engleski

Microchip Migration in Dogs – Is There Breed Predisposition?

Microchipping is recognised as the best identification method in dogs. Nowadays, there is a strict obligation for owners to microchip their own animals. Although chip transducers are well developed and sophisticated, there are some reports about the incidence and potential for microchip migration in different mammal and avian species worldwide. The aim of this study is to investigate the influence of breed on microchip migration in dogs. The study included a randomised archive search of 1, 000 canine neck X-ray images. All of the images were evaluated to find the microchip position. In Croatia, the left side of the neck is the prescribed application region. Any dislocation from this region is classified as microchip migration. Migrations were found in 177 (17.7%) of the dogs, and other microchipping problems such as multiple or missing transducers were confirmed in 16 (1.6%) of the dogs. In the statistical analysis, the breeds with less than 3 animals were excluded. Mixed-breed dogs were dominant, with the total number of 304 (30.4%). The first three breeds in the number of animals presented were Maltese (75 dogs), Labrador Retrievers (45 dogs) and Shi Tzu (37 dogs. At the same time, these breeds had a low incidence of microchip migration (8.1% ; 22.2% ; and 8.3%, respectively). The breeds with a high incidence of microchip migration were Belgian Shepherd Malinois (55.5%), German Shepherd (53.3%) and Bernese Mountain Dog (50%). Following these results, we can presume that large breed dogs have a potential for microchip migration. Some of the possible reasons can be a large neck region, an increased physical activity or the body condition in comparison to small and toy dog breeds (especially brachiocephalic ones). Indeed, the majority of mixed-breed dogs with microchip migration in our study were classified into the group from 10 to 25 kg (middle body weight). Future studies with a larger number of animals are needed to find specific predisposition factors, and finding the causes of microchip migration would also be helpful.

microchip, migration, breeds, dog

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