Is there microchip danger for small dogs

It’s a painful procedure and  senior vet, Richard Alport of the Natural Medicine Centre, says that a microchip can cause serious health problems for very young and especially small dogs.  In an article in Dogs Today he believes that eight weeks old is too young for puppies to be chipped and that there has been serious adverse reactions and even death in them and also in tiny breeds.

The Veterinary Medicines Directory found eight cases in 2014 where a dog had reacted badly to microchipping.  It’s a big needle and a big injection.  We’ve had cases here when we’ve scanned a stray dog and found the chip has moved – to a leg on one occasion.

But there’s a hefty fine if you don’t get your dog chipped by 6th April and for the majority of dogs there is no problem or reaction.

Whether it will make  any difference to the stray dogs is debatable.  Most of them aren’t really ‘strays’ -they’ve been dumped because their owners no longer want them.  When you have the chip details and phone up you usually get ‘sorry mate, I sold that dog two years ago!’   Contact details aren’t up to date or are false.

For owners who love their pets and don’t want to lose track of them, the microchip is a boon. Once the dog is scanned they can be reunited very quickly.   These owners aren’t likely to let their dog be a stray though and are on the phone checking round the minute he goes missing.

What happens if you have an elderly dog in poor health or a tiny tot?   You could try asking your vet for an exemption certificate.  Responsible ownership and more dog care education is the real answer.