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MICROCHIP IDENTIFICATION FOR YOUR PET
Thousands of pets become lost every day, and Microchip Identification is the one reliable way to reunite these lost pets with their owners. The procedure is safe, easy, inexpensive, and practically painless. Every pet should have a microchip.
Here's how it works:
The microchip itself is about the size of a grain of rice. It contains a tiny metalic "bar code" surrounded by an inert membrane which makes it non-reactive when it is placed under the skin. The microchip is injected under the skin between the shoulder blades with a hypodermic-type syringe. Although the needle itself is larger than those used for vaccinations, the chip itself has no sting, so most pets don't seem to notice any more than any other injection. Once the chip is in place, it should be there for the life of the pet.
If the pet becomes lost, all animal care facilities (shelters, veterinary hospitals, pounds, etc) will scan the pet for microchip, using a special microchip reader that is simply waved over the skin. These scanners are very reliable and easy to use. Once a microchip is found, a special hotline is called, and the lost pet is reported. The pet owner is then called immediately and given the contact information about where to pick up their pet. In most cases the pet owner is on the way to pick up their pet within 5 minutes of the pet being scanned.
MICROCHIP CONTROVERSIES:
There have been two main concerns about microchip identification: The first is that the chip may "migrate" under the skin, so that it cannot be located in the normal place when scanned. Although this may happen occasionally, it appears to be a rare problem (less than 1 in 1000). We often scan microchipped pets when they are in for their yearly examination, just to make sure the chip is still where we put it.
The second controversy has been that there are two different types of chips. 95% of the chips used in this country are compatible with AVID, the biggest manufacturer. There is another type, called ISO, which is used in Europe. A large chain of pet store clinics has promoted this type of chip, and the older microchip readers did not read this chip. New scanners will read either type of chip. We still feel the AVID-type chip is the one to use, since it is the most widespread, and even a shelter with an old scanner will be able to pick it up easily.
Regardless of the type of chip, every pet should have microchip ID. Some owners feel that their pet doesn't need identification because it is always in the house, but in our experience these are the most likely pets to become lost when they get outside by accident. Industry figures claim that 8000 pets EVERY DAY are located and returned home because they have a microchip; your pet should be protected!
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