Identification Tattoos
How does everyone feel about tattooing their dogs for identification purposes? With microchipping being the norm nowadays most people don't look for a tattoo anymore but as with anything, it is an extra step to help reunite yourself with your dog. It would also help with keeping your animals out of animal testing facilities since they cannot test on marked animals.
Comments
... wonder if Keiko and I can get matching tattoos...
Thanks she needs that...
I think it's an interesting idea, but would rather have some sort of fancy design put on my pups than a set of numbers.
LMAO @ Tara
And if you think tattooing a dog the same way you would a human is bad, you should see how they do it for show guinea pigs and rabbits. The animal has to suffer multiple spikes, that form a number id, simultaneously puncturing the ear. Followed by lots of powder and ink poured into the fresh wound. To prevent struggling, they would put the animal in a special sack, with a hole to pull the ear through, that keeps them still and allows for easy 'tattooing'
And you asking me/us to please respect it as that makes it seem like we're not already respecting you for your choice. Are you feeling attacked so far by anything I or someone else has said?
I certainly did not feel disrespected or attacked by you (edit or by anyone else) in any way. I just meant that I would respect anyone's choices. I guess I didn't want to end up telling everyone my family story. I regret if I made you feel that way.
The cool thing about tattoos is that they are "stationary" it stays where it was put & doesn't require a scanner to look at it. Thus, your dog can be anywhere in the world and the tattoo can be easily identifiable. The dog ONLY needs 1 tattoo. The needles for "imprinting" are small.
Microchips are "free floating" and end up relocating to other areas, other then were it was inserted. I believe Shoushuu's microchip is now "lost" somewhere in his shoulder or might be in his leg now. Microchips require a scanner. Not all scanners are "muti-readable". Even the scanners that they do make "multi-readable" won't work for other microchips that give off a higher or lower frequency.
Microchips have the potiential to become "defective". Shoushuu had to be inserted TWICE because the first chip didn't read after it was inserted but thank goodness the 2nd chip did.
My Shikoku have the Japanese Avid, which frankly is useless outside Japan...unless I have a Japanese Avid chip scanner. So I'd have to insert yet ANOTHER chip (a U.S. one) into my Shikoku & carry TWO scanners with me while traveling. The needle to insert the chip is BIG!
I'd rather have tattooed my Shikoku. And in the future, I may do this. I think Shoushuu & Kotomi are "too old" for this now though (for me anyways). So they're stuck with microchips. I don't think the ear is an appropriate place for a Shikoku though, too small. It would have to be near the flank/belly on the "underside" of the dog.
When I worked for the German Shepherd breeder, we tattooed puppies in their ears. There's NO sedation & it is done just once. I would just hold a pup in my arms and then temporarily restrain movement of the head. While the breeder quickly "crimped" an imprint onto the ear. By the time the puppy realized what had happened...it was already done. It literally takes a matter of seconds and then the puppy can be released.
I believe you have to be a "certified tattoo I.D.er" even amongst canines.
From experience, Avid chips have been more likely to migrate in smaller breed dogs because of their anatomy, and when implanted in large breed puppies that were not yet adults. There are several other companies with better products, but the implanter needs to be properly licensed and trained also in correct implanting technique. Of note, MOST dogs notice the tiny vaccine needle way more than they notice the microchip needle. I decided against tattooing some of my current dogs because if they were to become at large, most people wouldn't know what to make of a tattoo and if they were to be killed and smooshed by a car, what good does a tattoo do? Animal control is still able to scan the remains for a chip, which they do when they get calls to pick up road kill. Just my thoughts.
Know that nothing is fool proof. If you have chips its good to check them once a yr at check ups.
So far we have had decent luck with the Homeagain chips.
Investigate what your options are and by all means make sure whatever you choose you do it humanely with as little stress and trauma to the dog.
Snf
As for migration, when we had the two pups done, we asked the vet to put two small stitches to hold the chip in place. When microchipping people, this is commonly done too (In people, microchipping is done for medical data purposes).
I'm not sure if tattooing can be used in place of microchip for international travel, which is mainly the reason we got ours microchipped.
You say "Avid chips have been more likely to migrate in smaller breed dogs because of their anatomy, and when implanted in large breed puppies that were not yet adults."
What age do you think is best? I didn't micro-chip Bear until he was I think around 3 1/2 because honestly no one had recommended it to me before then and I didn't know that it was a popular method. By then he was full grown at around 180 pounds. His chip never migrated too far. My vet would scan it each time we visited to check.
But the stories of having to get two kind've worries me.....I wouldn't want a chip to not be traceable (?sp). What age would you recommend for all of us who have puppies right now?
(edit) Oh, and no problem Rina. :-]