Microchipping for breeders

RE: Microchipping for breeders

Tom Ward — Wed, 13 Jul 2016 15:16:56 GMT

Thanks all for your input - I have informed the team that we need to register all chips at the time of implantation. At least the new legislation makes it much more likely that we can link vaccine cards directly to specific dogs!

RE: Microchipping for breeders

Andrea Lynch — Wed, 06 Jul 2016 16:04:16 GMT

The RCVS have this information on their website:

http://www.rcvs.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/code-of-professional-conduct-for-veterinary-surgeons/supporting-guidance/client-confidentiality/

BSAVA have recently produced detailed guidelines on Compulsory Microchipping of Dogs Regulations in the UK:

http://www.bsava.com/Portals/4/knowledgevault/resources/files/BSAVA%20BVA%20Microchipping%20Guidelines%20May%202016.pdf

as well as a shorter FAQs document:

http://www.bsava.com/Portals/4/knowledgevault/resources/files/Microchipping%20UK%20condensed%20comments%20final.pdf

Hopefully you will find these useful. But as we all know, if a new scenarios arises for one of us, a colleague might be faced with the same. So if you have further questions or require more clarification, you can contact Sally Everitt on s.everitt@bsava.co.uk and the documents can be updated.

RE: Microchipping for breeders

Martin Atkinson — Tue, 05 Jul 2016 09:15:34 GMT

Saw a Lab puppy which ticked all the boxes for dodgy breeder/illegal import:off the interweb: runty pup, didn't see mother, dodgy dietary advice, not vaccinated, chip not registered, can't contact 'breeder'. The only thing that gives it any legitimacy is that the client has contacted the Kennel Club and it is registered with them. Tried to trace the chip first through Anibase and it said the chip was not registered with any database. We then tried Petlog which said it was a Tracer chip and it looked like we could register it but I am reluctant to do so without further clarification from them. I have told the client to call Petlog today to ask them how they should proceed.

Last week we had an even dodgier one that bore the hallmarks of an illegal import. I sent the them away with some treatment as it was too sickly to vaccinate and advised the enforcement officer at City of London trading standards who just happens to be one of our clients herself. Puppy didn't come back for its scheduled vaccine and I'm not sure how far Trading Standards got investigating it. Probably died, gone to ground or taken the pup to another vet who doesn't ask too many questions - that will be the dodgy practice up the road!

These are set to become common scenarios and we need some definite guidance on our responsibility.

RE: Microchipping for breeders

Wren — Tue, 05 Jul 2016 08:58:17 GMT

[quote user="robloxley"]

We've had a couple buy their own scanners (the Halo ones are fairly cheap online) to check the puppy matches if they can't be sure of telling them apart

[/quote]

I had this problem when I went to pick up my terrier puppy. She had been docked, so had been chipped at a couple of days old, but the breeder couldn't work out which set of paperwork to give me to register her (there were 4 puppies and 4 sets of paperwork). Luckily I had my scanner in the car, so it was fairly easily solved, but if I'd gone in my husband's car, or I hadn't been a vet, we'd have been stuck!

RE: Microchipping for breeders

Rob Loxley — Mon, 04 Jul 2016 20:17:39 GMT

[quote user="Bob Russell"]Checking the legislation, I am still unclear if the implanter has to register the chip or the owner has to make sure the chip gets registered![/quote]

"every keeper of a dog... ...must ensure that it is microchipped"

"A dog is microchipped where— (a) a microchip which complies with regulation 4 has been implanted in the dog; and (b) the details set out in regulation 5 are recorded on a database"

So it is up to the owner to make sure it is registered, either by themselves or by getting the vet to do it.
We do the registration for the breeder, to avoid issues such as you've had. We've had a couple buy their own scanners (the Halo ones are fairly cheap online) to check the puppy matches if they can't be sure of telling them apart

RE: Microchipping for breeders

Bob Russell — Mon, 04 Jul 2016 17:35:30 GMT

Checking the legislation, I am still unclear if the implanter has to register the chip or the owner has to make sure the chip gets registered!

Have to say it has not happened before but we did have someone from one of the corporates make a disapproving phone call! We did spend ages doing all the paperwork, identifying the puppies etc but the breeder wanted to register the puppies themselves!

RE: Microchipping for breeders

Bob Russell — Mon, 04 Jul 2016 17:26:23 GMT

We have just fallen foul of this! A litter did not get registered by the breeder as they told us they would. A simple DIY job for them. They managed to hand out every puppy with the wrong cards and microchip number. I am unclear whether it is our responsibility to register the chips or the owners.

It is the first time we have done this. We won't make that mistake again!

RE: Microchipping for breeders

Rob Loxley — Sun, 03 Jul 2016 22:01:15 GMT

[quote user="janine redman"]So assuming the puppies have been bought and paid for before birth they actually belong to the person who has paid for them . Not the breeder. Do they still have to be registered to the breeder, rather than the owner? [/quote]

The law says "“Keeper” means—

in relation to a new-born puppy the owner of the bitch which gave birth to it"

and "no keeper may transfer a dog to a new keeper until it has been microchipped unless a certificate issued under regulation 3(2) or 3(3) states that the dog should not be microchipped for reasons of the animal’s health"

We've done a lot of litters recently (usually 1st vacc and chip) and it's pretty quick to register all the puppies to the breeder on the Petlog website. Most are KC reg'd so transfer of ownership to new owners is easy and free. Non-KC reg new owners have to pay to update detail, but can then do future updates free, and the cost is low compared to the amount they've just paid for their cockerpoo or labrapug.

RE: Microchipping for breeders

Clare Tapsfield-Wright — Sun, 03 Jul 2016 20:20:21 GMT

[quote user="vetbl.locum"]

Are we allowed to microchip breeders ? Some a great idea though!

[/quote] even better if done at the same time as neutering them, only joking , some breeders are lovely , I know , I know.

RE: Microchipping for breeders

vetbl.locum — Sun, 03 Jul 2016 20:11:17 GMT

Are we allowed to microchip breeders ? Some a great idea though!

RE: Microchipping for breeders

janine redman — Sat, 02 Jul 2016 23:14:48 GMT

So assuming the puppies have been bought and paid for before birth they actually belong to the person who has paid for them . Not the breeder. Do they still have to be registered to the breeder, rather than the owner?

RE: Microchipping for breeders

Gillian Mostyn — Sat, 02 Jul 2016 11:29:52 GMT

[quote user="Clive Ansell"]At least now with compulsory microchipping we can always properly identify a vaccine card to a particular dog via its chip. I assume everyone puts microchip numbers on vaccine cards? don't they??[/quote]

But it isn't that simple. I vaccinated 4 puppies for a breeder last week. They were 8 weeks old. I suggested microchipping, discussed the current law, but was told that she had booked a 'mobile lady' to come at do it at home in a few days. There was nothing I could do and, to be honest, I don't think my job is to police the system anyway.

RE: Microchipping for breeders

Clive Ansell — Sat, 02 Jul 2016 11:11:10 GMT

[quote user="Martin Atkinson"]Sadly I find the vets who encourage 'breeders' are often the least fastidious when it comes to this, often even failing to complete vaccine record cards correctly[/quote]

At least now with compulsory microchipping we can always properly identify a vaccine card to a particular dog via its chip. I assume everyone puts microchip numbers on vaccine cards? don't they??

RE: Microchipping for breeders

Martin Atkinson — Sat, 02 Jul 2016 10:29:36 GMT

A great number of puppies we're seeing are not chipped or the chip is not registered. Is this irresponsible breeders or lazy vets? Probably a bit of both.

I can understand why, we registered a litter of 6 last week on first vaccine and it took the best part of an hour from start of health check to finishing registering and costed out properly in terms of of time I'm sure we made a big loss on the fee we charge for the chips. Fortunately we're quiet but I can see busy practices finding this a chore especially if they have a large breeder client base. It would be helpful if the Anibase registration process allowed multiple registrations for one owner but at present it doesn't.

Sadly I find the vets who encourage 'breeders' are often the least fastidious when it comes to this, often even failing to complete vaccine record cards correctly. The lid may come off Pandora's box with this, but these same vets IME are often the least scrupulous in all their work.

RE: Microchipping for breeders

Clive Ansell — Sat, 02 Jul 2016 08:56:46 GMT

I think the intention of the legislation was traceability back to the breeder, who by law has to be the first registered keeper.

A dog's breeder is the dog's first keeper

The breeder will be considered the first keeper of their litter of puppies and it will be their legal responsibility to get their puppies' microchipped and recorded on a database compliant with the new regulations, such as Petlog. The breeder may not record the new owner as the first keeper of a puppy instead of themselves and it will be an offence if they are not listed as the first keeper of their puppies on a microchipping database compliant with the regulations, such as Petlog.

There are two exemptions to the microchipping regulations

The first exemption is where a veterinarian has certified the dog as a working dog and docked its tail in accordance with the Animal Welfare Act 2006. In such cases the time limit for the dog to be microchipped and details recorded with a database is extended to 12 weeks. The dog can be passed on to a new keeper once it has been microchipped. This exemption is applicable in England and Wales only as tail docking is completely banned in Scotland.

The second exemption is where a veterinarian certifies that a dog should not be microchipped because it could adversely affect its health. In such cases a vet would have to certify that this was the case and state when the exemption expired. The dog would then need to be microchipped on the expiry of that time limited certificate unless a veterinarian issued a further exemption certificate because of ongoing concerns with the dog's health. In this case the decision to exempt a dog from being microchipped would be made by the veterinary surgeon. In such a case a breeder may pass the puppy on with a copy of the veterinary exemption certificate and any time limit for microchipping though it would be for the puppy buyer to decide whether to take the dog given this information.

RE: Microchipping for breeders

Charlotte Marshall — Sat, 02 Jul 2016 00:23:44 GMT

Yup that's what the legislation says. However it also says that it should state that this is the breeder and our pms system has nowhere to write this neither do the forms.

RE: Microchipping for breeders

emma o'connor — Fri, 01 Jul 2016 21:32:50 GMT

The breeders details must be the first registered details for each puppy. It is then up to the new owner to update the details.