner is now trying to contact the Chip manufacturer, to inform them they may have to pay for the xrays, and possible re-chipping. (on advice froom the vet of course!)
SO.......
Do vets actually chip our babies? as we are not there are the time?
I know we can ask for the baby to be scanned in our presence to prove to us that there is a chip in there somewhere but try explaining this one to the vet.... "yeah sorry im not quite sure wether to trust you or not...!"
The truth is that we all put our trust in our vets, that they will look after our babies when they are there over night, or feeling poorly. But do we actually know that they are doing what they say they are? and what they are charging us for?
Dont get me wrong, if a vet told me it would cost the world to save one of my babies, then the world be it! :shocked:
But how do we actually know?!
Views and opinions please peeps x ;) ;) ;)
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I believe its not unheard of for this to happen but it is a rarity I believe. I'm sure someone posted about the possibility of the chip coming out soon after implanation.
Personally speaking Trust is something you have to build with a vet if you don't have one you already use regularly. Often speaking to friends, relatives in the area will help you identify a vet that has a generally good reputation in the area. I would like to think in the most part though that most vets are very good and would not look to deceive you over microchipping, especially as it is a relatively inexpensive procedure, or any other treatment.
The best way to know is to get them to scan her when you go to pick her up. All you have to say is that 'how does it work, can you show me' :)
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My vet chips the cats while I am there, and they scan immediately after, so I know they are done. I must get teh vet to scan Molly tomorrow though.
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Same as Desley for us, Milo was chipped when I took him for jabs. I held one end, my Dad the other end and the vet chipped him she did ask if we had needle phobias (the noise of the gun thing made me jump though and I dropped my end of Milo :shy:)
Jess came chipped from the rescue but I've never had it checked - maybe I will next time we go.
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Beavis was chipped while I was there - ,Jerry and Gizmo were chipped when they wrere neutered but they scanned them in front of me when I went to pick them up.
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Great advice guys, :Luv:
:thanks:
When we had Coco castrated they chipped him while he was under, and we never even thought to get it checked!
When they castrated Felix yesterday they said that they could chip him while he was under, this way if we would save on anethestic costs, incase we decided to have him chipped at a later date. So we decided to have it done. Maybe when Felix goes for his check up tonight i will ask the vet "how it works" Great stuff everyone :thanks:
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my vet checks the chip every time we go in
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Hi Dawn,
Great to know your vet seems very thorough :wow:
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I remember when we had Casper chipped at the same time as his neutering, the vet scanned him when we picked him up, I only remember as I made some joke about it sounding like a supermarket checkout.
The girls were chipped at the rescue and I hadn't ever had it checked, but I recently borrowed a chip reader from Lesley to scan a cat that may be a stray and thought I'd scan the girls to check them, both beeped (and were slightly surprised by the funny noise!).
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I have had one chip that did fall out after being put in. The Vet checked it before I left the surgery but the following day, when the cat was being checked prior to going to it's new home the chip had vanished. The Vets were trying a new type of chip and inserter that, I must confess, both they and I thought was horrible and did leave a big hole in the skin. They have since gone back to their old chips, for which I am grateful.
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OMG thats quiet horrific to have a hole!! :sick:
Bless em :scared:
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We have all the cats Chipped except Ace - not a cats hell in catching him he really is to feral and ours have been done when they are neutered so the big needle is not a shock and in some of the older ones they have had a whiff of gas so the vet can do it painlessly and all the Dogs are Chipped both Sky - done by his breeder and Sunny by our vets were done at 12 weeks with their second boosters and both squealed the place down!
I have to say perhaps we are lucky but none has moved and our vet checks them on one of their twice yearly vet visits
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My lot are all chipped - Shadow's is definitely working, though it has now migrated up to his left ear :rofl: Last time it was checked it was down his left shoulder, so at least now it is in a more likely place to be found. Some microchips fail - they are technology after all. I would be hitting the vet up for a replacement, not paying him for xrays so he can work out what he did wrong at your expense ... A replacement chip would be the sensible option.
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I scan my lot regularly, i have a fear of them going missing and the chip not working! The proof of the vet having done it is the paper work that arrives through your door and the sticker for your vaccination card.
When they castrated Felix yesterday they said that they could chip him while he was under, this way if we would save on anethestic costs, incase we decided to have him chipped at a later date.
Thats cheeky, cats arent put under to be chipped, its a quick stab and all over with!
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The proof of the vet having done it is the paper work that arrives through your door and the sticker for your vaccination card.
Yes absolutely - the whole point of a chip is that its unique barcode is registered to you on a national database...so you will know it's been done by all the details you get!
My vet checks the chips every time my kitties are there, too :wow:
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I have had my own cats chipped and every cat that comes to lostcatsbrighton gets chipped by me or my vet when they have there first jab, and my vet also scans cats when i take a stray in for a check up even though he knows that I always scan them when i pick them up as chips do move some times, My Tom has two in him i had him chipped by a vet 8 yrs ago and when i first got a scanner I could not find it and thought it had come out so i chipped him again but when he went to the vet two years later for a exray the vet found two one had moved down his side, I have chipped hundreds of cats and I have only ever had one that came out anyway any vet will scan a cat for no cost, I even chip every found or lost cat that comes though our cattery gate and when we find the owner we charge them £10 and only had one person that never payed and his cat had been missing weeks, i think all cats and Dogs should be Micro chipped by law then we mite not have so many poor little mites dumped on the streets.
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My dog was chipped when she was a puppy - right in front of me and by a vet who I consider to be excellant. She was scanned immediately afterwards and the chip number appeared. Fast forward a year later to when she was having her first booster ... the vet scanned her, which is their normal practice but couldn't find the chip. Something like 5 people, 6 scanners and 2 vets practices later and no one could find the chip. They scanned every inch of her. It was concluded that the chip went missing .. probably fell out not long after it went in. They were really shocked by it ... she got rechipped [at no extra cost], as far as I'm aware it's still where they put it.
The worst part is she has a huge phobia of the scanner as a result .. so if she were to go missing, the person who would do the scanning would have an incredibly difficult job in getting anywhere near her :scared:
So yes Im a believer that they do go missing.
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All four of mine are chipped and all done while I was there even Sasa!
Sasa is a semi feral but they managed to chip her and booster her without a problem........easier than it was for me to0 catch her to get to the vets......sigh
Each one is scanned when they go for their annual chack up and all chips are there and being read correctly after 3 years ;D
I believe that is definately worth having cats chipped.
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:thanks: all
God yeah i totally agree with all of you in that they should be chipped! Regardless of my doubts and stories i have heard, being put through one of my own babies going missing, (now returned though) and getting a call from the RSPCA saying a cat was killed (RTA) that matches Felix's description but they didnt know if it was him or not. A chip would have been the only way if I knew my baby had passed over.
Im glad we got him chipped :briggin:
What confuses me is that we were fed the whole line of "to get him chipped while he is being castrated will be recommended because later on if you decide to chip him, he will have to be put under and thats an additional cost for anesthetic"
When Coco was castrated (as a baby) we agaiin were given the whole line!! So we had him chipped at the same time too!!!
But this was at a different vets! So if the chipping can be done while the animal is awake... why stress them out and put them to sleep for it! :scared:
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My lot are house and garden cats but I wouldn't take the risk of not having them chipped. I firmly believe that if you can afford to have them done then you should - even if it is unlikely that you would never need to use the service.
I was having a conversation with someone a couple of weeks ago about her getting her kitten chipped and speyed. She was saying that she's a house cat and would never be allowed out so she probably wasn't going to do either. I tried to explain to her why she should get both done but I'm afraid that she really wasn't taking much notice.
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My vet charges less if they are chipped while under anaesthetic - they dont put them under just for it, but if they are going in for something else, then it will be done at the same time. I know some vets dont like to chip small kittens, so will probably suggest that it is done at the same time as neutering rather than vacc's, and the owner then saves money. I suppose as long as there is no chance of the cat getting out in that couple of months, it would be fine.
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All ....mine are chipped and all done while I was there ........... Each one is scanned when they go for their annual chack up .............I believe that is definately worth having cats chipped.
Ditto
The new kittens are probably being chipped tomorrow (11 weeks old) definitely not being sedated (they come to us on Saturday :wow: ) How odd that a vet would suggest sedation just for microchipping :shocked: I hear what you say Desley about better doing it with their ops but can't risk waiting another 3 months.
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Felix has another check up soon,
defo going to ask for him to be scanned!
Now im thinking that Coco should be scanned too!!!!
Reading all these posts, and replies to my original post..... i just wish i hadnt been so :censored: nieve, and wished i had Felix done sooner
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We chip all our cats as indeed do many rescues nowadays, very occasionally you scan the cat think it is chipped, gently feel/blow the fur around the implant site and there lying low hidden under the fur is the chip.
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My vet charges less if they are chipped while under anaesthetic - they dont put them under just for it, but if they are going in for something else, then it will be done at the same time. I know some vets dont like to chip small kittens, so will probably suggest that it is done at the same time as neutering rather than vacc's, and the owner then saves money. I suppose as long as there is no chance of the cat getting out in that couple of months, it would be fine.
Agree with Desley and if they have to be anaethetized for some reason like neutering, definately worth having it done then, you can always ask them to dcan before taking the cat home , just so you can see that its working and check the number against the papers. Yes you should have some papers or a card with the chip number on and where to contact to change your address if you move.
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I had both mine done when they were being neutered. The vet gave me the option but said it's easier to just do it at the same time to minimise any stress. They don't need to be anaesthetised to be chipped though. A week or two later I received the details from the chip supplier with all the details and change of address forms.
I am testament to having them chipped, Chilli went missing in October and last week was returned after a lady was going to keep after feeding for a month and took her to the vet where she was scanned and found to have a home.
Chip your pets people! You will only regret it if they go misisng and you didn't have it done!
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The cats that I've had chipped where all chipped whilst I was there and then my vet scanned them to check them and got me to come back in a week to check the chip again. The 4 I got from CPL were done by them. As I have a Petporte my lot get scanned every time they come in and go out.