Does Microchipping Hurt Your Pet
Getting a new pet requires a good number of administrative tasks, from paperwork to vaccinations to spaying or neutering. One of the tasks you have to check off your list is to have the pet microchipped so it can be identified if it’s lost. Microchipping is sometimes done when pets undergo another procedure, like spaying, but it’s also done quite a lot when pets are awake and not sedated. This, plus warnings circulating on the internet about microchips causing disease, have led some to wonder if microchips can hurt their pets. This is not true. At Brentwood Animal Hospital in Pensacola, FL, we can explain to you how microchips work and help you register your pet’s chip.
Immediate and Future Issues
The procedure of microchipping a pet involves injecting the chip under the skin, so there’s likely a small pinch, just as you’d feel when getting a shot. Anecdotal reports from pet owners suggest pets aren’t really reacting that much during the injection.
There have been a few cases where lab animals and rarely, pets, developed tumors in the location of the chip. But these cases are few and far between in the real world, and it’s unclear if the pets would have developed cancer at those spots anyway, even without the chip. Plus, given how many pets have been chipped who did not develop cancer, which is most of them, this does not appear to be a huge risk.
Microchipping Should Be Done by a Vet
You should only have a veterinarian implant your pet’s microchip. If you want to be sure you’re protecting your pet, animal hospital veterinarians can easily implant the chip and then assist you in registering the chip with your contact information. Call Brentwood Animal Hospital in Pensacola, FL, at 850-434-2646 to make an appointment.
