05/05/2023
Why ARL Does Not Market Our Temperature Reading "biotemp" Microchip?
In the past week we have had a number of people calling to ask if we stock a temperature reading microchip and ask about whether they work.
The simple answer is Animal Register Limited do have a biotemp (often called bio-therm or bio-thermo) microchip, but we have chosen not to release it commercially at this time.
The long answer is that there are a number of reasons we prefer not to sell these chips at this time. These reasons include:
Firstly, and most importantly a temperature reading chip is NOT a replacement for the traditional re**al temperature method. Some sites* report the variation can be up to two degrees or more.
Secondly ARL are not yet convinced on the reliability of the technology. We deal directly with two manufacturers of chips who supply many companies around the world. One of these manufacturers just says they will not make them, while the other has made and sells a chip and still recommends caution before buying it.
We were also referred to a US report by the National Library of Medicine** that tested 3 brands of Temperature Transcending Microchips. In a test on 50 animals they found microchip readings were "not a reliable method of determining body temperature."
Of greater concern was that of the 50 animals implanted 16 had chips that failed to provide a temperature reading during the course of the trial.
The conclusion of this report was that temperatures obtained by using microchips were closer to re**al temperatures than some other methods, but ultimately microchip thermometry did not consistently yield acceptable results. I accept this NLM report is now a decade old and I would love to see more up to date data made available from reliable independent tests.
My third concern is that a move to proprietary chips that need unique scanners is a step backwards from the ISO standard used for chip numbers. Personally I would much prefer the temperature component to also be covered by an ISO standard so that clinics did not have to carry a range of chip readers to check new animals depending on the brand of temperature chip the client has had implanted elsewhere. I am loathe for ARL to market a chip reader that can only read temperatures from our one brand of chip. While this is a commercially viable product, it does seem to me to risk putting profit before genuine usefullness.
My fourth concern (not so much a concern as an observation) is that temperature chips move back to being 12mm in size. This is a large chip with a large needle for smaller animals. Advances in read technology mean that smaller less invasive 8mm and 8.5mm chips have taken over the current market, and for good reason.
My final concern is the cost. My company started selling chips to drive the cost of microchipping down. Over a decade later we still use this philosophy. Quality chips at an affordable price makes chipping affordable for all pet owners. We are not convinced that adding this technology is value for money for all pet owners or for all pet related organisations and clinics.
In summary, while Animal Register Limited have a temperature reading chip in stock, we have chosen not to market it at this time. If anyone is interested in trying them we can supply both the chips and the scanner to be able to read them. These would need to be a special order and you will get an email from us recommending you think twice before we process and ship them. If we see advances in temperature reading chips or change our opinion we will be sure to let everyone know.
* "Sure Petcare" promotion on bio-thermo chips.
** Comparison of Noncontact Infrared Thermometry and 3 Commercial Subcutaneous Temperature Transponding Microchips with Re**al Thermometry in Rhesus Macaques (Macaca mulatta) - National Library of Medicine. Published July 2012.
