New dog tags will be microchips

A veterinarian injected Bunny, a stray  mongrel or “askal”, to imbed  a  microchip between her shoulder blades.

The “ping” of a scanner confirmed the tiny digital chip  was properly in place.

The technology is being used to test a tracking system for dogs in Cebu City in a bid to reduce rabies cases.

More canines  will be tagged this way when the  dog identification program is fully implemented in January 2013, said Dr. Alice Utlang, head of the Department of Veterinary Medicine and Fisheries (DVMF) in Cebu City.

“With the microchip it would be easier to identify the dog and its owner,” she said.

Utlang said microchips can be secured  for free at DVMF when dog owners register their pets, as required in City Ordinance 1802.

The registration fee is P150. Once registered, a pet dog can also get  free anti-rabies vaccine and deworming.

The dog ID program is part of the  city government’s campaign to promote  responsible dog ownership and impose sanctions on violators of  City Ordinance 1802.

The ordinance requires  the registration of pet dogs. Under Republic Act 9482, the fine is  P2,000 for owners of stray dogs.

The DVMF recorded nine rabies cases  in Cebu City from January to August this year, which is less than the 12 cases recorded in the same period last year.

VETAID

Bunny was a stray dog which DVMF rescued from barangay Guadalupe. Dr. Jessica Maribojoc, a DVMF veterinarian, helped in her rehabilitation to restore Bunny’s friendly and playful attitude.

Bunny was implanted with a microchip from VetAid, a Manila-based company, when the dog  was put up for adoption last month.

A  P450,000 outlay to buy  microchips from VetAid is  part of the department’s  2012 procurement plan.

Bunny and another stray dog, Dora,  were the first test cases after the  Aug. 22 visit of Dr. Mayen Yao of VetAID when she donated an RFID scanner and 10 microchips to the office of the mayor.

The chips are  lodged in a needle with a one millimeter tip. Each chip contains a 15-digit code whose  data will be used to match the dog and records of its owner on file at the DVMF office.

“Using the microchip is  better than having a dog tag or collar that is  easily removed,” said Utlang.

Yao said  Vet-Aid sources the microchips from a Bangkok supplier who also  has clients in the United States,  Europe and now the Philippines.

They sell the product at P450 each for bulk orders.

At present, the injectable michrochips  are  sold at P600 to P700 in veterinary clinics.

“The microchip’s use is forever. This does not tarnish and there is no allergic reaction. This can also be used on other animals weighing at least 250 grams,” she said./Correspondent Edison A. delos Angeles