Microchipping and Tattooing – What are the pros and cons between the two?

Microchipping and Tattooing – 

What are the pros and cons between the two?

Beyond the collar and personal tags exist additional forms of identification that are essential to helping to get your pet safely back home. Microchips and tattoos are two such types of identification. Though they appear similar to the average person, they are actually quite different and fulfill different needs. Both a microchip and tattoo need to be registered and the finder needs to contact the companies directly. However, the finder is not given the owner’s information. The registries contact the owner, providing confidentiality and security. 

Microchips

A microchip is a rice size piece of technology that carries a number identification that can be traced back to you, the pet's person. The microchip is inserted between the shoulder blades by a small needle. When a scanner is run over the location of the chip, a number shows up on the screen on the scanner and then that number can be traced back to you through a registry company. 

Typically an animal shelter or veterinarian's office can scan an animal to see if the animal has a microchip. 

After the microchip is inserted, then the chip needs to be registered with our personal information with the chip manufacturing company. In case your pet becomes lost, and you call and notify them that your pet is missing, then they know who to contact if your pet is picked up , taken to a local animal shelter or vet and scanned by a staff member.

Hopefully, more and more vets are made aware that they ned to scan all new animals who came into their clinics. This includes new clients with existing or new pets and also existing clients who come in with new pets. 

Also, anyone who does sell and insert microchips and who has a scanner can also scan your pet. This includes rescue groups, private individuals and vaccination clinics. 

Microchips certainly have many positive  aspects to them. They are popular, easy to install and many places offer them inexpensively. They are becoming more common and accepted as a form of identification, so more pets are becoming microchipped. The public is more aware of a microchip and using them. They are relatively inexpensive to purchase and register, and, you can find many places like vets, shot clinics, rescue groups who will insert them. However, if the animal is fractious or hurt, it can be difficult to scan. This makes it easier to get them done and to get your pet protected. As a bonus, they are a permanent form of identification in case of custody dispute.

In my opinion, the fastest and easiest way to get your pet safely home is to have a sturdy collar with current ID tags on your pets. By tags I mean personalized tags with your name, your pet’s name and 24 hour phone number. I don’t mean rabies vaccination tags since vets are only open during business hours and I don’t mean license tags since many shelters are only open on very limited hours during the day. If a person finds your pet on the street and you have a 24 hour phone number on your pet’s tags, then you can be reached day or night, even if it is a holiday or the middle of the night. 

The biggest downfall to a microchip is that they are invisible. They are not obvious to a person who finds your pet on the street. Then a person needs a scanner to read the chip, and that requires a special trip during business hours to a shelter or a vet to have the pet scanned. And the scanner has to be compatible with the chip, or it can a what is called a universal scanner, which are becoming more popular. In addition, many people don’t know that microchips exist, so if they find your pet, they won’t know the micropchiis there. They would be looking for a collar with current ID tags. . Because a chip is invisible, it makes it that much easier for people to keep your pet and remove the collar and tags and say they found the dog without any ID. Finally, chips can migrate from the original spot and can become undetectable if a person doesn’t know to do a full body scan if the dog is found. 

Tattoos

A tattoo is a highly visible and permanent mark with a unique combination of letters and numbers that can be traced directly back to you, the pet's person. Typically, the tattoo is placed in either the pet's ear or on the inside flank. The tattoo must be registered with a registry in order for the number to be connected to the owner and for a finder to contact the owner. In addition, it is illegal to use a tattooed animal in a research lab unless, of course, it is the lab's animal that they bred themselves. Otherwise, they can not use that animal.

Like microchips, tattoos are considered a legal form of custody and ownership in most courts, so they are great as a back up form of ID, but should never be the sole and single form of identification. 

The two main disadvantages of tattoos are that for a long coated dog, it is important that the person regularly shaves the area, or use an ear tattoo, and second, the tattoo must registered, or it will be impossible to trace to the owner to contact them. 

There are various types of tattoos depending on who applies it. If a registered tattoo agent or an affiliate applies the tattoo, then they have their own designated set of numbers and letters to use that designate they applied it. Then that tattoo is registered with their organization and they keep those records. If the person who applies the tattoo is not a registered agent, then they apply whatever individual information they desire, such as a phone number, social security number, license number or other personal information. Then that tattoo has to get registered  with a national group like National Dog Registry or Tattoo-a-Pet, or there won’t be a way to connect with the owner if the animal is found.

Just like collars, ID tags and microchips, there are pros and cons to using a tattoo. The advantage to a tattoo is that they are highly visible, especially if applied in the ear. This helps to identify your pet immediately as an owned animal. The finder contacts a shelter or vet or can do a basic internet search under “animal tattoo registration” or something similar to find out who to contact. Also, tattoos can’t be removed like a collar with tags. Finally, it is illegal for a research lab to use an animal that has a tattoo. Of course, as previously discussed, microchips are invisible and colors can be removed, but a tattoo is always visible.

One disadvantage to using a tattoo is that , in order to apply one, the animals has to sit still and tolerate the machine. One common way to apply a tattoo is when the animal is already anesthetized for a surgical procedure at a vet’s office. Commonly tattoos are applied when the animal is spayed or neutered, having its teeth cleaned or other basic procedure. Even if the animal is on a light tranquilizer, the tattoo can be applied easily. With an experienced tattoo agent, the procedure will only take a few minutes and two people can hold the animal down. One other disadvantage to a tattoo is that the tattoo has to be applied with a tool that can cost a couple of hundred dollars, so it is limited to a person who already has a tool and is skilled to use it. 

Unfortunately, neither a microchip nor a tattoo will work if the animal is so scared that it is not approachable to another person, and the animal can’t be caught. Many animals are so scared and traumatized when they are lost. It can be very difficult to catch them, and they remain on the streets for weeks and months at a time.

Microchipping and tattooing should always be combined with a sturdy collar and current ID tags as the best way to get your pet home safely and quickly.