How Do Pet Microchips Work and Should My Pet Have One?

We know that keeping your pets safe at home is a top priority – but sometimes accidents happen. Read this month’s blog post to learn about the importance of microchipping your pet so that they can be returned to you safe and sound in the case that you get separated.

How does the microchip work?

Approximately the size of a grain of rice, a microchip is a small electronic device that emits a radiofrequency when an appropriate scanner is placed over the microchip.  This radiofrequency is attached to a specific number that becomes your pet’s permanent identification number.

How is the microchip implanted?

Microchips are placed under the skin most commonly in between your pet’s shoulder blades using a large hypodermic needle containing the microchip.

Is it painful to microchip dogs and cats?

The pain associated with microchipping is the same as getting a regular subcutaneous injection, such as a vaccine.  There is a bit of a larger pinch with a microchip procedure since the needle is slightly larger than a typical needle used for a vaccine.

What kind of information is stored in the microchip? Is it a GPS device?

The only information stored in the microchip is the number programmed to be attached to that individual radiofrequency. Newer HomeAgain microchips are also able to tell the pet’s current temperature, but it does not store this information; rather, it simply emits it when the scanner is placed over the chip at the same time your pet’s individual ID is transmitted. 

Microchips are not a GPS device and do not emit any type of signal on their own, but they only respond when an appropriate scanner is placed overtop of them.

Why is microchipping important?

Microchipping is important because it is a permanent identification of your pet and proof that it is owned.  Pets wander sometimes or get scared and run away.  When this happens collars have a tendency to get lost and good Samaritans will often pick the pet up assuming it does not have a home.  Sometimes, the dog warden will collect the pet.  If there is a microchip, the animal’s rightful owner can be contacted to come get the animal and return it home.  Without any form of identification, a lost animal can be adopted by someone new or even euthanized if no home can be found.  Without a form of permanent identification, current possession of the animal dictates “ownership.”

What are the side effects of microchipping on dogs and cats?

Microchipping is very safe, causing no long-term effects.  Most common side effects include bleeding at the implantation site directly following the procedure, as well as possible soreness in the area of injection for a few days.   

If you have any questions about your pet’s current microchip, or would like to schedule an appointment to have them microchipped, feel free to call our fur-riendly team members at Carrollton Animal Hospital at (330) 627-4898 or send us an email at hospital@carrolltonanimal.com.