Why is the stigma needed? Dogs are branded for identification. And how do they do it?

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

This method of animal identification has been used for a long time by both agricultural and domestic pets, and even wild animals. The last to carry out such a manipulation in order to study migrations. In agriculture, horses, cows and other animals are marked. In fact, this is an identification tattoo, for which special devices (klamators) are used. At the moment, one of the best ways to find out any information about an animal is the stigma. Purebred dogs are branded necessarily at the age of 45 days at the same time as the act of litter. For RKF breeders, a rule has been established that this is a mandatory procedure for all babies. At the same time, the tattooed data is entered in the studbooks of the kennel club and in the puppy's documents (puppy card, and then in the pedigree).

Which might require a brand

Dogs are subjected to this procedure mainly so that the animal has identification marks in case it gets lost, runs away or is stolen. Also, when purchasing a purebred puppy, if the buyer has chosen it before the act (before the 45th day), the latter will have a guarantee that he will receive exactly the baby he wanted. It is impossible to change a branded dog. If you wish to insureanimal, the insurance company will require the pet to have an identification tattoo. For a show dog, the stigma is mandatory, it helps to avoid fraud in the rings (substitution of animals).

What makes the mark

Dogs are branded using the following equipment: branding pen and tongs. The first is, in fact, a pen-shaped tattoo machine. Its "core" is a needle containing ink - black ink. During the procedure, a contour of letters and numbers applied in advance, for example, with a gel pen, is carried out with a typewriter. It creates a large number of small punctures, delivering ink under the skin. Kleimator-tongs is a panel with numbers and letters made with small needles. First, the desired combination is pierced on the skin, then a mixture of tattoo paste with novocaine is rubbed. After a couple of days, it crumbles, and what got into the wounds remains.

How animals are branded

Dogs, as already mentioned, 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 performed at any age. Usually, anesthesia is not required, it is necessary to hold the animal well. The manipulation is relatively painful, but it is carried out very quickly, up to a maximum of five minutes. It should be performed by an experienced specialist, preferably a veterinarian. Most often, brands are placed in the groin and on the inside of the ears, as well as on the stomach or inside of the thigh. The wool is cut off in this place, the skin is wiped with alcohol.

What information does the brand contain

Dogs that don't have it are extremely hard to identify just in case. Of course, you do not get a 100% guarantee that the lost dog will be found anyway. However, if the organization that issued the pedigree is the RKF, then the chances are maximum. The stamp consists of two lines of letters and numbers. The top row shows only the first three pieces. They belong to the Latin alphabet and are assigned to each nursery, being chosen arbitrarily. The bottom row is individual for each particular puppy and can contain up to six characters (letters, fractions, numbers). What they will be and in what order, each nursery decides independently.

In Russia branding of dogs is a very popular method of identification. He also has disadvantages: over time, the tattoo fades, blurs, overgrows with hair, and even completely dissolves. The stigma is difficult to read in animals with dark coloration and pigmented skin. The biggest difficulty is that there is no unified database of brands, 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. They are all produced in the same format and are easily read by any scanner designed for this purpose.