1st April 2016 Discussions

I will try photocopy stories & scan them to computer think it might be easier

Tina, can you post the titles of the articles and the name of the website where you found them? It might be possible to trace them with a Google search.

Impounded: family forced to leave their dog in France because officials couldn't scan its ID chip
by JAYA NARAIN
Desperate to take their labrador with them on holiday to France, Richard and Jane Birtwistle left absolutely nothing to chance.
They had Coco vaccinated against rabies, blood tested, fitted with an identity microchip and even checked over by a vet just before they set off.
But sticking to the letter of the Pet Travel Scheme law came to nothing when they headed for home.
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Officers at Calais were unable to scan the microchip and refused to let Coco across the Channel.
Her owners now face an estimated £5,000 bill for their pet to be kept in quarantine for six months.
Mrs Birtwistle said: "They told us that she would have to remain in France.
"I'm fluent in French and tried to reason with them but they said it was the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in England that wouldn't let her back into the country."
She called the ministry and explained that Coco had all the relevant documentation and vaccinations and had been checked by a vet before leaving the country.
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"They still wouldn't budge," added the 32-year-old teacher. "They said as they couldn't be sure Coco was the same dog she would have to stay in France."
In desperation the couple drove to Dunkirk and found a vet willing to open his surgery on a Sunday and operate on Coco.
Although the vet found and removed the microchip it still could not be scanned and the Birtwistles were forced to leave the dog behind.
Mrs Birtwistle said: "The authorities told us that Coco would have to remain in France until the microchip was verified.
"If the microchip still can't be verified then she will have to have a new microchip fitted and stay in France for up to six months. It could cost thousands. It is a nightmare.
"She has had to undergo surgery and is recovering with strange people and in a strange place and she could be there for months."
The ordeal has already cost the couple several hundreds of pounds in veterinary and administration fees.
A Defra spokesman said: "If there is a problem with the microchip the pet would have to stay in quarantine.
"The standard length of time is six months but this can be shorter if the pet is found to comply with all parts of the pets scheme earlier."
The Pet Travel Scheme was introduced in 2000 and up to 40,000 owners use it to take their pets abroad each year.
The Birtwistles, who live in Bury, Greater Manchester, had travelled to France with their baby son Joshua.
Mrs Birtwistle, whose husband is a solicitor, said: "Coco is such a part of our family. We got married in Le Touquet last Easter and decided to return this year to celebrate our anniversary with our new baby son and Coco.
"We had such a fantastic time as in France dogs are welcome everywhere - even in restaurants.
"It was perfect but now we are distraught as we have had to leave Coco in France.
"We want to warn all other holidaymakers about this. When you leave the UK your dog isn't scanned at passport control so there is no way of knowing if your pet's microchip has failed until you try to get back into the UK."
Andy Pound, marketing manager of Identichip, the company which supplied Coco's microchip, said: "It is very rare for a microchip to fail.
"Obviously these microchips are man-made and can never be 100 per cent perfect."


Dog left in France after microchip pet passport fails
Matt Roberts' dog Indy had to be operated on after his chip failed
A Berkshire family say they are devastated at being forced to leave their pet dog in France after his pet passport microchip failed.
Matt Roberts and his family returned to Arborfield, near Reading, without their dog Indy because the technology had stopped working.
Indy has undergone surgery costing £1,000 to remove the chip.
If his identity cannot be confirmed it could take up to six months for him to be issued with a new pet passport.
Pet journeys
Mr Roberts had just finished a two week holiday in the south of France with his wife Dorota and six-month-old daughter Harriet when he tried to return to the UK via Dunkirk.
However, when the dogs tried to re-enter the country the scanners could not read Indy's microchip.
The family had spent £400 on pet passports for his two Shih Tzu dogs, Indy and Buzz.
Indy will remain in kennels in France unless the manufacturer can confirm that the chip they have removed from him matches the documentation on the pet passport.
However, vets have said that the chip has corrupted and will be difficult to read.
Mr Roberts may have to apply for a new pet passport for Indy or put the dog into quarantine.
He said he was reluctant to do this, and was already spending £15 a night to keep his dog in kennels.
A Defra spokesman said: "Around 100 pets a year have a failed or missing microchip on arrival to the UK.
"In the majority of cases the microchip number can be removed and identified or read by the manufacturer, and the pet eventually allowed to enter."

Pet Microchips Don't Always Work as Advertised

When deciding on any medical procedure, it's wise to weigh the risks versus the benefits. In the case of pet microchips, there appears to be a serious risk of cancer that is still emerging, while the benefit is increasing your chance of finding your pet if they're lost.
But that benefit may be a bit misleading because of the way the chips operate. There are four main brands of microchips used in the United States and there are three brands of microchips used the UK and generally each brand requires a different type of scanner to be read. If your pet winds up at an animal shelter without a compatible scanner, the chip cannot be read.
Likewise, the chips must be read at a very close distance of 3-12 inches. Normally the microchip is implanted between the shoulder blades, but on occasion they can migrate under the shoulder blade, up to the back of the neck -- or even all the way down to the belly.
This means that if your pet's chip has migrated, there's a good chance the scanner will not pick up the signal.​

HEALTH RISKS
Consumers are repeatedly told that microchip implants are safe. So safe, in fact, that pharmaceutical giant Merial says scientific studies show that microchip implants are totally painless, perfectly well tolerated by the animal and that there is no risk of itchiness, allergic reactions or abscesses. Merial even claims that European experience shows that microchips are never rejected from the body. However, published scientific studies and adverse microchip reports recorded by the British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA) prove otherwise.
Scientific studies involving mice and rats show that test animals have developed aggressive and lethal microchip-induced cancerous growths. Scientific reports also show that chipped zoo animals have developed microchip-associated cancerous growths. Medical reports and scientific studies also reveal that dogs and cats have developed aggressive cancerous growths at the site of their microchip implants.

Yorkshire Terrier named Scotty developed epitheliotropic lymphoma at the site of his Schering-Plough Home Again microchip implant. Little Scotty died within months of developing cancer; his death coinciding with his sixth birthday. In October 2010, a lawsuit was filed in the US by Andrea Rutherford against Merck Sharp & Dohme and Digital Angel Inc. because her cat, Bulkin, developed cancer at the site of his Home Again microchip implant. The results of the lawsuit are pending.

A young Chihuahua named Charlie Brown died within hours of being chipped. Charlie died from “an extreme amount of bleeding” from the “little hole in the skin where the (microchip implant) needle went in,” says Dr. Reid Loken, the board-certified veterinarian who performed the procedure. Lori Ginsberg, Charlie’s owner, says, “I wasn’t in favour of getting Charlie chipped, but it was the law.” Ginsberg adds: “It’s horrible to live in a country where your choices are being taken away and you are unable to make decisions about your family and your life … Politicians should not take away my right to do what is best for my pet.”

Animals have also experienced neurological damage as a result of microchips: “A 1.6 kg, six-week-old Tibetan Terrier was admitted with a 12 hour history of acute onset of progressive tetraparesis following insertion of a microchip to the dorsal cervical region,” write T. J. Smith and Noel Fitzpatrick of Fitzpatrick Referrals in the UK.

Another important point that pet owners must be aware of pertains to recovering their stolen microchipped pet. Specifically, if your chipped pet is stolen, the chip does not guarantee that you will find your pet. Also, recent cases in the UK reveal that the chip does not provide proof of ownership. So, even if you locate your stolen, microchipped pet, it is possible that your pet will not be returned to you. In April 2010, Dave Moorhouse was contacted by Anibase, a microchip database company, asking if he wanted to change the ownership records of his Jack Russell Terrier, Rocky. Mr. Moorhouse told Anibase that Rocky had been stolen and asked where he was but Anibase refused to provide information regarding Rocky’s whereabouts.





Have at to copy each stories as the URL not working

The e-petition asking for Compulsory Microchip Scanning’ along with Compulsory Microchipping with a microchip proving ownership.' reached 15,432 signatures and a response has been made to it.
As this e-petition has received more than 10 000 signatures, the relevant Government department have provided the following response:
We do not plan to introduce compulsory scanning. This is because it is already best practice that stray pets are scanned for microchips when received by vets and rescue centres. The guidance provided by the British Veterinary Association advises veterinarians to always scan animals brought into their surgeries for the first time. Details of pets and those keeping them should be recorded on a microchip database so that pets can be re-united with their owners if those pets go missing. The new requirement from April 2016 for all dogs in England to be microchipped and for the details of the dog and its owner to be recorded on a database, will also require for such details to be kept up to date. The database should be informed when any pet is lost or stolen. If a stolen pet is identified through scanning the chip, then the database can advise the keeper on what steps may be taken. This e-petition remains open to signatures and will be considered for debate by the Backbench Business Committee should it pass the 100 000 signature threshold.

I just don't understand the reasoning behind this at all Ridiculous!

I agree what's the point?