Update on microchipping and adverse reactions
Dr Sally Everitt, BSAVA's scientific policy advisor updated delegates on the new regulations at BSAVA Congress.
Kick-starting the Big Issues stream at BSAVA Congress 2016 this morning, Dr Sally Everitt, BSAVA's scientific policy advisor, and Dr Giles Davis from the VMD, updated delegates on microchipping and adverse reactions.
From 6 April 2016, microchipping of dogs over the age of eight weeks became compulsory throughout the UK.
Not much has changed in terms of who can microchip a dog. Microchips can be implanted by a veterinary surgeon or a registered veterinary nurse under of the direction of a veterinary surgeon. A student vet or a student veterinary nurse may also implant microchips under the direction of a veterinary surgeon.
Exemption certificates may be issued for the following, because it would seriously adversely affect the dog's health or significantly compromise the dog's health:
- Size of dog
- Severe illness
- Infection, injury or adverse reaction at site of microchipping
- Abnormalities of blood clotting
- Behavioural concerns
There are different certificates for England and Wales, but no certificate for Scotland. However, headed notepaper signed by the vet certifying the dog should not be microchipped will suffice.
Adverse reactions
Under the new microchipping regulations, veterinary practitioners must report any adverse reactions to a microchip - or failure of a microchip - to the Veterinary Medicines Database (VMD).
Migration from the site of implantation is now classed as an adverse event. However, as there is no requirement to record the site of microchip implantation on the animal’s record or microchip database, actual migration – as opposed to incorrect placement at initial implantation – is difficult to ascertain.
For this reason the BSAVA recommend that, unless the veterinary surgeon has more detailed evidence on implantation site, microchips located within the red area of the diagram found at www.bsava.com, do not need to be reported as having migrated.
Animals with a failed microchip will need to have a new one unless it qualifies for exemption. More information about this can be found on the BSAVA website.
Mr Davis concluded the meeting with an overview of the VMD's annual report on adverse reactions, which is due to be published later this year.
Since reporting became mandatory in February 2015, the VMD have recieved 1420 reports of adverse reactions. Five per cent of these were migrations, 45 per cent were failures, while just four per cent were for reactions.
Some of the most common reported signs were swelling, movement of implant, and implant site infection. The reports mainly came from England and were largely for dogs, however the scheme is available for all species.
For more information on adverse reactions, or to report an adverse event, visit https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/veterinary-medicines-directorate
RCVS Knowledge has welcomed Professor Peter Cockcroft as editor-in-chief for Veterinary Evidence. 
