Many countries around the world have already legislated that pets must be microchipped, and Hong Kong is no exception.
Of course, implanting a chip can bring some positive or negative impacts:
For example, if a dog bites someone, the owner will need to take legal responsibility; or you can use the chip to have a chance of finding a lost dog.
Implanting a chip increases the risk of cancer.
In 1997, 1999, and 2006, there were studies on chips and cancer, all of which indicated that implanting chips could potentially cause cancer.
Three studies each used approximately 6,000 mice for research and found that mice with implanted chips had a 4-10% higher chance of developing cancer compared to those without implanted chips. Additionally, in about 1% of the study cases, tumors, which are cancerous, were found near the location of the implanted chip.
Dog cancer cases linked to microchip implantation
The UK magazine "Dog Monthly" has collected several stories of dogs that developed cancer due to implanted chips:
A border collie developed a golf ball-sized tumor on its neck, right near the chip.
A Yorkshire Terrier developed malignant lymphoma near the site where the microchip was implanted.
A bulldog was found to have a tumor near the location where the chip was implanted. After the owner arranged for surgery to remove the tumor, another new tumor was discovered in the same location a few months later.
Ultimately, the owner decided to arrange for euthanasia to alleviate the dog's suffering.
The above cases and studies also reflect that implanting microchips indeed increases the risk of dogs developing cancer.
When it comes to the health of dogs and the responsibilities of their owners, I don't know how you would weigh them, but since it's a legal requirement in Hong Kong, and it's unavoidable, the only thing we can do is to feed them healthier food!
Reference link: https://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/should-you-microchip-your-dog/
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