Why Microchip?

Microchipping your pet provides the best chance of recovering your pet should he or she become separated from you. It is a simple procedure where a microchip, which is the size of a grain of rice, is injected between the shoulder blades. Similarly to getting a vaccination, no anesthetic is required. The microchip links your information (address, phone number, etc) to a listing in pet recovery database. Most veterinarians and shelters are equipped with the scanners needed to read the information from the pet microchip.

Because of the placement of the microchip, it cannot be lost or detached (as can a pet tag on a collar). If your pet is lost and taken to an animal shelter or veterinarian, they will scan to read the unique code on the microchip. When the chip is scanned, your information is retrieved from the pet recovery database, and you’ll be contacted and reunited with your pet!

There are some common misconceptions about microchips. Here are a few of them:

1. Microchips are not GPS. The microchip does not provide your pet’s whereabouts, but rather must be scanned by a facility with the scanning device. It is after your information is matched in the pet recovery database that you will be contacted.

2. Microchips do not hurt your pet. Placement of them is a simple procedure and doesn’t even require surgery!

3. Microchips do not wear out. The technology of the microchip is really pretty genius. There is no battery required and no parts that need to be replaced. The microchip will last your entire pet’s life!

Many pet owners choose to equip their pets with a microchip when they have their spay or neuter surgery, but a microchip can be placed at any time. Ask our staff at Glencoe Veterinary Clinic for the best time for your pet’s microchip to be implanted.