To old to tattoo? - Page 1

I have never tattoed any dog or puppies before and I have two puppies that turned 12 weeks old yesterday that need to be tattooed. Is it to late to safely tattoo them or should I just microchip them instead? Thanks. Mysti

Mysti, they are not too old, but at their present age I suggest that you have a veterinarian administer a mild (minimal amount) sedative as they are five (5) weeks more mature than the normal age for tattoos and may remember event this very well. That is probably the most compelling reason to do the tattoo at fifty (50) days of age, as within minutes they seem to have no recall of the pain. In the end, I advise both the tattoo and the chip. If a puppy is ever lost or stolen, the tattoo can be more easily read without any specialized equipment. I know that is my method for identifying my dogs. Bob-O

Sorry Bob for contradicting you on the mild sedative and the veterinarian visit. Many dogs have to be tattooed as adults when the tattoo has worn out and became unreadable. Older puppies and often adult dogs of any breed coming onto the American continent are being tattood with an additional number because the original number may conflict with AKC/CKC system. All this can be done by the owner with one of two persons holding the dog, while you tattoo the ear. A little bit of paper practice helps to learn how to pick up speed and an effective quick punch. Practice for a few hours first. I have never had more than a little squeek coming out of a dog while doing it, and I haven't been bitten either, not yet. A good tattoo kit must be purchased with the correct ink. Rubbing the ink well into the ear prior to tattooing is important. The ink can be easily washed out of your clothing, so don't worry about getting it all over you, a large towel helps! Correct placing of the samll rubber strips onto the plyers is very important. You want tot make sure that the ear is not being punched through. Also you need to look for any blood vessels and avoid those. After the tattoo has been punched you must rub the ink in for at least ten minutes. Do not wash the ears or expose to water for two days. You will have to look at a green ear for those days. Taking a dog or puppy to a vet for a simple tattoo, in my opinion, should be avoided under any circumstances. For those reasons I reject microchipping.

I do my own micro-chipping and tattooing. I do recommend a mild sedative for pups over 10 weeks of age for tattooing. Try to find a vet who will come by your place after hours. You don't need a sterile environment to tattoo dogs. Its not major surgery. I do ask the vet to put on fresh scrubs before handling my pups, and keep a couple of sets of clean scrubs in various sizes on hand for such occasions. BTW: They DO make surgical scrubs in "tattoo-ink green!" The ink stains fabric/textiles permanently.

Too old? No. I got my female tattooed in her ear when she was 3yrs and under for a spay. I got my males' tat re-done (extremely faded) when he was under for a hip xray at 5 years old. Regards, Melanie

Uvar, I am quite experienced with the tattooing of puppies, but thank you. Done correctly with the correct ink and technique the tattoo seldom beomes illegible, unless the dog has darkly-pigmented skin. Also, if one is using tattoo numbers generated by U.S.c.A. then the task must be done by their regional tattooer. If that tattooer is not available, the rules state that the tattoo must be administered by a licensed veterinarian. However, if one uses one's own number/character sequence, the tattoo can be registered with U.S.c.A. upon registration of the dog with them. But, in my opinion, past the age of nine (9) or ten (10) weeks a mild sedative should be used, especially if the tattooer is inexperienced or out-of-practice. It is not necessary to knock out the puppy completely, and I would avoid doing that. Mysti, if you have an active U.S.c.A. (Schutzhund U.S.A.) or D.V.G. club in your area, they probably have a tattooer in one (1) or both of the groups, or certainly know one. Bob-O

Sedatives were never heard of when tattooing until about 2 decades ago. When a registered dog from Germany arrives in Canada with a registered German tattoo number, the CKC requests that in order to register the dog with the CKC in Canada the dog must receive an aditional tattoo. If I would ever be forced to go to a vet under the present CVMA/AVMA guidelines of treating animals (guidelines which are not being released to the public!) to have my dog tattooed by a vet,I would not tattoo it. Giving a sedative, mild or not means giving the dog a chemical. What is more dangerous to the dog? A sedative or a quick pinch in the ear?

I am a veterinary technician. Sedatives are RARELY dangerous to give a dog, especially since veterinary medicine has had many advances in the past 20 years. It is far less painful to tattoo a dog if under mild sedation and secondly, the tattooing can more easily be performed.

To Irose: As a veterinary technician you must work under the guidelines of the AVMA (or CVMA in Canada) and you must make the above statement that sedatives are "rareley" (that's enough risk for all of us!)dangerous to give to a dog. Like any other professional, if the licenced veterinarian does not work under the guidelines of the association he/she will loose the licence to practice. it is not always the vet, it is the association who dictates the procedures. Unless breeders take control we risk the health of our dogs.

To Uvar I guess I shouldn't have said a thing about being a technician. I am speaking from professional experience, what I have witnessed, AND my personal opinion so don't assume I am forced to say what I did. I think some breeders can get a little too outrageous with their ideas.