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Cat Forum / Health and Behavior / August 2008De-chipping cats
I had my cat Jack de-chipped. I am so glad I did, too. I have the chip here and it is one mean looking thing. 1/2 inch long, sharp end, piece of wire coming out of one end. This is not something I would ever want in a living body. I posted earlier about the cancer rates in chipped cats. I decided to go for it. The surgery was trivial, the incision is 1 inch long, the vet had no problem extracting it. The x-rays showed where the device was. I feel it was worth it for he peace of mind. I am just passing my thoughts on. I will never chip an animal, ever. Paul >I had my cat Jack de-chipped. I am so glad I did, too. I have the chip >here and it is one mean looking thing. 1/2 inch long, sharp end, piece of [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > >Paul I must be ignorant, because I'm not sure what you're referring to. Who implanted this chip in your cat, and for what purpose? --- Zob >>I had my cat Jack de-chipped. I am so glad I did, too. I have the chip >>here and it is one mean looking thing. 1/2 inch long, sharp end, piece of [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > I must be ignorant, because I'm not sure what you're referring to. Who > implanted this chip in your cat, and for what purpose? One assumes readers have been around for a few weeks or more. As I stated in a previous post, Jack came to me pre-chipped. My mother had him before me and she had him chipped, with the very best of intentions. But that was 2 years ago and things have changed since then and more data is available and it it not good. Paul > One assumes readers have been around for a few weeks or more. As I > stated in a previous post, Jack came to me pre-chipped. My mother had [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > > Paul Our local ASPCA shelter microchips all animals as a policy and since our cat has the chip, your comments made me a little nervous. The latest article from Time Magazine (Oct. 18, 2007) that I could find on the net states: http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1672865,00.html (just copy and pasted several paragraphs) > Dr. Lawrence D. McGill, a veterinarian and leading expert in animal pathology says the tumor development in rodents is unsurprising. "Even if you put in a bland piece of plastic, it will produce tumors in rats and mice," says McGill, who assessed the studies on behalf of VeriChip. He says it would be a leap to apply the findings of studies in mice to cats or dogs — or to humans, for that matter — which are much more complex animals. Few official scientific studies have been conducted on the effects of microchip implants on house pets, but none have found a link between the chips and cancer, says McGill. If there were a problem, he says, we would have already seen lots of cancer among the approximately 10 million pets that have been chipped over the past 15 years. Says Silverman, "There are no reported incidents to the FDA of any cancer formation around that." In fact, there has been one case of cancer — in a French bulldog named Leon — according to a 2006 study in Veterinary Pathology. But it remains unclear whether the cancer was caused by a microchip or as the result of an injection, or who the maker of the chip was. The dog's tumor was removed in 2004, and a later examination found no recurrence. It seems that no one notified the FDA about Leon, but his case doesn't appear to worry the agency, as evident from a statement it issued when the AP brought Leon's story to light in September. "At this time, we continue to believe that the VeriChip is safe for humans," the FDA said. "In all the safety data the FDA has reviewed for this device, including extensive animal data, we have seen no evidence suggesting toxic or carcinogenic effects." > Meanwhile, a handful of concerned pet owners have expressed interest in removing RFID chips from their furry companions, but VeriChip hasn't heard of anyone doing so yet. The AVMA officially counsels against removing the chip, while assuring pet owners it will continue to monitor the situation. "At this point we do not recommend that people should stop microchipping," says Dr. Rosemary LoGiudice, a veterinarian and assistant director with the AVMA. "We are actively watching. For the number of animals that are said to actually have microchips, when you consider the number of animals that have been microchipped and returned to their owners, the benefits are huge compared to the few and suspect cases that have been reported to have tumor formation." Do you know of any later studies? > Do you know of any later studies? FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 3, 2008 CASPIAN RELEASES NEW EVIDENCE OF VERICHIP LIES AND DECEPTION Group's Latest Report Sets Record Straight on Chip Implants, Cancer, and more Opponents of the VeriChip implant are launching a new offensive against the controversial human microchip this week, amid reports that VeriChip plans to put its chipping division on the auction block. A new report titled "Microchip Implants: Answers to Frequently Asked Questions" released today by CASPIAN Consumer Privacy reveals dirty laundry the company would probably rather keep hidden as it seeks a buyer for its beleaguered product. The 42-page report was authored by CASPIAN director Dr. Katherine Albrecht, a Harvard-educated privacy expert and long-time critic of the VeriChip. The highlight of the report is an eleven-page section titled "Cancer Cover-up" that describes a systematic pattern of lies and deception engaged by VeriChip executives in an effort to downplay the fact that implantable microchips cause cancer in laboratory animals. The report reveals how news outlets like Time Magazine, Business Week, and the RFID Journal were used as unwitting pawns in a VeriChip scheme to spread misinformation about the cancer studies. Since research linking the product to cancer first surfaced last year, each of these publications has repeated misstatements from VeriChip company executives, in many cases printing the inaccurate statements verbatim and unchallenged. "These were not subjective issues, they were plainly verifiable issues of fact," Albrecht said. "We were saddened to see the misstatements fall through the fact-checking cracks of these respected publications. Now that VeriChip is back in the headlines, we felt it was time to set the record straight." VeriChip's media efforts have done little to salvage the company's public image or its financial performance, both of which plummeted after research linking the implantable microchip to cancer was widely revealed by the Associated Press in September 2007. The same company that once predicted revenues in the "billions" earned just $3,000 from its microchip implant operations in the first quarter of 2008, as patients shun the device that many are now calling the "cancer chip." Investors have also distanced themselves from the failing company, with VeriChip's stock plummeting from a high of $10.62 last year to just over $2.00 today. VeriChip's VP of business development, Jay McKeage, acknowledged the implant division suffers from "a substantial cash burn" and is "not sustainable on its own." As a result, he says, VeriChip plans to "shop the VeriMed / Health Link [human implantable chip] business around widely" in hopes that another company will take the unpopular product off its hands. However, with recent blog headlines like "VeriChip Death Watch" making the rounds, Albrecht has a hard time imagining who, if anyone, will want to buy the business. "This is a company that has engaged in a consistent pattern of making false and misleading statements," she said. "It has lied to the public, to the media, to its shareholders, and to regulatory agencies," she said, citing additional evidence from the report indicating that VeriChip hid cancer evidence from the FDA when the agency reviewed the implant's safety in 2004. "We laid out all the evidence in our report," she added. "We want to make sure no one else gets burned by VeriChip." ============================================================= ABOUT THE REPORT CASPIAN's new report, "Microchip Implants: Answers to Frequently Asked Questions," is a comprehensive reference guide to implantable microchips in animals and humans. It provides thoroughly-researched, footnoted answers to 85 of the most commonly asked questions about the implantable microchip, including religious, privacy, social, and health questions. The report concludes with a list of recommendations for patients, pet owners, and policy makers affected by the device. The new report is available for free download on the group's AntiChips.com website at: http://www.antichips.com/faq/index.html While on the website, readers are encouraged to download Dr. Albrecht's comprehensive 52-page overview of the studies, "Microchip-Induced Tumors in Laboratory Rodents and Dogs: A Review of the Literature 1990-2006," and to review scanned copies of the original documents. ===================================================================== ABOUT CASPIAN CASPIAN (Consumers Against Supermarket Privacy Invasion and Numbering) is a grass-roots consumer group fighting retail surveillance schemes since 1999 and irresponsible RFID use since 2002. With thousands of members in all 50 U.S. states and over 30 countries worldwide, CASPIAN seeks to educate consumers about marketing strategies that invade their privacy and encourage privacy-conscious shopping habits across the retail spectrum. http://www.spychips.com/ http://www.antichips.com/ http://www.nocards.org/ You're welcome to duplicate and distribute this message to others who may find it of interest. ===================================================================== To subscribe or unsubscribe to the Caspian-newsletter-l mailing list, click the following link or copy and paste it into your browser: http://mailman.nocards.org/mailman/listinfo/caspian-newsletter-l If you have difficulty with the web-based interface, you may also subscribe or unsubscribe via email by writing to: admin@nocards.org ===================================================================== >> Do you know of any later studies? > [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] > deception engaged by VeriChip executives in an effort to downplay the > fact that implantable microchips cause cancer in laboratory animals. Thanks for the info. If not for these consumer groups, would we ever find out anything? Would any others here like to weigh in on this? A google news search of "animals and microchips" shows that many local government sponsored shelters are implanting microchips, and from what I remember reading some months ago, different municipalites use different chip manufacturers. Now I'm unsure as to what to do. Our cat was chipped as a mattter of course by the local SPCA and since she's a housecat who timidly walks out of the apartment (while I'm by the door) a few steps into the hallway once every few months, and then runs back in when called, there's really no need for a chip. Do we all put our cats through the rigors of a vet procedure to remove this thing, especially when it's been implanted for a number of years? Between this, the recent studies of the danger of cordless house phones and cellphones, pharmaceuticals suddenly taken off the market, water supply contamination in the nation's reservoirs, the tomato crop in Florida or elsewhere containing salmonella, the wheat gluten problem last year with pet food manufacturers, and the recent FDA closure on Petco's distribution center, I'm reminded of a famous comedian's line about health: "It's no longer a matter of staying healthy anymore. Everything is bad for you. All you can do is sit there and pick out the sickness that you like!" >>> Do you know of any later studies? >> [quoted text clipped - 37 lines] > for > a number of years? That was the dilemma I faced. My cat was chipped 2 years ago. The actual procedure to remove it was trivial as it turned out. My sister had 2 of her cats de-chipped and now we believe her vet was a rank incompetent and also overcharged her something terrible. Jack's procedure was $466.00 but she paid 800 each for her cats. Her cats had a harder time because the vet made a huge incision in both of them. One cat he did not even x-ray at all first. Jack's incision is 1 inch long and held together with 2 sutures. The x-ray they took prior showed the exact location of the chip. It was right under the skin between the shoulder blades. He had no recovery to speak of, he was home that night eating and grooming and trying to forget the day he had. Was it worth it? You bet. I will never have to concern myself with cancer from that chip. Plus the thing is pretty big with a sharp tip and I cannot believe he did not feel it in there all this time. Soon his fur will grow back and we can both forget the whole thing, I'll post a pic later so you can see how small the wound is. > Between this, the recent studies of the danger of cordless house phones > and [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > you. All you can do is sit there and pick out the sickness that you > like!" Money is all that matters. That is what this country is all about now, sad to say. Paul >>I had my cat Jack de-chipped. I am so glad I did, too. I have the chip >>here and it is one mean looking thing. 1/2 inch long, sharp end, piece of [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > I must be ignorant, because I'm not sure what you're referring to. Who > implanted this chip in your cat, and for what purpose? Cats are 'chipped' for ID purposes should they become lost. The chip can be 'read' by anyone who has the technology - shelters, vets' offices, etc., & the owner then contacted. Cathy > --- > Zob > >I had my cat Jack de-chipped. I am so glad I did, too. I have the chip > >here and it is one mean looking thing. 1/2 inch long, sharp end, piece of [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > --- > Zob In a lot of cases the local pound will chip incoming animals. That said, I'm curious about the chip. We've been putting hardware into humans for some time now with no ill effect. But in cats a little tiny bit of sealed hardware becomes a problem? Weird. >> >I had my cat Jack de-chipped. I am so glad I did, too. I have the >> >chip here and it is one mean looking thing. 1/2 inch long, sharp [quoted text clipped - 21 lines] > > Weird. Well it _was_ printed on the Internet so they must be bad. >> >I had my cat Jack de-chipped. I am so glad I did, too. I have the chip >> >here and it is one mean looking thing. 1/2 inch long, sharp end, piece [quoted text clipped - 27 lines] > > Weird. Not at all weird. Cats, dogs, rats, people are all distinct creatures with distinct physiologies. The fact that a rat gets cancer may or may not be significant when discussing cats. That is simple biology. These chips are a physical irritant, they cause constant irritation and over time that can lead to cancer at the site of irritation. A rat won't live long enough to produce the same result as a longer lived mammal. If these devices were so safe there would be no need to fake lab studies. I would rather be of the safer than sorry school. And the company producing these is floundering and their idea to rescue themselves was to put these things into human babies. Paul > That said, I'm curious about the chip. We've been putting hardware into > humans for some time now with no ill effect. But in cats a little tiny > bit of sealed hardware becomes a problem? Can you show us years of data on human implants of data chips amounting to multiples of the normal human life span? No? Then don't be so hasty to pronounce them safe. We are slowly accumulating such data for cats over a significant period of years, and preliminary indications raise serious questions about pet chips and cancers. We can afford to go slow and to avoid subjecting our animal family members to experimentation we would not accept for our human family members. Every medical procedure has pluses and minuses. Your priorities may be different than mine. I choose not to have chips in my animals. They are not, after all, going anywhere--and I can tell one from another without a scanner. Jack http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=2ebbud1&s=3 I'm posting a picture for those who may consider thios procedure. As you can see by the photograph, the surgery was very minor and the wound rather small. It did not cause my cat any undo stress. Paul http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=2ebbud1&s=3 I'm posting a picture for those who may consider thios procedure. As you can see by the photograph, the surgery was very minor and the wound rather small. It did not cause my cat any undo stress. Paul |
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