Animal protection group blasts RFID chip makers

DENVER--American Humane, a national organization dedicated to both child and animal protection, blasted suppliers of radio-frequency identification (RFID) chips, saying that vendors are more interested in market share gains than the protection of animals.

The Denver-based organization warned pet owners that animal shelters may not have scanners that can detect all the different brands of RFID chips currently being placed in pets. American Humane urges pet owners to be sure their companion animals are wearing current identification tags, and to ask their local shelter which chips are compatible with their scanner.

The warning comes as a new brand of chips is currently entering the market and only a fraction of shelters nationwide have received the scanners that can detect these new chips. A recent study conducted by American Humane found that no single scanner currently on the market will read all the chips offered to pet owners. "Microchips coupled with the traditional tag and collar can provide a good deal of certainty that a lost animal will be identified and returned home, but consumers need to do their homework," said Jodi Lytle Buckman, American Humane's director of animal programs, in a statement.

"The microchip manufacturers supplying the United States have put their market share over the best interest of animals by failing to provide universal scanners that can read all the chips and failing to widely distribute scanners to shelters and veterinarians," Buckman said. "Instead, they have placed the burden on pet owners, animal shelters, and veterinarians to keep up with the changes in technology."

Buckman added that any new manufacturer entering the market has a social responsibility to ensure all animal welfare organizations have scanners that can read their chips. "Animal shelters and veterinarians are already struggling to do their best to ensure that every pet goes home to its family," she added