How Does Animal Microchipping Work?

When a beloved pet is lost, its owner can spend countless hours trying to find it. Putting up posters, writing newspaper ads and going to door-to-door looking for a pet can take days, even weeks and not yield results. One way to avoid facing the ordeal of a lost pet is to have your pet micro-chipped. Microchips emit a radio-frequency that allows veterinarians to access information about the animal's owners.

  1. What is a Microchip?

    • A microchip, about the size of a grain of rice, contains a small radio-frequency transponder encased in a slender bioglass capsule that is placed under an animal's skin. The capsule holds a unique ID number used to retrieve a pet owner's information. Information is retrieved by running a microchip scanner over the microchip and obtaining a radio-frequency that displays the ID number of the pet owner. The ID number is used to locate the pet's owner.

    What is a Radio Frequency?

    • Microchips don't have internal energy sources and stay dormant until they're activated by a scanner. The most common microchip frequencies used are a 125 kHz chip (the most commonly used chip in the United States) and a 134 kHz chip used in most of the rest of the world. The 134 kHz chip has a country code in addition to a unique microchip code. A third frequency, 128 kHz, can't be read by all microchip scanners and isn't used by most veterinarians.

    The Procedure

    • A veterinarian injects the microchip beneath the surface of the skin, usually between the shoulder blades. The procedure is short, only taking a few seconds and is similar to an injection. No anesthesia is required and the animal isn't in any danger or pain during or after the procedure.

    Why Microchip Your Animal

    • According to Petfinder.com, more than 10 million dogs and cats are lost every year in the United States; roughly one in three family pets is lost at some point during their life. Reuniting pets with their owners is the goal of animal shelters and veterinarians. Microchipping an animal makes finding pet owners easier. The procedure is simple, pain-free and fast. If a wandering animal is found by someone and taken to animal control or a vet's office, the animal is checked for a microchip. If the animal is microchipped, its owner can easily be located.

    Benefits of Microchipping Animals

    • The benefits of microchipping an animal far outweigh the disadvantages. Microchipping can be done by any veterinarian. Microchips don't fall out or erode and last for the duration of the pet's life. Microchips can be read by any veterinarian or animal control office. Microchipping is relatively inexpensive, about $45 at most veterinarian's offices.