Dog and cat microchipping is a simple procedure. A veterinarian simply injects a microchip for pets, about the size of a grain of rice (12 mm), beneath the surface of your pet’s skin between the shoulder blades. The process is similar to a routine vaccination and takes only a few seconds. No anesthetic is required.1
Once the microchip is placed, the unique microchip ID number is registered with the pet owner’s contact information. When a microchip scanner is passed over your pet’s shoulder blades, it emits a low radio frequency. This provides the power necessary to transmit the microchip’s unique cat or dog ID code and positively identify the pet, should it ever become lost.1
Microchips are designed to last your pet’s entire lifetime, so remember that the information linked to your pet is only as current as you’ve kept it. Be sure to update any contact information that may have changed since your pet’s microchip registration.
Veterinary clinics and animal shelters across the country are equipped with scanners that can read your pet’s microchip—so if your pet is found, a microchip increases the chance that she’ll be returned to you.1
For more information about how microchipping works, how to register your pet’s microchip, and how to take advantage of services to help reunite you if your pet is ever lost, visit Homeagain.com.
References:
1. Microchipping FAQ. American Veterinary Medical Association. https://www.avma.org/resources-tools/pet-owners/petcare/microchips-reunite-pets-families/microchipping-faq
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