What every owner should know about microchip identification implants for dogs and cats.
Why microchips are so important
You’ve likely seen and heard a lot of reminders from veterinarians and other animal welfare professionals about getting pets microchipped. We’re constantly pushing the message of how important it is.
One reason is that in many cities, counties, states, and countries it’s the law.
Another reason is that it’s the best chance at reuniting lost pets with their humans. Likely no one expects their pet to become lost. But it happens all the time.
Pets escape out of yards, while on walks, jumping out of cars, or when someone opens a front door or a bedroom window. They get stolen. They get left behind or scared off during disasters.
According to the Animal Humane Society, approximately one out of three pets go missing in the US each year. It’s a good bet that zero out of three of those pets’ owners expected it to happen.
Pets end up in shelters and many never come out. Microchips help identify lost pets so they can be placed back with the humans who belong to them.
What a microchip is exactly and what information it holds
Microchips used in pets are small electronic chips, each holding a unique identification number. They sit protected inside non-toxic, hypoallergenic capsules the size of rice grains. Microchips contain no personally identifying information. They are not GPS devices and cannot be tracked.
How the process works
Microchip placement is quick and minimally invasive, done during an office visit or while another procedure is performed.
Veterinarians use a needle applicator to implant the chip between pets’ shoulder blades. Once implanted, a scanner passed over activates the chip with radio waves.
When scanned, a lost pet’s microchip transmits its unique identification number, which veterinarians, shelters, or rescuers can use to reunite a pet with their human.
Yes, it’s pretty much THAT EASY. Just one more thing.
Owner responsibility
After it’s implanted, a microchip has to be registered. Your veterinarian will give you a pamphlet or other paper with your pet’s microchip identification number along with instructions on how to register the chip. It’s a quick, simple process.
Anytime you change your address or phone number, it’s important to update this information. If microchip registrations are out of date or have disconnected phone numbers, lost pets may not be reunited with their humans.
You may also ask your veterinarian to scan your pet’s chip at annual wellness visits to make sure it’s still functional.
Even though microchips are permanent and cannot get lost or shaken off, your pet should still wear ID and rabies tags. If someone finds a lost pet, it’s usually fastest and easiest to call the number on the tag or collar of a pet. And no ID replaces a rabies tag.
Safety
Complications can happen but are uncommon. They can include chip migration, hair loss, infection, swelling or tumor at the implantation site, or chip failure. Serious complications can occur when untrained persons implant microchips incorrectly. Always take pets to a veterinarian.
The benefits of having pets microchipped by your veterinarian outweigh the risks.
Microchipping is a fast, minimally invasive, low-risk way to help keep pets from losing their way home.