Microchips

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#1
The other day, Penny was spayed. While at the vet, I asked how much a microchip would cost me. I was quoted a crazy high price. I'm used to paying no more than $18 for microchips and I've paid as low as $10 including registration before.

So, I started researching local shelters and vets to find the best price. One shelter offered two brands 24PetWatch and Home Again. 24PW was $15 and HA was $35. So now I'm thinking, what's the difference? Most shelters and local vets I am familiar with only offer the 24PW chip (all of my animals have this brand). Is there something different that the other more pricey brands do? Why do they cost so much compared to 24PW? Is 24PW not a good brand?

What is your experience or preferred microchip brand?
 

Snark

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#2
It's been awhile but I think Riley cost $25 for an AVID chip (all my other dogs have been under that brand).
 

PWCorgi

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#3
I know at my clinic we have the AKC chips and we charge like $50 or something crazy like that because we also do all of the registration for it. So check and see if they are just charging for the chip, or whether they are charging to do all the registration for you.
 

*blackrose

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#4
My dogs have home again chips. I dont know what yhe difference between then and other brands of chips, other than maybe what services are offered by the company when you register them? It was an $18 registration fee per chip.
 

Emily

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#5
Blossom was chipped while under for her hysterectomy and they used the AKC chips. I was charged $27 and that included her registration. The reg costs about $17 on it's own so I think the price was very reasonable. I also really like the AKC Reunite website, it's easy to change info, add pictures, etc. But any chip can be added to their program, regardless of manufacturer.
 

Grab

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#6
Some of my pets have Avid, others have Home Again (the clinic I work at switched to Home Again). I think clients pay $70 or something, because they do the registration.
I pay the employee price, though.
 

*blackrose

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#7
Oh, and I think we charge $25 for the chips, and then $18 for the registration.
 

Lyzelle

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#8
Zane has 24PW. It is a PITA to update, change ownership, anything. I ended up just getting him a new chip. But then that was a terrible experience too, so make sure where ever you go is competent.
 
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#9
New question, or maybe just clarifying what I already wrote but didn't ask very well. Why are some brands so expensive when as far as I can tell each chip basically does the same thing?
 

Torch

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#10
Rhys's breeder sent me a chip with his puppy package. When I had him cropped, I had him chipped at the same time, no charge. I registered him myself with Pro-ID (the brand of the chip) and the one time fee cost me $21.95.

I'm not really sure what dictates pricing. Maybe features, websites, or the ability to personalize as many details as possible?

Rhys's chip information is pretty basic, mostly just our contact info, although it does include his name, D.O.B, breed, color, and gender.
 

SpringerLover

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#11
Everyone but Gabby has HomeAgain because I love how easy it is to use.

Gabby has Avid and I will have to pay every time I need to update information on her chip. It's annoying.
 
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#12
Ask if the registration is included in the price or not. We register the chips for our clients online as soon as they are placed, and the registration fee is included in our price for a microchip. Before we started registering the chips, we charged less but then people paid the registration fee to the microchip company so the overall cost was the same.
 

Southpaw

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#13
Oh my these prices all sound cheap lol. We charge $56 and we don't do the registration. We use resQ.

I don't really know the differences between the companies. Happy came with an Avid chip. All I've had to do with it is put it in my name when I got her... I guess I can't say if I'm satisfied or not with the company lol. Nobody else here is microchipped.
 

Grab

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#14
Everyone but Gabby has HomeAgain because I love how easy it is to use.

Gabby has Avid and I will have to pay every time I need to update information on her chip. It's annoying.
I love how handy Home again is for updating, adding new pics, etc
 

Saeleofu

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#15
At the clinic I worked at we charged $41 PLUS a $43 exam fee, which is completely ridiculous. There are chipping clinics here all the time for $10-$20.

My dogs both have AVID chips. I got them at cost (so...probably around $15?) but registration is a but pricey. I did register them with AVID once, but they put the wrong info in, and want to charge me to change it, so I said **** this and registered them with AKC CAR, which lets me change whatever I want whenever I want for free.
 

Grab

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#16
My dogs both have AVID chips. I got them at cost (so...probably around $15?) but registration is a but pricey. I did register them with AVID once, but they put the wrong info in, and want to charge me to change it, so I said **** this and registered them with AKC CAR, which lets me change whatever I want whenever I want for free.
Avid was a complete douche when a coworker called to get info on switching their dog's chip registration to Home Again (they had an Avid chip and wanted to switch to Home Again, which has a $5 registration for vet employees). They completely frightened them with tales of how the chip would only show up as Avid and wouldn't come up with Home Again's number, how the info wouldn't be passed along, they couldn't guarantee that the pet would be reunited, etc. My coworker is extra paranoid anyway, so didn't end up switching.
 

SpringerLover

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#17
At the clinic I worked at we charged $41 PLUS a $43 exam fee, which is completely ridiculous. There are chipping clinics here all the time for $10-$20.

My dogs both have AVID chips. I got them at cost (so...probably around $15?) but registration is a but pricey. I did register them with AVID once, but they put the wrong info in, and want to charge me to change it, so I said **** this and registered them with AKC CAR, which lets me change whatever I want whenever I want for free.
How do the people finding your dog know to call AKC vs AVID? The chip would lead them to AVID, right...?
 
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#18
How do the people finding your dog know to call AKC vs AVID? The chip would lead them to AVID, right...?
At the shelter, we used the universal chip lookup sites as well as called 24PetWatch if we couldn't find the chip company online. They could usually tell us what to do next.
 

AmandaNola

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#19
Nola has HomeAgain ($25-35 I think) and also an ISO chip (same price, I think). HomeAgain is used most frequently in the US from what I've heard, and ISO is used internationally. Since she'll be doing quite a bit of traveling with me, she has both.
 

Grab

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#20
Nola has HomeAgain ($25-35 I think) and also an ISO chip (same price, I think). HomeAgain is used most frequently in the US from what I've heard, and ISO is used internationally. Since she'll be doing quite a bit of traveling with me, she has both.
Not that it matters, but for education's sake, I believe Home Again is iso compatible. I know that prior to our having Home Again chips, we borrowed some from other clinics for several pets who were travelling abroad who needed ISO chips.
 

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