Microchipping your pet??? which company to use?

[MsMin]

I've been torn about microchipping my dogs. Max has been microchipped for nearly a year and Rachel has microchipped Reilly but the problem is I can't decide which company to use for Chloe.
We microchipped Max on a visit and Chloe was expecting pups so we put hers off. We used Home Again which seems like a great company.
Here is the catch... Home Again charges an annual fee of 14.95 to keep your pet in their system. The company that they use where Rachel works has a one time fee. My other dd insists that if you don't pay for it then can it be as good??
Any thought, opinions are experiences with microchipping and which company to use? Does it really make a difference if there is a universal reader?

[NJGIRL]

I used HOME AGAIN also because that's what my local animal shelter uses. I too got the letter about the fee but when I called them they told me there was no annual fee to keep the animals in the system. The letter I got was for additional services that they offered (upgraded services). They told me the basic service was already paid for when the animal was chipped.

[iceicebritney]

i signed up for HOMEAGAIN back in june 2007 - i rationalized their price for all the stuff you supposidly got (the online vet records, the pet id card, etc.)

in november of 2007 after many calls to homeagain asking where my "packet" was at i, along with the owners of the other pups in my dogs litter who went with home again, recieved a letter telling me that they are having trouble maintiaining their online database and that they'll refund us 2 or 4 dollars on our annual fee.

i honestly wouldn't go with homeagain if i had known that i wasn't going to be getting the benefits that their website boasts about.

[Carol]

n I called them they told me there was no annual fee to keep the animals in the system. The letter I got was for additional services that they offered (upgraded services). They told me the basic service was already paid for when the animal was chipped.I work at an Animal Hospital and NJGirl is correct. Your pet is covered by that first time fee when registering. The additional fees are for upgrades to newsletters and such.

My pets all have Home Again chips. I would definitely use them if you want the system most places use. Otherwise the majority of facilities will not be able to read the chip.

[Stitchahula]

I use home again but I wish I could just put a gps on my pup instead. My vet uses home again and I trust her she would never recommend something she didn't like. She's even khad me hold off on certain flea/tick stuff until they were on the market longer so she could find out more about them.

[MsMin]

I'm beginning to wonder if the receptionist at the vet's office gave me a little wrong info (saying you have to pay annual fees to keep it active:confused:) I would prefer to keep the pets all with the same company. Thanks for the input. :puppy: ( I still love this smiley)

[Marilyn Michetti]

We use Home Again, and have only paid once for the injection and registration. We've found strays on occasion, and take them for a scan. All vets, shelters, and police stations have scanners, and there's no charge to have a dog or cat checked. I'd never forgive myself if my Cody got lost and I hadn't done everything to give her a chance to be returned. Her tags could come off, but the microchip might be her only way home.:dog: I hope I never have to find out, cause I love her so much.:heart:

[Here we go again...]

My Annie :puppy: has a Home Again chip. She got it when she was a pup but was not registered. When I sent her papers in to register her I had to pay about $15 for a 1 time fee to put her in the system. I have never received another bill.
My vet finally got the machine to scan them (before the animal shelter was the only place in town that had one) so I am going to have her scanned on her next visit just to make sure everything is okay.

Now Destin :puppy: is too dumb to run away. Even if we forgot to close the gate he just stares at it like :confused::confused:.
He would never risk losing his treats to go somewhere else...

All dogs should be as spoiled as mine.

[RenDuran]

I don't know how often this happens, but just recently, my sister, who works at a vet clinic, had walked by a dog in the recovery area and noticed his microchip had somehow worked itself out of the dog and was lying on the blanket. That had been done previously....not on the same visit.

[NJGIRL]

The one thing I can say about Home Again is that they give out free scanners to everyone. Shelters, vets offices, municipal pounds. I think that you have a better chance of a place having a Home Again scanner than some of the other companies.

[MsMin]

The one thing I can say about Home Again is that they give out free scanners to everyone. Shelters, vets offices, municipal pounds. I think that you have a better chance of a place having a Home Again scanner than some of the other companies.

See that's something I am trying to find out. I hear there are "universal" scanners. Just like reading the bar code on products, the scanner can read all the chips regardless of what company produced it. I want to know if this is true?
What worries me is that Chloe would have a higher chance of getting lost in our neighborhood and the vet at the front of the subdivision (where Rachel works) gets many of the lost dogs brought to their office and he doesn't use Home Again. I'm wondering if his scanner would read it? Maybe I should have Rachel see if she can read Max's chip? I am glad to know that you don't have to pay the annual fees.

[NJGIRL]

Universal Scanner....to tell you the truth that I have no idea about. Maybe PolyGirl knows.

[MsMin]

I just brought my dd lunch and the vet was there and I asked him about it. He said currently there are some lawsuits b/c ppl purchased a particular brand of microchip and the universal reader did not pick them up. In one particular case the dog was euthanized b/c they did not recognize the chip and now the owner is suing for the loss of their dog. I guess the system is still young and going through its growing stages. He did say that he knows the reader he has reads both his which is 24petwatch and Home Again. The system involved in the law suit was not either of those companies. He said there have also been problems with ppl taking a dog and claiming the owner gave it to them and trying to call the company and change the registration information-- this can be done easily in some cases where the dog's ID # is worn on their neck (which helps to let ppl know he has a chip) He said the company he deals with only lets the Vet change your personal info in the system for he knows the owner.
There have been other problems with chips moving or sliding out of place so they have difficulty finding them when scanned.
So much to think about.. :puppy:
He offered to do both my dogs and he does give me a discount so I think I will go with 24petwatch for the price break. :blush:

[MsMin]

I don't know how often this happens, but just recently, my sister, who works at a vet clinic, had walked by a dog in the recovery area and noticed his microchip had somehow worked itself out of the dog and was lying on the blanket. That had been done previously....not on the same visit.

Sounds like it didn't go deep enough. My dd said they had one that slid down to his shoulder b/c she found it while helping with an exam on the dog. She said they have to be very careful to do it correctly. Sounds like the body treated it like a foreign object and ejected it!

[Jasper]

I just brought my dd lunch and the vet was there and I asked him about it. He said currently there are some lawsuits b/c ppl purchased a particular brand of microchip and the universal reader did not pick them up. In one particular case the dog was euthanized b/c they did not recognize the chip and now the owner is suing for the loss of their dog. I guess the system is still young and going through its growing stages. He did say that he knows the reader he has reads both his which is 24petwatch and Home Again. The system involved in the law suit was not either of those companies. He said there have also been problems with ppl taking a dog and claiming the owner gave it to them and trying to call the company and change the registration information-- this can be done easily in some cases where the dog's ID # is worn on their neck (which helps to let ppl know he has a chip) He said the company he deals with only lets the Vet change your personal info in the system for he knows the owner.
There have been other problems with chips moving or sliding out of place so they have difficulty finding them when scanned.
So much to think about.. :puppy:
He offered to do both my dogs and he does give me a discount so I think I will go with 24petwatch for the price break. :blush:

Our vet. gave us the same basic story about some existing lawsuits when we saw him about a month ago for our new puppy's first checkup. At this point the only company he uses is Home Again because they have the largest system at this time. He said there are some other systems he actually would prefer to use but since they are not as wide spread he is not using them yet. He also said that when he finds out that someone has a truly universal reader that really does work with ALL brands he will likely add one or two other companies.

He also mentioned that there are occasional problems with the chip coming out or moving in some animals. He said this happens even when the chip is put in correctly. Interestingly enough he actually said just what one of the other posters did that the animal's body sometimes treats the chip like a foreign object and rejects it causing it ultimately to come out or to move where it can't come out. Because of this when someone comes in asking him to run a scan he runs it over the ENTIRE body of the animal before pronouncing that it does not have a chip.

As a final thought on this subject the vet. also said that he does not put the chips into animals as young as the companies say you can. He said he has experienced better results with the chip staying in when the dog is closer to being fully grown.

Because the vet. likes to wait until an animal is close to fully grown he has a different timetable for each animal. For example, our current pup which is a mutt from the local shelter, appears to have a lot of Black Lab. in him so we expect he will be close to 50 pounds when fully grown. Because of that the vet says he will not put a chip in this dog until it is at least 10 months old. At that point the dog should be at least 80% or more of its full size. In comparison, we raise show rabbits and put chips in a few of our best ones that are worth several hundred dollars each. Of the two breeds of rabbits we raise one is fully grown by six months and the other by eight months.

The most important thing to do is have a good relationship with a well established vet. and don't hesitate to ask lots of questions when you are there for a visit. If your vet. doesn't want to answer your questions then think about using a different one.