My adopted dog has a tag sticking out. Is it her microchip?

Microchips can move to odd places on the body, but when this happens they don't usually have a bump associated with it. I would recommend having your dog checked by a vet to see if the microchip really is causing the bump or if there could be a small tumor forming. Microchips can be very hard to remove as they are the size of a grain of rice and very difficult to find during surgery.

Unfortunately, it's not going back in, so she'll have to get another one. Go back to the place that implanted it and tell them what happened - they should offer to give another one at little to no cost, because it obviously wasn't implanted properly. For now, you can just pull that old one out. It should come out easy and won't hurt.

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Yes, microchipping your pet is very safe and highly recommended in case Chance ever were to become lost! The microchip should be implanted under the skin between the shoulder blades. Rarely the microchip can migrate under the skin to the side of the chest or down by the sternum, but this does not cause any medical problems and is of no consequence to your pet at all. I hope this is helpful!

I suppose its possible, depending on the time frame you are referring to when you say "a while back." If it had completely healed and its been over 1-2 weeks since the chip was placed I highly doubt its related to the chip. If she is acting normally and otherwise doing ok, make an appointment at your convenience to go in and and have your vet take a look. You can try to manage it at home first as long as she isn't ill-- shave the hair over the area, clean the skin with soap and water, and just keep it clean and dry. You can try using this product on it as well: https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/vetericyn-animal-wound-and-skin-care. However, if its not clearing up within a few days, get her in to see your vet. Thank you for asking PetCoach!

Hi there! It is hard to say what exactly is causing the excessive scratching without examining him first, but it may be the microchip or perhaps the area around his eye may itch. Whenever tissue heals, it itches, and this could cause him to scratch and be unsettled. The needle they use to insert the microchip is quite large and will leave a hole in the skin that will scab over in a few days which can itch. Another cause may be a flea allergy or another allergy. If he continues to itch or appears to still be unsettled today and tomorrow, I would recommend another exam on Cupid to check for other causes of the itching. I hope this helps and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

I recommend contacting the shelter vet to have this assessed - it may be simply a sensitivity reaction to the stitches/tattoo ink or could possibly be related to poor healing, a mild hernia or abscess in the wound.It is a good sign that she is otherwise well and although not an emergency situation the earlier this is assessed and corrected if necessary the better chance of a full resolution

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! All microchips that get implanted are sterilized to prevent infection problems when they are inserted. Once implanted into a pet that microchip would be considered contaminated and would not be suitable to implant into another pet. I hope this answers your question. There are tracker devices that you can place on dog collars but the problem with these is that anyone can take the collar off or the device could fall off or be taken off of the collar. Just do a Google search and we can see the many devices available but I would recommend that you stick with the implantable microchips and keep them registered with a microchip service that houses the data. Always keep your address up to date if you move with that microchip registration service. That way they can contact you if your pet gets lost and is scanned for a chip. You can always add a tracking device if you want to in the future to track your pet. Good luck with Pumpkin.