Today is “Check The Chip Day” a day when pet owners are encouraged to have their pet’s micro chip scanned to make sure it is still in the right place and working properly. It is also a good time to make sure the microchip company has up to date information on your pet – contact numbers, medical alerts, etc.
For those not familiar, a microchip is a small (about the size of a grain of rice) implant that is injected under the skin between the shoulder blades of your pet. It is encoded with a number (unique to your pet) that can be read by a scanner – most veterinary clinics and shelters will have a scanner. If a pet becomes lost and is found by shelter or veterinary clinic, it can be scanned for the presence of a micro chip. If a microchip is present, the scanner will read it’s unique number and the veterinary clinic or shelter can contact a database, correctly identify the pet and contact it’s owners. A microchip can also prove the identity of a pet in the case of a stolen or re-homed pet.
A microchip is safe and it is permanent. Tattoos notoriously fade and become difficult to read. Collars with tags can break or be removed. Microchips can however on occasion migrate under the skin to a different location on the body – it won’t do any harm but it could be missed by the scanner if not in the right area. A microchipped pet should be scanned periodically to make sure the chip is still in the correct area. If the chip has migrated, a second one can be implanted. It is also important to make sure the data base has current contact and health information on file. It does not contain a complete medical history for the pet but it can flag conditions such as being diabetic or epileptic so that the veterinary clinic or shelter finding the pet can take appropriate measures.
Microchips are often implanted when a puppy or kitten is under general anesthesia for spaying or neutering. It can be done at any time however with or without local anesthesia.
Please feel free to give us a call at 705-759-8888 for more information 🙂