by Diane Quinn

Created on: August 27, 2011

One of the worst fears of any pet owner is that their dog or cat will accidentally escape from their home or yard and become lost.  Although an implanted microchip is not a tracking device, if your pet has one and is found and taken to a shelter, most facilities will scan the pet immediately to detect a microchip.  If the microchip registry has your accurate contact information, you will be quickly notified.  As a concerned pet owner, a helpful guide to microchip identification for pets may answer any questions you may have about this process.

How are Microchips Implanted in Pets?

The first step is enclosing a tiny, electronic microchip (about the size of a grain of rice) inside a glass cylinder.  According to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), they give the following explanation for how are microchips implanted in pets:

“It is injected under the skin using a hypodermic needle. It is no more painful than a typical injection, although the needle is slightly larger than those used for injection. No surgery or anesthesia is required—a microchip can be implanted during a routine veterinary office visit. If your pet is already under anesthesia for a procedure, such as neutering or spaying, the microchip can often be implanted while they're still under anesthesia.”

How Does the Microchip Work?

The microchip is activated by radio waves transmitted from a scanner when passed over the implanted area.  When it identifies the identification number, the number is displayed on a computer screen.  Unfortunately, current technology is not capable of including your pet’s medical information directly on the microchip; however, there are some microchip registration databases that will allow you to store medical information with them for quick reference.

The U.S. uses a number of different microchip frequencies including 125 kiloHertz (kHz), 128 kHz, and 134.2 kHz.   Efforts by The International Standards Organization (ISO) are in progress to obtain a global standard of frequency for microchips as 134.2 kHz.   By adopting a global standard, people who travel to Europe with their pets would have added protection.  If a pet is lost, the ISO standard scanners in Europe would be able to read the U.S. microchip if it used the ISO standard frequency of 134.2 kHz.

Other important information in this guide to microchip identification in pets includes knowing that there are forward-and backward-reading scanner types.  Forward-reading scanners are limited to reading only the ISO standard 134.2 kHz microchips and none of the other frequencies.  On the other hand, universal scanners are both forward-and backward-reading scanners and can read all frequencies.  If your pet is lost and is picked-up at a shelter that uses a universal scanner, the chances of being re-united with your pet just improved.

How Do Microchips Measure Up to Traditional Identification Tags?

While microchips make a good choice for permanent identification, using one should not replace a simple collar with up-to-date identification including a current rabies tag.  Whoever finds your pet can instantly determine that your pet has been vaccinated and poses them no threat.  The rabies tag number is also another important way to trace your pet back to you.  The only drawback would be that this form of identification cannot always be made over a weekend.  Microchip databases are online and available all day, every day.

Having the added protection of a microchip implanted in your pet is just another way to feel confident that, if your dog or cat is lost, you have done everything you can to bring about a happy reunion. 

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