Microchips in Canada - Avid or ISO?

[Shamrock]

If your pets are chipped.. what type do they have?

My dog and both cats all wear collars with tags and have tattoos. As an additional precaution, last summer I had them microchipped at a local vet clinic. The chip type was ISO, (Eidap) .. what I thought was the best choice for today.
At a different vet yesterday for their routine checkup and vacs, a scanning of all three failed to pick up their microchips. A rather troubling discovery for me. They stood by their scanner, and said Avid and PetNet were the main chips in Canada.. and that this type of chip I had in place would NOT be likely picked up at SPCA's, emergency animal shelters, etc.

Kind of defeats the whole purpose if true.

Back to the clinic that placed the chips, where scanning was immediately successful.
They disagreed with the first clinic, sayig ISO is reconized as THE universal chip, and any scanner up to date today should detect their chips..

I am baffled, trying to research this further. I have a call in to the supplier of the chip. I'm am going to drive to the local SPCA today with my dog, and just see if his chip is in fact detectable with their equipment

As these chips are only as good as the scanners looking for them, I'm concerned that their seems to be gaps in this technology that limits the effectiveness of a pet microchip.

I wondered what your experiences are in this area?

[glasslass]

I believe Den-Den's chip is Avid. I can't be sure though because the paperwork is in the other room and I can't get in there with the wheelchair at the moment.

[schnauzerlove]

How can you tell which type of microchip your pet has??

[TobsterMom]

We have pet-net at our clinic, I don't know about our SPCA, I doubt they even have a scanner (I don't have anything nice to say about our SPCA)

[Luvmypit]

How much does it cost to get done?

[Sneaky2006]

So what's the point of getting it done if there's different kinds of chips and scanners? I wonder how it works in the US?

[Shamrock]

just to give you an update on this post,
The first vet clinic, the one that failed to find my pets' microchips turned out to be using old and outdated scanning equipment
Though I felt this the most likely case, they staunchly denied it. The receptionist took quite a cavalier tone, intimating my pets microchips were no good as they had "never heard" of them, and asserted they wouldnt be picked up at any SPCA's, emergency animal shelters, etc.. That is what really bothered me.

To find out firsthand, Percy and I went for a little ride yesterday, stopping at three different local vet clinics and the closest SPCA. I knew if his worked - or didnt work - the same would apply to the cats.
Every one of these located his microchip immediately, solving the issue of where the problem lie.

I see there are still the occassional glitches with those who dont stay current, but overall most now use scanners that ARE universal, geared to pick up all models of microchips, both the old and the new. This is good for peace of mind for petlovers who have placed their trust in these products working if ever needed.

The company who supplies the model I chose - ISO microchip (Eidap) also confirmed this for me, and they are sending a representative out to the clinic in question to see about updating them.
I'm glad that this came to light in my routine check, so that they may now reduce chances of missing cruciial id on any any lost or injured animal that might come into their care.

To answer the questions posed here - the only way to tell what type of chip is to locate the paperwork. or call the vet who put them in place. .
As for the cost, I found a huge fluctuation in price on microchps.
The vet I used charged $20 each, but some were as high as $100, and the average and most commonly quoted price here in B.C, was $60.

[mesaana]

Hello

I just wanted to add one thing. What type of microchip you have can be important if you are planning to travel with your pet, especially to a country part of the European Union.

Here's a link about export to the EU:

http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/...uroinfoe.shtml

Here's the link for the list of companies:
http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/...hip-infe.shtml

Lyne

[db7]

Some clarification, ISO is not a "kind" of chip. it is the International Standards Organization, it is recognized around the world as the organization responsible for harmonizing/standardizing just about everything you could think of. So go with a chip that complies with the ISO, eventually all others will be no longer used or accepted.

[wAggie]

Chocolate and Honey are from the SPCA, and at the time of adoption both were automatically given the Pet-Net chip.

[doggy lover]

My last dog Travis was done through pet net and Tucker my pup is through EDIAP.