Animal Welfare Professionals

Hello, 

I am new to this forum. I created this post today because I wanted to ask if anyone has ever been told by their veterinarian that they could just keep a pet they found even knowing the pet is chipped and without ever contacting the family of that pet. Is this true? 

This happened a few years ago now but still. Very unsettling in my opinion. What do you think?

Absolutely not. Most counties or individual shelters or rescues have a 3-5 day stray hold. In this period, we will research the chip and get the owner information on file and make every effort to contact them. If the hold period has passed and you have not heard back from the owner after repeated attempts or they have stated they do not want the animal back, then you can place the animal for adoption. 

Hello, 

I am new to this forum. I created this post today because I wanted to ask if anyone has ever been told by their veterinarian that they could just keep a pet they found even knowing the pet is chipped and without ever contacting the family of that pet. Is this true? 

This happened a few years ago now but still. Very unsettling in my opinion. What do you think?

Hello, 

I am new to this forum. I created this post today because I wanted to ask if anyone has ever been told by their veterinarian that they could just keep a pet they found even knowing the pet is chipped and without ever contacting the family of that pet. Is this true? 

This happened a few years ago now but still. Very unsettling in my opinion. What do you think?

Hello, 

I am new to this forum. I created this post today because I wanted to ask if anyone has ever been told by their veterinarian that they could just keep a pet they found even knowing the pet is chipped and without ever contacting the family of that pet. Is this true? 

This happened a few years ago now but still. Very unsettling in my opinion. What do you think?

I had a cat once who I took in as a stray. Scanned for microchip at vet but nothing ever came up so we assumed he was not chipped. We found one person we thought he may have belonged to but they claimed not to know him and hung up. Years later I brought him to a new vet (we moved states) and I mentioned that he was a stray with no chip. They scanned again and lo and behold, he was chipped! They didn't take him or anything but gave me the information to call the chip company (or maybe we did it together in the office, I can't remember) left a message but never heard back.

Hello, 

I am new to this forum. I created this post today because I wanted to ask if anyone has ever been told by their veterinarian that they could just keep a pet they found even knowing the pet is chipped and without ever contacting the family of that pet. Is this true? 

This happened a few years ago now but still. Very unsettling in my opinion. What do you think?

I had a cat once who I took in as a stray. Scanned for microchip at vet but nothing ever came up so we assumed he was not chipped. We found one person we thought he may have belonged to but they claimed not to know him and hung up. Years later I brought him to a new vet (we moved states) and I mentioned that he was a stray with no chip. They scanned again and lo and behold, he was chipped! They didn't take him or anything but gave me the information to call the chip company (or maybe we did it together in the office, I can't remember) left a message but never heard back.

Hello, 

I am new to this forum. I created this post today because I wanted to ask if anyone has ever been told by their veterinarian that they could just keep a pet they found even knowing the pet is chipped and without ever contacting the family of that pet. Is this true? 

This happened a few years ago now but still. Very unsettling in my opinion. What do you think?

Hello, 

I am new to this forum. I created this post today because I wanted to ask if anyone has ever been told by their veterinarian that they could just keep a pet they found even knowing the pet is chipped and without ever contacting the family of that pet. Is this true? 

This happened a few years ago now but still. Very unsettling in my opinion. What do you think?

Microchips are great identification and also post a moral dilema. The rules around microchips vary by municipality. In our municipality, a rabies vaccine is considered ownership first vs the microchip .  Private practice veterinarians have a contractual obligation with the person that brings the pet in. The pet is in their possession and the next steps are between the vet and the patron.   The vet can scan, and should disclose to the patron that a microchip is found, and then it is up to the patron what to do next.

This process is obviously different for shelters and rescues.

Pets are rehomed so frequently and microchip information doesnt get updated. It proves ro be a challenging debate. There are some interesting case studies for review.

Microchips, ownership, and ethics

Hello, 

I am new to this forum. I created this post today because I wanted to ask if anyone has ever been told by their veterinarian that they could just keep a pet they found even knowing the pet is chipped and without ever contacting the family of that pet. Is this true? 

This happened a few years ago now but still. Very unsettling in my opinion. What do you think?

The link you shared required approval from the google drive.  

Microchips are great identification and also post a moral dilema. The rules around microchips vary by municipality. In our municipality, a rabies vaccine is considered ownership first vs the microchip .  Private practice veterinarians have a contractual obligation with the person that brings the pet in. The pet is in their possession and the next steps are between the vet and the patron.   The vet can scan, and should disclose to the patron that a microchip is found, and then it is up to the patron what to do next.

This process is obviously different for shelters and rescues.

Pets are rehomed so frequently and microchip information doesnt get updated. It proves ro be a challenging debate. There are some interesting case studies for review.

Microchips, ownership, and ethics

Hello, 

I am new to this forum. I created this post today because I wanted to ask if anyone has ever been told by their veterinarian that they could just keep a pet they found even knowing the pet is chipped and without ever contacting the family of that pet. Is this true? 

This happened a few years ago now but still. Very unsettling in my opinion. What do you think?

Updated link to the article I originally posted:

https://files.brief.vet/migration/sectioned_content/30841/microchips-ownership-and-ethics-30841-sectioned_content.pdf

The link you shared required approval from the google drive.  

Microchips are great identification and also post a moral dilema. The rules around microchips vary by municipality. In our municipality, a rabies vaccine is considered ownership first vs the microchip .  Private practice veterinarians have a contractual obligation with the person that brings the pet in. The pet is in their possession and the next steps are between the vet and the patron.   The vet can scan, and should disclose to the patron that a microchip is found, and then it is up to the patron what to do next.

This process is obviously different for shelters and rescues.

Pets are rehomed so frequently and microchip information doesnt get updated. It proves ro be a challenging debate. There are some interesting case studies for review.

Microchips, ownership, and ethics

Hello, 

I am new to this forum. I created this post today because I wanted to ask if anyone has ever been told by their veterinarian that they could just keep a pet they found even knowing the pet is chipped and without ever contacting the family of that pet. Is this true? 

This happened a few years ago now but still. Very unsettling in my opinion. What do you think?

Hello, 

I am new to this forum. I created this post today because I wanted to ask if anyone has ever been told by their veterinarian that they could just keep a pet they found even knowing the pet is chipped and without ever contacting the family of that pet. Is this true? 

This happened a few years ago now but still. Very unsettling in my opinion. What do you think?