Tattooing

[dessie]

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Thought I would start a new topic because I did not want to hi-jack Snapdogs' topic on microchipping.

I am seriously considering having my next litter tattooed but I would like them done in their inner thigh rather than the ear. The NDTR only seem to offer ear tattooing (although I haven't actually had a conversation with anyone yet!).

Anyone know anything about tattooing and if I can get it done on inner thigh???

 

[Mark Roberts]

Hi Dessie,

I looked into training with the NDTR i had all their information leaflets ect but it only descussed ear marking and said nothing anout tattooing anyware else.

 

[running_free]

I'd also like to find out about Tattoos also after hearing that someone's dogs chip had moved down it's leg

anyone with info pleace come forth

 

[Avalonia]

Canadian Kennel Club regulations require that all purebred dogs being registered must be individually identified with either a tattoo or a microchip before being sold to their new home. We tattoo all our dogs, and microchip in addition any dog that we send to Europe where a microchip is often a requirement.

Whippet ears are a bit small and thin to hold good tattoos, and perhaps out of concern that someone could do what has been done with ear tattooed greyhounds -- cut off the ear to eliminate any way of tracing the dog back to its owner -- we have tattoos done by our vet, Kevin Bacon (sigh... not that one, but still a pretty nice guy!) on the right flank of the dogs with a tattoo pen. It does not hurt, there is no pain afterwards and as the two photos I am clipping show, the tattoo is very visible and the dog afterwards is perfectly fine.

The photos show the tattoo done on our 8 week old puppy Avalonia Across the Universe earlier this week. In Canada the CKC assigns a tattoo combination to any of its breeders who seeks a tattoo combination. What you are seeing in this puppy is the following: NPW -- the three letters (it could be a combination of letters and digits too) assigned to my son Mick, who is the breeder of record of all Avalonia dogs. The number 8 -- this means this was the 8th Avalonia whippet tattooed in the calendar year it was born in, and the letter R. R is the letter assigned to 2005. This means the dog was born in 2005. If lost, the dog can be traced to its breeder by this code. The black ink tattoo does not fade over time. In the past we used a less sophisticated tattoo method: a clamp painted with a green paste tattoo ink. We found those tattoos faded out after several years and I was happy when Kevin got a tattoo pen. He does a very nice job, as you can see.

The second photo shows the dog after he got his first jab and his tattoo -- obviously none the worst for wear! This pup will actually get a microchip later on as well as he is going to Hungary, but we will wait till he is a wee bit bigger before taking that awful instrument they use to insert microchips and cut it into his withers! I can't even watch the micorchipping done because I get so squeamish, but I hold the puppy with a vet tech while Kevin does the tattoos.

Lanny



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[Karen]

Excellent idea Lanny, not sure over here if people would look under the dog for a tattoo, I can imagine the poor dog sitting waiting in the pound for someone to realise it was marked. We had this problem when microchips were first used, not mant people had scanners.

 

[dessie]

It is very good but it would be a bit expensive to go to Canada to have them done!!!

 

[JAX]

Excellent idea Lanny, not sure over here if people would look under the dog for a tattoo, I can imagine the poor dog sitting waiting in the pound for someone to realise it was marked.  We had this problem when microchips were first used, not mant people had scanners.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

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Thats what I was thinking Karen , good idea , but unless EVERYONE thought to look there it wouldnt be much point doing it , Its only now that most vets , Dog wardens etc look for a microchip after how many years ?

When I was in racing greyhounds I used to hold the pups when they were tattood , hope theve made progress since then ,It seemed a bit barbaric at the time ,or mabe I was young and sqeemish (sp)

Where could one get a tattooing pen ?

 

[Avalonia]

[

Where could one get a tattooing pen ?

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The one my vet uses is a Spalding Electric Tattoo Pen kit which costs $325 US for at least one American supplier you can google up. I purchase other things from Lambriar Vet supplies and I know they have it. The kit comes with the pen, nibs and ink and you would have to order more of the nibs and ink obviously. This is not cheap but I can tell you that my vet charges me $20 Cdn. per dog so you can see if you had the kit and became proficient at it you could do not just your own dogs but those of others who want their animals tattooed and are prepared to pay a small fee for the tattoo. One of the top local show handling instructors has a kit and comes to your home and does a tattoo on each pup for $10 Cdn. which is a good deal. My vet's price just went up but since I combine the tattoo with the health check and first shots and then the fee is discounted because I have a whole litter done at once, I am prepared to pay the price.

While pups squirm initially as the pen touches their flanks -- I think they squirm as much because they are being held upside down in an unnatural position for a few minutes as anything -- and the pen tickles, there is no pain, no yelping, and the process is over in a couple of minutes. My vet applies a bit of vaseline on the flank before tattooing, and a bit afterwards. There is no redness, no soreness and the dog forgets immediately afterwards that it was done.

As for visibility. If someone finds a lost dog I think they check all likely spots for signs of Id. Not just ears and not just for microchips but for collars, tattoos elsewhere etc. I have heard that the tattoos done like we have ours done have resulted in many lost or abandoned dogs being traced back to their breeders, and from there to their owners here in Canada.

Lanny

 

[kim & Tilly]

how can the tatoos not hurt the dogs, i have several and they hurt like hell, esp the black line border??

 

[natty]

this is interersting i have been weighing the pros and cons of having my labrador tatood because if she ever got stolen, asking people to look out for a black labrador bitch when there are so many around could be a bit hopeless. i thought a tatoo on the inside of her leg might be the answer because then if your dog is found there is no denying it, its obvious and you can prove its yours.

where in the UK would you go to get a dog tatood and does it hurt and if it does can they have a local aneasthetic. Im a wuss id neverhave a tatoo but im so worried about her being stolen and being unrecognisable by other people .

 

[Avalonia]

where in the UK would you go to get a dog tatood and does it hurt and if it does can they have a local aneasthetic. Im a wuss id neverhave a tatoo but im so worried about her being stolen and  being unrecognisable by other people .

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

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I can positively assure you that the tattoo done with the tattoo pen does not hurt. It pinches and tickles a bit and the dog may be started at the beginning by the sound of the pen, but there is no pain and no inflamation afterwards, and the dog needs no anaesthetic to be tattooed. Mind you we are doing puppies who are smaller but the same way of tattooing a pup would be applied presumably to a Labrador (incidentally we have a yellow Lab, just one, and she too is tattooed just like our whippets are). The only difficulty doing a mature bigger dog is holding it firmly in a position when the tattooer can ensure the flesh on the flank is tight . With whippet pups the vet tech holds the pups front legs and heads and talks to the pup, while I hold the back legs so that the vet has the working surface will exposed, and this works well. I guess you would bring in the body builders to hold the legs of a mature dog.

Lanny

 

[Seraphina]

I wish we had the option of tattooing instead of microchipping here. I tried to get people to support it but nobody was interested. From this year ALL dogs have to be microchipped and from the next year breeders have to microchip pups before they sell them. Big fines for non-compliance.

I saw tattooing being done to my adult dogs (Whippet&Borzoi) in Europe, it was done with the sort of pliers thing, and they did not even squeak. Even if the tattoo fades, at least you know it is fading and I assume can take some steps to make it more visible. With the microchip you never know if they still work, I have them checked every time I see somebody with a scanner (every now and then they do microchipping at our shows), but how do I know it still works the day after?

Collars and tags are not a real option in our house, as they chew them off each other in no time.