Is Microchipping safe?

Implanting a microchip is relatively painless, causing a little more pain than a vaccine due to the large-bore needle. Some veterinarians will use local anesthesia to help with this. There is typically no issue with the implantation procedure but there have been a few cases where microchip injections are done incorrectly, causing serious harm and even death.

 A bigger concern is up to 10% of microchipped animals develop malignant tumors in the implant area.  Most veterinarians and microchip manufacturers will deny that there is any problems associated with microchips or say that adverse reactions are extremely rare.  In reality, due to the fact that problems are severely underreported, the likelihood of your dog being negatively affected by a microchip may be much higher!  

 Dogs that are microchipped are returned to their owners at a higher rate than dogs that are not microchipped, but is it worth the risk?  There are other ways to help your lost dog be returned to you.  A well fitted collar with an ID tag, although can be removed or lost will certainly help.  You can also get your dog tattooed with your phone number on the inside of his leg, which has its own set of problems but may be a safer alternative to microchipping.  Some people will put an AirTag on their dog in hopes  of being able to track their dog should he become lost.  This is another alternative but it will not always work and can be a danger to your dog if it comes off and he swallows it.

 Although not a guarantee, a trained dog is less likely to wonder away from you or your home.  Be sure to spend time bonding with and training your dog regularly.

 Ultimately, a dog owner must weigh the benefits vs the risks and decide on their own as to whether or not to microchip.  For some it may be worth it, for me, I will not be microchipping my dogs.