I would have been angry at that . Surely Darla's chip should be on her records? Regardless of that to perform a medical procedure without permission is bang out of order - even a phone call to see if you wanted it done would have been nice!!

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It wasnt our usual vets, it was a one that had a discount offer on for spaying and neutering at the time - we never went back there though!!

I was fuming and had I been there, the vet would have got a piece of my mind! OH let his feelings be known, but he is much calmer than me in these situations, lol!

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Fere libenter hormines id quod volunt credunt

Hope you didn't pay for the chip!

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We don't have a single bill coming to our home address at the moment. In Ireland we had the phone bill but out here they used my hubbys ID number and that bill goes to him at work.

The vet didnt ask - I dont think she dared to after realising her mistake, lol!

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Fere libenter hormines id quod volunt credunt

It is a legal requirement for a horse, which is just as much a pet as a dog is. It is not enforced very often though.

I agree they should be checked to make sure they really are still there - but I would be absolutely furious if I was asked for ID. And as vets wont even check a horse's passport and chip which is a legal requirement I cant see them being happy to check a chip just to police it - totally different to make sure it is working.

I didnt know they have to be chipped for health testing, what a very good idea.

As for chipping a dog without permission - I hope you didnt pay. Because Toffee had lost a chip (she was checked all over) and rechipped I had to phone the chip company and inform them that the first chip was no longer active. Could you do the same sort of thing, or even get the first chip cut out if it is near the skin.

I think OH contacted the company and told them what happened and if I remember we left the two on record, just in case one failed, she had another as a back-up.

The permanent identification for helath testing came in a short while back

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Fere libenter hormines id quod volunt credunt

Chip versus tattoo: um, one small incision when young like an injection, versus a vibrating needle on a dog? I pick the chip...

There are health issues with everything. Living is bad for us, and our dogs. Everyday we live we deteriorate and get closer to death. That is a fact of life... So would you rather have your dog with you regardless and have a happy life but maybe live a few years less or a miserable, sad long life?? Again I pick the former and the chip if policed properly can help with that.

That is life. We can take precautions and the chip is a great one and eventually the chip will probably act as a GPS tracker as well even if it means having a radioactive cell like those that make our watches glow in the dark. And that will help even more... A tattoo won't change that.

I would rather Boris had 10 years of fun with my wife and I, than 15 years of boredom. Maybe that is to do with the owner, but we have this debate all the time. I'd love Boris to live 20 years but I realise that if I want him to eat treats, etc that he likes he won't live as long as just eating Medical dry food all his life... If I were a dog, which would I prefer. Again the former... And if I know that I probably only have 10-15 years with this dog. I want something that will make it more likely he comes home when lost, rather than being gone forever after 3 years. Knowing what happened to my mum's last dog makes this feeling even stronger.

A few seconds to scan (if you have taken you dog abroad, you will see there really isn't any extra cost in reality because one scanner versus the number of dogs is tiny) isn't a big deal and I am for chipping.

I'm not advocating enforcing it, but wouldn't complain if it was, in fact in most countries and if you travel= no chip -> no travel.

The benefits certainly outway the costs and if vets more often went to that tiny length to check (every so often, and realise it may have slipped) then there would probably be more reason to have pets chipped and fewer broken hearts.

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Jonathan Beagle's Wine Musings

Ear tattoos are not done in the same manner as human tattoos.

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I am just a worthless liar.
I am just an imbecile.
I will only complicate you.
Trust in me and fall as well.
I will find a center in you.
I will chew it up and leave,
I will work to elevate you
just enough to bring you down