Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Microchip blamed for dogs' death

Dog Bleeds To Death After
Microchip Implant


A fluffy bundle of life, love, and enthusiasm named Charlie Brown was laid to rest last week, the victim of a microchip implant gone horribly wrong. The long-haired, purebred Chihuahua bled to death in the arms of his distraught owners, Lori and Ed Ginsberg of Agua Dulce, California, just hours after undergoing the controversial chipping procedure.

Dr. Reid Loken, the board certified veterinarian who performed the chipping, confirmed on Friday that Charlie died from blood loss associated with the microchip. He cited "an extreme amount of bleeding" from the "little hole in the skin where the [microchip implant] needle went in" as the cause of death. He said he was both saddened and puzzled by Charlie's death.
The Ginsbergs were quick to absolve Dr. Loken of responsibility for Charlie's death. "He's a great vet and this was not his fault. The real blame is with the people who forced us to implant our dog against our better judgment," they said.



4 comments:

  1. I hope they find out the details of this. My dogs didn't bleed at all. I wonder if the Vet nicked a vein or artery or something... this just sounds bizarre.

    Perhaps an underlying clotting disorder?

    And what's the deal with forced chipping? Who does that?... going to read article.

    Hrm, LA has a mandatory chipping law and the dog survived neutering and teeth extraction procedures before. I wonder if they did a necropsy.

    I know that at least one of my dog's chips has moved as I felt it under her armpit while giving her a bath. Not too happy about that since it just might not show up on a scan or end up where it could be a problem, like further down her arm.

    Not a perfect technology, for sure.

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  2. A while back they attempted to stop the chip migration problem with a special coating, that was then implicated in carcinomas. I'll have to look for the link to that report.

    Here is Albrechts' study .

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  3. That is so sad. This was the first time I ever heard of anything bad happening with a microchip.

    We had our dogs microchipped with no problems. But man! that needle is HUGE!...lol.

    I think the microchip is a good thing, if your dog gets lost, but also, the person who finds your dog, has to know about microchipping. Otherwise, it serves no purpose.

    I know that on Army Military Posts, it's mandatory to have your dog(s) microchipped. But they really don't check on them.

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  4. That is the way it is with governments. They can make an infinite number of regulations, knowing that they can never enforce the vast majority of them, and knowing that the average citizen will never be able to comply with all of them.

    So, they can use the regulations to fine and imprison pretty much anyone, at any time.

    It's a win-win for government. A lose-lose for the rest of us.

    People that worry about their pets getting lost will microchip, regulation or no regulation.

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