Microchipping

A microchip is a permanent pet identification. If your pet is lost and later found away from home, your pet can be identified and returned to you. 

Microchips are tiny transponders, about the size of a grain of rice, that use radio frequency waves to transmit information about your pet. They’re implanted just under the skin, usually right between the shoulder blades. Each microchip contains a registration number and the phone number of the registry for the particular brand of chip. A handheld scanner reads the radio frequency of the chip and displays this information. The animal shelter or vet clinic that finds your pet can contact the registry to get your name and phone number. 

Microchips are designed to work for 25 years. 

Despite advances in universal scanners and registry procedures, microchips aren’t foolproof, and you shouldn’t rely on them exclusively to protect your pet. Universal scanners can detect a competing company’s chip, but they may not be able to read the data. And if shelter or vet clinic personnel don’t use the scanner properly, they may fail to detect a chip. Consequently, your pet should wear a collar with identification tags whenever possible.

You need to contact the company that registers the chip to update your information; otherwise, the chip will be useless. You may be charged a small fee to process the update.