Do it yourself micro-chipping?

[clairebear]

I have been thinking about getting all of my kitties micro-chipped. I have been looking around at vets for prices and it seems it will cost about $80 a kitty if I go that route. However I have been hearing that it is safe and much less costly to do it yourself. Has anyone ever microchipped thier pets themselves? Where did you get your micro-chipping kit from? Any information would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[rosiemac]

I'll move this to care and grooming

DIY microchipping, injections etc... is something i wouldn't do myself to be honest, i'll leave it to the experts

 

[clairebear]

Originally Posted by Rosiemac

I'll move this to care and grooming

DIY microchipping, injections etc... is something i wouldn't do myself to be honest, i'll leave it to the experts

Sorry I wasnt sure where to post it..

 

[kittiesx2]

I know that when I adopted our Lab from the Humane Society they did it right there with no Vet. It looked like a normal injection but the needle was a bit bigger. I don't think that it would be hard to do especially if you've given shot's before.

 

[yorda]

I did my own animals through the shelter I worked and was fostering for, but honestly I wouldnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t have done it myself otherwise for a few reasons.

1.) It isnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t hard…but I think the more experience you have doing it the more comfortable and faster you will be doing it- which means less stress on the animal than if it has to be restrained longer while you fumble around or try to figure out if you are placing it properly. Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ve seen a few people learning mess up, so unless you plan to buy extra chips it is something to think about.

2.) Also, if you donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t have your own scanner at home to make sure your animal was not previously chipped (if adopted or a stray) you could end up double chipping them. This also means you cannot double check that the number of the registration matches the chip you are implanting. You cannot scan them afterwards to make sure the chip is in.

3.) Because not all scanners can read all chips, you would have to research before hand to make sure the microchip brand you found could be read by scanners at your local vet and shelter. When another large shelter in our area was using the original petwatch chips (I believe it was an ISO chip) none of the local vets or shelters could read them which led to animals being double chipped and made that original chip worthless. If you plan to move around at all I would probably stick with one of the better known chips.

Depending where you live some shelters may offer microchip clinics for much less than the cost of what the vet is charging so you might want to look into that. I believe our local shelter offers it for $25 by appointment, though I am also willing to guess there is a low cost clinic offered a few times a year out here as well.

 

[carolpetunia]

At our shelter the other day, I saw a gorgeous white Newfoundland get microchipped by a qualified vet... and he started bleeding profusely, because the needle had nicked an artery. If things can go that wrong in the hands of a vet, I sure don't want to doing it to my kitties at home, miles from help...

 

[tru]

Originally Posted by ClaireBear

I have been thinking about getting all of my kitties micro-chipped. I have been looking around at vets for prices and it seems it will cost about $80 a kitty if I go that route. However I have been hearing that it is safe and much less costly to do it yourself. Has anyone ever microchipped thier pets themselves? Where did you get your micro-chipping kit from? Any information would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Perhaps you could find someone in your area that does it a little cheaper; shelters, other vets, etc. I understand some shelters have something like clinic days for people to get their pets chipped at real reasonable rates.

It doesn't seem like such a big deal in theory, but the needle is pretty large and you would have to have a scanner as mentioned above.
Also, as CarolPetunia said, strange things can happen.

Most of my cats are former ferals and microchipping was not so smooth with those tough hided survivors. The vet had a bit of a hard time doing the injection.

In this area the standard prices for chipping are between $25 to $35. It seems like some vets really like to rip for the prices to chip and I think that's kind of sad.

 

[booktigger]

I have debated doing a microchipping course so that I can do them myself, but it is very pricey, and even the local pet shop who can do it says it is better to leave it, and see if we can just get a deal on it through a vet etc.

 

[momofmany]

Our humane society looked at doing micro chipping themselves before adopting out. They called the company in to do a demo. After seeing it, even the volunteer vet techs wouldn't do it without a vet present. Yes, it is a needle, but large enough where many pets will bleed afterwards. And unless you had a lot of animals, the cost of the equipment would probably be cost prohibitive. The company that did the demo wanted a contract where they would give you the equipment, but only if you registered the pets thru their service and you paid for each registration.

I see low cost micro-chipping clinics once in a while in our area. Perhaps contact your local humane societies to see if there is one scheduled in your area?

 

[southerngem22]

Be sure to check with the animal shelters/pounds in your county first to see if they are equipped to check for microchips. I was going to get both my cats chipped, until I found out the shelters and pounds in my county are not set up to check the animals!! Grrrrrrr

It totally defeats the purpose if no one is checking!

 

[mamakitties]

I know a lot of major cities offers low cost micro-chipping. You should contact the local city or the human society. I regret not chipping them while they had their spay/neuter surgery. Now I'm hesitant because I heard the chipping requires a large needle and will hurt/ traumatize the animal since no anesthetic is given. I can't even stand seeing the vet giving my babies shots, let along sticking a big needle in them.

 

[booktigger]

MamaKitties - it really isn't that traumatic for them to be chipped, and the reason why they dont have an anesthetic is cos they dont need one. I have had 4 chipped now, and only one has gone to bite - but this was a cat that bit teh vet the day before an op just for stroking her, so I would have been surprised if she hadn't. The other two temperamental cats were absolutely fine with it, even though Tiger had also had bloods taken and a booster at the same op. I really would recommend you have it done, it is seconds of a job, and is for a lifetime - I know so many people who have only got their cats back thanks to it - and some after years.

 

[abymummy]

I leave it to the experts and even have a favourite vet (not my usual one but at the same clinic!) do the chipping for me!