Never liked the idea of microchipping and......

.... this is yet another reason why.
Microchips cause tumors in animals
I won't have *any* of my animals micro chipped nor will I purchase from a breeder or adopt an animal from a rescue that does it or makes it mandatory to be done.
As far as micro chipping myself or my kids.... HECK NO!
*and these were my decisions long before this little tid bit of news came about*

I don't really believe in microchipping people but for animals, I find it to be ok with me. Both of my cats are microchipped. As will all of my cats during my lifetime unless they find it is causing tumors in cats. For me, I would hate to loose my babies. They are my children and the thought of losing one is terrible as all of the cats of my past got out and were never found again. With this chip, I can verify that the cat is mine in case she is ever stolen and then recovered later. Shelters can scan for her chip in case she ever gets lost. Its almost painless (like a shot).

You can do as you please. I'm not trying to change your mind, but I am putting the benefits of this technology out there. As far as breeders go. They just want to make sure that the animals are well cared for and that the owner is willing to do everything in thier power to make sure the cats stay safe and at home. I've looked on breeders sites before that require that they get microshipped, spayed/neutered, kept indoors, ect. To me, that just shows they care about the animal and want to make sure you do too. All of my dogs and cats will have microchips.

Oh I'm fully aware of the benefits of micro chipping pets.... and even children for that matter. After all, Amber alert would be pointless if all we had to do was punch in our child's GPS tracking number and find them. ;)
I'm not against the idea of micro chipping. It *does* have its benefits and for those who choose to utilize them, great.
I, however, have a lot more anks with micro chips than just the possibility of them causing/creating tumors and thus, won't ever utilize them.
But for that matter, I would not get a GPS system in my car (if I had one) either. :)

Personally I think that "study" is BS. It's akin to the ones that say that eating peanut butter causes cancer.
Microchips are basically inert materials, since it's contained fully within the outer casing. It's like a teeny bit of glass embedded. The worst it should cause is minor irratation, or possibly scar tissue.
I've worked around animals and vets for many years, and I have never yet seen or heard of any pet having a tumor due to a microchip. A phone call to the local vet university resulted in laughter at the idea, and a bit of advice to "not believe the supermarket tabloids". I'd guess that means they don't believe it's a concern.
As far as whether or not any particular person wants information embedded in their pet, child, self, or car, I'd say it was a personal decision.
My pets are microchipped, and I will continue getting them microchipped. I think if there were a system in place for microshipping children, and I had children, I'd have my kid microchipped too.
Most chips only are the equivalant of "bar codes". They don't really 'transmit' and you can't track them via satilites and such. I've been told fantastic stories by clients about them, you wouldn't believe. Some of them still believe that a microchip can train the dog.. no.. seriously.
All in all, it's a high-tech I.D. tag that can't easily be discarded. I'd love to see more snakes embedded. You certainly could I.D. a particular individual snake easier than comparing photos to markings.
Cheers!
Theresa

I have to say, I've yet to see any consequences of microchipping, and I've chipped hundreds of animals. As Wolfy said so succinctly, it's just a very high-tech ID tag. My kids are chipped, and I will continue to chip future ones until I see something more compelling than "1% of the mice chipped developed tumours somewhere on their bodies over the course of a year".

Considering that the technology has been out for a couple of decades, I'd expect to see better data.

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Some of them still believe that a microchip can train the dog

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Well heck, when/if they develop one that *can*.... I'm camping out to be first in line for that bad boy! Get one for my cats and kids too.... they NEED training!

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"not believe the supermarket tabloids".

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If the Associated Press is a "tabloid" then the world has some problems. ;)
I'm not trying to start a ruccus but, did you guys read the article?

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Most chips only are the equivalant of "bar codes". They don't really 'transmit' and you can't track them via satilites and such.

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Perhaps a study in nanotechnology and the micro chips themselves would be good. They are radio transmitters and yes, they *can* be tracked by sattalite... if the code is entered into the proper program.

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My kids are chipped, and I will continue to chip future ones until I see something more compelling than "1% of the mice chipped developed tumours somewhere on their bodies over the course of a year".

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You forgot some.

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Published in veterinary and toxicology journals between 1996 and 2006, the studies found that lab mice and rats injected with microchips sometimes developed subcutaneous "sarcomas" _ malignant tumors, most of them encasing the implants. _ A 1998 study in Ridgefield, Conn., of 177 mice reported cancer incidence to be slightly higher than 10 percent _ a result the researchers described as "surprising."

_ A 2006 study in France detected tumors in 4.1 percent of 1,260 microchipped mice. This was one of six studies in which the scientists did not set out to find microchip-induced cancer but noticed the growths incidentally. They were testing compounds on behalf of chemical and pharmaceutical companies; but they ruled out the compounds as the tumors' cause. Because researchers only noted the most obvious tumors, the French study said, "These incidences may therefore slightly underestimate the true occurrence" of cancer.
_ In 1997, a study in Germany found cancers in 1 percent of 4,279 chipped mice. The tumors "are clearly due to the implanted microchips," the authors wrote.

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Just so y'all know, I'm not trying to start a ruccus. I saw the article, thought it was interesting so I shared it.
Remember, the article is to show the relation, or rather, lack thereof, between animal chips and human chips. ;)

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Originally Posted by Shadowspider

Perhaps a study in nanotechnology and the micro chips themselves would be good. They are radio transmitters and yes, they *can* be tracked by sattalite... if the code is entered into the proper program

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Ummm....what?

Perhaps you are confusing active chips with passive?

A passive RFID chip can, at the furthest, be read around 6-8 meters. Active chips can be read much further, but we aren't discussing those. Passive chips require an active reader to send an electronic pulse...the pulse resonates off of any nearby chip, and the scanner picks up on that resonance. There is no way for a satellite to read that accurately.

You're probaly looking at different chips than are used on pets by companies like "Avid".
These chips don't transmit, and can't be tracked by satilite. Nanotechnolgy is great, but it's not the typical chip being used.
I'm sure they have some sort of teeny implantable microchip that can be tracked, but a google search didn't show any legitimate sources, or legitimate accounts.
The comment about tabloids was from the vet university about the idea, NOT from me about that AP article. BUT.. the AP doesn't get it right all that much either. They report a lot of stuff. They are media, not science research, and I'll point out again, there's a research study that was reported not that long ago that said eating peanut butter causes cancer. Mice and rats get tumors. It's accepted fact. Most pet mice and rats seen at the two places I have been that treat rodents(pets) are there for tumors of some sort, or are found to have tumors as a primary or secondary problem. Rodents are prone to it.
When I see something legit regarding people or canines or felines, maybe I'll look into it deeper. But I still eat peanut butter, and I'll still microchip.
I don't consider it a ruckus, it's just a discussion. I just happen to have been around when microchips for pets were introduced. I have three relatives that work at the vet college, and an aunt who IS a vet. I worked next to a vet for 7 years and now work next to a vet, so I can go over and chat them up about various subjects. I would ten times rather go by what actual experts think, than an article that states lab mice(rats) got tumors from ANYTHING. According to most of their studies, EVERYTHING causes cancer or tumors in rodents.
Thanks for bringing it up though, because I'd bet we'll have someone popping into the shop quoting part of the article soon. Now I'll have read it.
Grins. I prefer potato chips myself, and I have those in me a lot.

EDIT: I found THIS article
http://www.infowars.com/articles/bb/...h_verichip.htm
This article is probaly what confuses people. It mentions a implantable "device" that can be tracked via satillite. The prototype was developed by a company in conjunction WITH Verichip, but the device is NOT a microchip.
It then discusses the microchips, which cannot be tracked. Read quickly, it seems to imply that they have a prototype microchip that can be tracked. In fact, the tracking devices have been around a while, but they are not microchip sized. They are a bit larger. They alos caught tons of flak over the idea that they were GOING to design a micro-device, and said "No, we weren't" then said "Yes, we will be". Typically, the company PR department can't make up their mind.

*Looks at her peanut butter.... mmm, cancer or not, peanut butter and banana sandwiches are the bomb!*
Oh heck, like you said, *everything* gives ya cancer, peanut butter, diet soda, blue M&Ms.... inhaling....:D

There is indeed a whole lot of conflicting "evidence?" and "conspiracy theories" as to micro chips, what's what, what's not, what's coming, what has been, what's in the works.....
But then again there was a lot of conflicting "evidence?" about the conspiracy theory that we now commonly refer to as the stealth bomber. There's also the "fantisy" of a computer fitting on a single table, much less in the palm of someone's hand, then of course there was the insane idea of rockets flying to the moon and let's not forget that loon that must have been on crack for thinking that an explosive could be developed of such magnitude that it could blow up and entire city... by just splitting an atom. But my favorite is the hallucination of a jet being able to take off like a helicopter... straight up rather than needing a run way and the people who *swore* they had either worked on one or had actually seen one of these Ray Bradbury imaginatory devices actually take off, fly and land which the government, military and contractors emphatically denied was true.
People and their crazy conspiracy ridden ideas.

People thought that all of those things were BS, not from "credible" sources, etc. and the government denied and side stepped answering questions regarding them when information was "leaked" to the media. That's what they do, that is no secret. Nothing is de-classified until there is something else in the works that is bigger better and badder, to replace it. Then they make public knowledge of the "latest technology"... but it doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that what we have today is *not* the "latest" technology; it is simply the technology that has been made available to the public because the government, science, NASA, whoever, are done with it and are working on something better.
It's no different with micro chips than it is computers. Is the "latest" technology being used with micro chips, nope, not yet, it is still in the test phase and is very expensive to develop. When the testing and refining are done and they can be developed at a lower cost, *then* the "latest" technology will be introduced to the public at large.

Do they have micro chips that are so small they can pass through the needle of a syringe that can be tracked by satalite with full video *and* audio, yes. Are they in mass circulation? No. Will they be? Yes.
Do they use those types of chips in people's pets as well as in people? Yes. As a "standard", no. Are they made by different companies and a lot more expensive than the common chips used, yes.
How do I know? Because that's what my husband is studying (nanotechnology) and is what he does for a living.

As far as "expert" vets go. They'd tell you to feed your pets gasoline through a straw if the oil companies were offering them a nice commission on every pint they sold and a free 2 week vacation. Vets are *paid* to give the "advice" and to "prescribe" the garbage they do because the drug companies and pet food companies pay them for every one they sell. Don't believe me, go to vet school and see who you get your grants, loans, scholarships etc. from.
One of my cousins is a vet as are many of my friends and even the vet I take my babies to will *all* tell you the same thing; because that's what they've been offered.
That's no secret either though. Heck everyone knows (or at least should) that vets are no different than any other medical "professional". They take the money no matter where it comes from. Are all vets like that, of course not, but are no vets like that... not hardly.

I don't see any problem with it, as long as it is not proven to cause cancer; etc. I do Not like the idea of forced/required microchipping. This was/is an issue in the horse world; the horse forum I regularly go on had a thread awhile ago and most people including myself, are against forced chipping of our horses..
It is something that I would have to look into more before doing. My cat has a tattoo in his ear from the SPCA that IDs him, should he get lost and be brought to a shelter; but he is 100% an indoor cat and sadly if he did get out, a coyote would take him in a heartbeat before anyone could find him I think.. or the feral cats..

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Originally Posted by Shadowspider

As far as "expert" vets go. They'd tell you to feed your pets gasoline through a straw if the oil companies were offering them a nice commission on every pint they sold and a free 2 week vacation. Vets are *paid* to give the "advice" and to "prescribe" the garbage they do because the drug companies and pet food companies pay them for every one they sell. Don't believe me, go to vet school and see who you get your grants, loans, scholarships etc. from.
One of my cousins is a vet as are many of my friends and even the vet I take my babies to will *all* tell you the same thing; because that's what they've been offered.
That's no secret either though. Heck everyone knows (or at least should) that vets are no different than any other medical "professional". They take the money no matter where it comes from. Are all vets like that, of course not, but are no vets like that... not hardly.

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I don't want to cause a 'scene' here but this post offends me. I plan to become a vet later down the road and I SURE AS HELL would never just take the money from anyone. When I go into the world to help animals thats what I'm there to do, not earn money. Hell, I'd still become a vet if I was making less than I do now. I believe my purpose in life is to help animals and sitting there at your computer telling us that vets will just prescribe, treat, and give advice just because they have some company giving them checks offended me greatly. I know a lot of good vets and my mother and grandmother are both in the medical field and none of them ever give advice or anything like that just because some company is backing them.

I take exception to the implication that my aunt, and the other people I mentioned would tell me to feed my pet gasoline through a straw if told to by "big oil".
No, they wouldn't. If you want to just spout conspiracy theories and paint everyone with one nice big paranoid brush, then there's no discussion here.
I'd like to see some proof of the stuff mentioned. Yes there were people who said "Computers won't fit on a table" and those people also said "In the year 2000, we'll all own flying cars."
Just because technology WILL move forward, doesn't mean you can claim it now. I'm sure we'll end up with imbedded computers in our heads so we are conected via a new style of internet ONE day. That doesn't mean I'll say it exists in some secret government lab. I'm sure they are working on the fun stuff, but if it doesn't exist yet outside of a prototype lab conditions, then I don't consider it done.

all i have to say is my dog is chipped. if she ends up with cancer i will be devastated so i hope with all of my heart that these studies are false! but if they are true and they had this information in the 90's??? so not cool!

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Originally Posted by Shadowspider

As far as "expert" vets go. They'd tell you to feed your pets gasoline through a straw if the oil companies were offering them a nice commission on every pint they sold and a free 2 week vacation. Vets are *paid* to give the "advice" and to "prescribe" the garbage they do because the drug companies and pet food companies pay them for every one they sell. Don't believe me, go to vet school and see who you get your grants, loans, scholarships etc. from.
One of my cousins is a vet as are many of my friends and even the vet I take my babies to will *all* tell you the same thing; because that's what they've been offered.
That's no secret either though. Heck everyone knows (or at least should) that vets are no different than any other medical "professional". They take the money no matter where it comes from. Are all vets like that, of course not, but are no vets like that... not hardly.

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I really am sorry that the vets you've come in contact with would do that. I've had animals for years and used many different vets. My daughter has worked for two for several years. My brother-in-law has been a vet for years in another state. None have ever, in my dealings with them or to my knowledge in their dealings with others, compromised their ethics or treatment for a payment from a drug or pet food company.

BTW, I also use doctors that are good decent people and would not "take the money no matter where it comes from." It's sad to me that you see so much evil in our world.

Peace

That's some poor evidence presented there. First off they are testing on rodents that are prone to tumors to begin with. Second, in at least one of the studies (and possibly all of them), those rodents were also used for "testing compounds on behalf of chemical and pharmaceutical companies". How about something a little more concrete before we start panicking?

Duchess is chipped, but she's the only one. I did it b/c the ex-fiance threatened to take her (steal her) and I wanted some means of identifying her if she disappeared. Branding (anymore) is pretty much useless, unless it's the freeze branding w/the breed registry and registration number. In Duchess' case, she's papered, SOMEWHERE. The seller lied c. having the papers and I haven't been able to identify her by her tattoo yet. We can't get a clear ID on her, so chipping was the only other course for me.


At least this way, I'll have a (although SLIM) chance of notifying the authorities and being to ID her if she's stolen.

As for the pets, I would, if I could afford it, but with 7 cats, and at $45 a chip, it's not high on the financial priority list. :(

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Originally Posted by sweety314

As for the pets, I would, if I could afford it, but with 7 cats, and at $45 a chip, it's not high on the financial priority list. :(

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only $20 here! that's horrible that your ex would do that!

Its about $50 here. Its an option when you get your dog/cat spayed/neutered at my vet. When filling out the form you have the option of microchipping or not, you can also choose what kind of stitches (the kind that dissolve or the kind that have to be taken out) and if they use a laser or not. Spay and microchip for one of my cats was about $200 and that included the microchip. :D

My dogs have never run at large, but just on the off chance that they get away from me chips are a must. I have all my cats and dogs chipped. I find it foolish to not give yourself that extra edge in getting a beloved pet returned to you. If I have an animal get away , I want every chance possible to get that animal back. I don't recall much of anything, including water that isn't suspect for causing cancer. Collars and other forms of id are easily removed. I guess it depends on what worth you put on your pet. To date I can't even imagine the number of pets chips have reunited with their owners. I know of 3 personally.

Each to their own I guess.

I can remember way back when I was in elementary school, apple pie was suspected of causing cancer. Let's face it - basically, living causes cancer. I'm not going to live my life in fear of what "might" happen. If I were to fear everything that could cause cancer, I'd live in a bubble.