Cats, microchips and cancer

[dandysmom]

http://ezinearticles.com/?To-Chip-or-Not-to-Chip---Weighing-Your-Cats-Cancer-Risks (http://ezinearticles.com/?To-Chip-or-Not-to-Chip---Weighing-Your-Cats-Cancer-Risks&id=730652)
&id=730652 (http://ezinearticles.com/?To-Chip-or-Not-to-Chip---Weighing-Your-Cats-Cancer-Risks&id=730652)

I had never before heard of this theory. It was mentioned yesterday in a Letter to the Editor column in the Washington Post in passing by a reader who had a complaint about the Montgomery County Animal Shelter. Apparently all the data isn't in, and the risks are small, but I found it rather disturbing nonetheless.
What are your thoughts on this?

[smudgley]

very interesting & worrying, but although it says sarcomas were found in or around the M/C site, it doesn't say in the tested animals how many of the tumours were actually around the site, it just states how many of them had cancer, I wonder if they would have had cancer anyway, chipped or not.

[Mags]

An interesting article Eileen, the risks may be very small but it is still worrying..:?

I will definitely be checking Cassie for any unusual bumps...... :?

[babycakes]

It's very interresting Eilleen. I never considered it before but it does add up.

[Erin]

it is very worrying but all my animals will always be micro chipped,the pros out weigh the cons as far as im concerned,rather they be able to be returned safe to me if they strayed.Kelly raised a good point,whats to say these animals would not have had cancer anyway.

[Elaine]

Thats pretty worrying.

For those, like myself, who have their pets micro chipped here is something else thats worrying.
Many vets dont check for microchips unless specifically asked to. Which means that if some one takes your pet in as a stray, unless they take the cat to the vet or shelter and ask them to check for one, you may never be re-united with your pet.
When my cats were microchipped the vet said they would check every year but they havent ever unless I have asked them to do so.
I wouldnt want to put any one off having their pet microchipped but I do think we need to think of an alternative.

[dandysmom]

As I said, I'd never heard of this; is is a bit worrying. But the advantages do seem to outweigh the slight dangers. I would think they should do a larger study with a control group of unmicrochipped cats and check the occurrence of cancer in each group.......

[MrsH]

Hmm ... not sure of my reaction to this. On the face of it, there may be cause for concern, however the benefits of microchipping have to be taken into account.
Also, the results related to lab rats and mice, was there any evidence that cats and dogs could be similarly affected? A microchip in a mouse's body is proportionally a much larger foreign body than it would be in a cat.

[smudgley]

Ooh - that's a good point too Mrs H.

I've not personally heard of any dog or cat with a "subcutaneous cancer", with or without a microchip. :?
Seems very strange to grow a tumour in that area. :?

[Kay]

A similar thing has occured around the site of vaccine when kittens/cats have been vaccinated for Leaukemia Virus. This has been noted in real situations not in the test lab so I believe that it is quite probably.