Why brand? Dogs are branded for identification. And how is this done?

This way of identifying animals has been used for a long time in agricultural, and in domestic animals, and even in wild animals. The latter carry out such manipulation with the aim of studying migrations. In agriculture, mark horses, cows and other animals. In fact, this is an identification tattoo, for the application of which use special apparatus (kleimatorov). At the moment, one of the best ways to learn about an animal is any information is a stigma. Dogs of pedigree brands are necessarily branded at the age of 45 days at one time with the activation of litter. For RKF breeders, a rule is established that this is a mandatory procedure for all babies. At the same time, tattooed data are entered in the breeding books of the dog breeding club and in the puppy's documents (puppy card, and then in the pedigree).

For what branding may be required

Dogs are subjected to this procedure mainly for the animal to have identification marks in case it is lost, run away or stolen. Also, when acquiring a thoroughbred puppy, if the buyer chose it before the activation (before the 45th day), the latter will have a guarantee that he will get exactly the baby he wanted. It is impossible to change the branded dog. If you want to insure the animal, the insurance company will require the pet to have an identification tattoo. For the exhibition dog the brand is mandatory, it helps to avoid fraud in the rings (substitution of animals).

What is the mark

Dogs are branded with the following equipment: stigma-pen and forceps. The first is, in fact, a tattoo machine in the form of a pen. Its "core" is a needle containing ink - black mascara. During the procedure, the contour of letters and numbers carried by a typewriter is carried out by the machine on a predetermined, for example, gel pen . It creates a large number of small punctures, delivering ink under the skin. Stigma-forceps are a panel with numbers and letters made with small needles. First, the right combination is punctured on the skin, then a mixture of tattoo paste with novocaine is rubbed. In a couple of days she falls, and what has got into the wound, remains.

How the animals are stigmatized

Dogs, as already said, must be branded at the age of one and a half months. However, if the owner wants to do this for an adult pet, the procedure can be carried out at any age. Usually, anesthesia is not required, it is necessary to keep the animal well. Manipulation is relatively painful, but is carried out very quickly, maximum, up to five minutes. It must be performed by an experienced specialist, preferably a veterinarian. Most often, stamps are put in the groin and the inner side of the ears, as well as on the stomach or inside of the thigh. Wool at this place is cut, wipe the skin with alcohol.

What information contains the stigma

Dogs that do not have it are extremely difficult to identify in which case. Of course, one hundred percent guarantee that a lost dog will be found in any case, you do not get. However, if the organization that issued the pedigree is RKF, then the chances are maximum. The stigma represents two lines of letters and numbers. In the upper row only the first three are presented. They belong to the Latin alphabet and are assigned to each kennel, being chosen arbitrarily. The lower row is individual for each particular puppy and can contain up to six characters (letters, fractions, digits). What they will be and in what order, each kennel solves independently.

In Russia branding of dogs is a very popular way of identification. He also has shortcomings: over time, the tattoo fades, spreads out, overgrown with wool, even completely resolves. Difficult to read in animals with dark color and pigmented skin. The biggest difficulty is that there is no single database of hallmarks, cynological organizations have their own. Abroad, this procedure was practically abandoned, replacing it with microchipping. A small electronic device implanted under the skin contains all the necessary information about the animal and its owner. All of them are produced in the same format and can be easily read by any scanner intended for this purpose.