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http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_2770697,00.html
Lost pets have chip on shoulder
Caregivers say some implants undetectable
By Tillie Fong, Rocky Mountain News
March 31, 2004
A new microchip being implanted in animals at PetsMart stores for the past month won't help bring lost pets home, according to shelter and veterinary workers.
"The scanners in the majority of shelters now would not pick the new chip up at all," said Bob Rohde, president of the Denver Dumb Friends League.
Last month, Banfield, The Pet Hospital - which operates through 20 PetsMart stores in Colorado - started implanting the ISO (International Standards Organization) microchip, which operates at 134 kilohertz.
The problem? Most of the scanners in use at shelters, animal hospitals and veterinary clinics in Colorado can only detect microchips that operate at 125 kilohertz.
That's the frequency for two of the most commonly used microchips in Colorado - the Schering chip used in the Home Again program and the AVID (American Veterinarian Identification Device) chip for the PetTrac system.
Colorado veterinarians and animals shelters have asked Banfield to stop implanting the new chip until there are enough scanners in the state to read them. Rohde said the company refused.
Figures weren't available on how many ISO chips have been implanted in Colorado pets.
"Everyone is hoping that it's a small number, so the problem can be addressed," said Dr. Jed Rogers, chairman of the animal-issues committee for the Denver Area Veterinary Medical Society.
"There's nothing wrong with the chips, but the compatible technology to read these chips are not in place," he added.
The number of ISO scanners in Colorado wasn't available, but the Denver Dumb Friends League has only four, compared with the 20 or so that it would need.
Officials with Banfield could not be reached for comment. However, Alex Schrage, company vice president, issued the following statement:
"We understand the important role shelters and adoption agencies play in reuniting lost pets with families, which is why we are doing everything we can to help distribute free scanners across the country," he said.
But Rogers said the state would need at least 1,300 of the new scanners to match the number of existing ones.
So far, the ISO scanners that Colorado shelters and veterinarians have received have been free.
While Banfield does give pet owners a brochure explaining that not all scanners can read the ISO chip, shelter and veterinary officials said most people don't realize how extensive the problem is.
"Unless the animals are taken back to a Banfield, The Pet Hospital, it's not going to be detectable," Rogers said.
Lost pets have chip on shoulder
Caregivers say some implants undetectable
By Tillie Fong, Rocky Mountain News
March 31, 2004
A new microchip being implanted in animals at PetsMart stores for the past month won't help bring lost pets home, according to shelter and veterinary workers.
"The scanners in the majority of shelters now would not pick the new chip up at all," said Bob Rohde, president of the Denver Dumb Friends League.
Last month, Banfield, The Pet Hospital - which operates through 20 PetsMart stores in Colorado - started implanting the ISO (International Standards Organization) microchip, which operates at 134 kilohertz.
The problem? Most of the scanners in use at shelters, animal hospitals and veterinary clinics in Colorado can only detect microchips that operate at 125 kilohertz.
That's the frequency for two of the most commonly used microchips in Colorado - the Schering chip used in the Home Again program and the AVID (American Veterinarian Identification Device) chip for the PetTrac system.
Colorado veterinarians and animals shelters have asked Banfield to stop implanting the new chip until there are enough scanners in the state to read them. Rohde said the company refused.
Figures weren't available on how many ISO chips have been implanted in Colorado pets.
"Everyone is hoping that it's a small number, so the problem can be addressed," said Dr. Jed Rogers, chairman of the animal-issues committee for the Denver Area Veterinary Medical Society.
"There's nothing wrong with the chips, but the compatible technology to read these chips are not in place," he added.
The number of ISO scanners in Colorado wasn't available, but the Denver Dumb Friends League has only four, compared with the 20 or so that it would need.
Officials with Banfield could not be reached for comment. However, Alex Schrage, company vice president, issued the following statement:
"We understand the important role shelters and adoption agencies play in reuniting lost pets with families, which is why we are doing everything we can to help distribute free scanners across the country," he said.
But Rogers said the state would need at least 1,300 of the new scanners to match the number of existing ones.
So far, the ISO scanners that Colorado shelters and veterinarians have received have been free.
While Banfield does give pet owners a brochure explaining that not all scanners can read the ISO chip, shelter and veterinary officials said most people don't realize how extensive the problem is.
"Unless the animals are taken back to a Banfield, The Pet Hospital, it's not going to be detectable," Rogers said.
