New pet owners will typically have a choice: To microchip or not to microchip, that is the question.  Oftentimes, today, people who adopt their new pets from a rescue will already have that choice made for them, as a lot of rescues are sending the pups home with a microchip.

There are great reasons on both sides of the agument.

Pros

There are literally thousands of pets who are lost each year. These pets are often taken in by humane societies or shelters, and if they cannot be identified, are usually adopted out by other families, or, in some cases, euthanized.

Having a microchip ensures that the shelter can identify you as the owner, with a quick scan of your dog’s microchip. A microchip is more durable than a simple collar tag, because collars, and tags, can break, or the writing on the tag can become unreadable. This won’t happen with a microchip.

It is a quick and painless procedure that will last a lifetime.

Cons

There are some drawbacks to having your dog microchipped. He or she will have the device implanted under the skin, which can be a little bit painful, but no more so than another other shot or vaccine.

Some microchip batches have been reported to have bacteria, causing infection. In that case, the dog’s microchip will need to be removed and replaced. There are some arguments that microchips raise the cancer risk in animals, too.

Another drawback is that different types of scanners read different types of microchips, so your pet’s microchip might not be read by the shelter’s scanner. If this happens, it would not read the chip at all, or even note that there was one implanted.

And there are many pet sites that monitor these microchips, so far there is not one central database. Because of this, it can take time to find the owner. If you do not update your information when you move or change your phone number, this can keep shelters or rescues from ever finding you if your pet is lost.