Should you microchip your pet?

Most of us have heard about microchipping our pets.  But what does this really mean?  How does it work?  Is it going to hurt my pet? How much does it cost?  I will answer some of those most common questions….

A pet microchip uses radio frequency identification (RFID) technology. Each microchip contains a unique identification number for the pet.  The chip simply sits in your pet, waiting to be read by a scanner if he/she ever gets lost and is taken to a shelter or vet office.  Microchips are designed to last the lifetime of a pet.  They have no batteries and emit no radio frequency unless scanned.  The information about the animal and or the owner is not on the chip itself, but is kept in a database or registry and is "pulled up" when correlated to the chip number.  That is why microchip numbers must be unique.

Inserting the chip does not hurt the pet.  As a matter of fact, I had all of my pets chipped in June and they showed no signs of pain.  The microchip was inserted under the skin at the scruff of the neck.  My local vet charged $40.00 per pet.  I was sent home with the all the information I needed to register with the company.  The vet also registered our contact information and microchip numbers for them to keep on file.

YOU MUST register your contact information and pet information (including microchip number) in order for it to be a useful tool in finding your lost pet.  When you register, you provide the unique microchip identification number, as well as yours and the veterinarian’s contact information.  If a shelter or local vet receives your pet, they use scanners to read the number and contact the agency that manages the database you registered with.  Also, please remember to update your contact information with the registration database whenever you move, get a new phone number or e-mail address.  If the chip can be read but there is no owner contact information registered, it will be hard to reunite the pet with its family.

There is more than one company that manufactures and sells microchips for pets.  The consequences of this are that there are microchips that run on different radio frequencies.  But do not be alarmed!  Universal scanners are now readily available to all U.S. animal shelters and veterinary clinics. They are called “universal” because they can read multiple microchip frequencies sold by different microchip manufacturers. Per The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), there are at least four different microchip frequencies marketed in the U.S.  However, I have read that if your local vet and shelters cannot read the frequency of your chip, you can call the manufacturer and request that they send a scanner to the location, free of charge.

“As an alternative to (or in addition to) using microchips, some people purchase pet collars with a GPS (Global Positioning System) device attached. Using measurements from satellites and cellular technology, these devices can send messages to your computer or cell phone to alert you when your dog has left a virtual safe zone, as well as where exactly your dog has strayed.”

 McGrath, Jane.  "How Pet Microchipping Works."  21 April 2008.  HowStuffWorks.com.  31 July 2009.