10 Things You Should Know About Microchipping

One of the most responsible things you can do as a pet owner is microchipping your pet. One in three pets will get lost in their lifetime. However, microchipping your pet increases the likelihood that they will find their way home. 

So, what are some things you should know about microchipping?

1. What Is a Microchip?

It is an electronic computer chip in a glass cylinder the size of a rice grain. It is non-toxic and causes no discomfort or allergic reactions after insertion. Microchips are not battery operated. They activate when a scanner passes over them. The radio waves from the scanner receive the information from the microchip and display it on a screen. 

2. Where to Take Your Pet for Microchipping

Take your pet to the vet. Most veterinary practices have microchips on hand. Thus, your pet will likely get its microchip on the same day. Some businesses and local pet shelters also host microchipping events to help the community. The events seek to reduce the number of stray pets in an area.

3. Implanting the Microchip

You may look at some videos and think the process of implanting a microchip is easy enough. It may look like a simple injection, but there are a lot of considerations. They include location, the placement of the needle, and the force to use. Microchipping can also cause life-threatening complications. Vets know how and where to place the microchip. 

4. Microchips Migrate

Check your pet’s microchip regularly. That way, you can keep track of them as they move. Your vet may implant the microchip between the shoulder blades, and most stay there because of the large muscle. But sometimes, they shift as your pet ages and becomes thinner.

5. How It Helps Reunite a Lost Pet to Its Owner

Most shelters and veterinary clinics have a universal scanner to scan the pet when it arrives. If they find a microchip, they will compare it to the microchip registry. If the information is up-to-date, they can reunite them with their owner.

6. Your Pet Still Needs a Collar and Tags

Microchips are not replacements for collars and tags. They are an added tool that makes it easier to get your pet back. Collars and tags help identify your pet as missing and not stray.

7. Update Your Information

Keep updating your information on the microchip registry when something changes. The most crucial time is when you change addresses. Otherwise, the people who find it may not be able to locate and reunite you with your pet.

8. What Is Microchip Frequency?

The term refers to the radio wave frequency from the scanner that reads the microchip. The different frequencies include 125 and 134.2 kHz. Various scanners can get information from these microchips.

9. What Is ISO Standard?

ISO refers to the International Standards Organization. ISO standard means that the product has approval and recommendation on a global level. Some countries will not allow you to travel with your pet within them unless they have an ISO standard microchip.

10. Not All Scanners Can Read All Chips

There are universal scanners that can read different wavelengths and ones that can only read one wavelength. Universal scanners are forward and backward reading. This lets them detect all chip frequencies. Forward reading scanners will only detect 134.2 kHz or ISO standard microchips. Others will operate on 125 kHz or 128 kHz strictly. 

For more information on microchipping, visit the Animal Hospital of Humble at our office in Humble, Texas. Call (281) 812-1960 to book an appointment today.