Microchips

Why use a Microchip?

microchips-1We all think that it can’t happen to our pet: he doesn’t run off, she never leaves the yard. But the fact is that 1 in 3 pets go missing at some point in their lifetime. A startling event, such as a car backfiring or the charge of a big dog, may make your dog pull free of the leash and bolt. Or a tragedy may drive many people and pets from their homes; for example, thousands of pets were displaced by Hurricane Katrina.

Shelters do their very best to reunite lost pets with their families, but their options are limited if the pet has no identification. Any shelter, animal control facility, or veterinary facility presented with a lost pet will scan for a Microchip as a first step. Once a chip number is identified, the wheels are in motion to get the pet sent home!

What is a Microchip?

microchips-2A Microchip is a passive, integrated transponder that is about the size of a grain of rice (12mm) and is injected into a pet with a 12-gauge needle. The injection process is not very different from getting a vaccination injection, and is in the same general location – the loose skin at the base of the neck between the shoulder blades.

The microchip is encapsulated in a biocompatible glass capsule coated with a substance called Parylene C; this prevents tissue irritation and microchip migration.

There are no batteries in the chip – it is activated by an electromagnetic field pulse from a microchip scanner, causing it to emit the unique identification number that is encoded and locked into its integrated circuit.

The microchip is permanent and will last the life of the pet. When the pet is registered in Pet Recovery Database this identification number links the pet to the owner’s contact information.
Don’t forget to update the Database if you move house!

Does my Pet have to end up in a shelter?

The AVID Microchips all come with a bright yellow hard plastic tag that your pet can wear on the collar. This tag has the Microchip Identification Number on it, as well as a 1-800 number that the finder of a pet can call. This means that even without the use of a scanner, the Microchip Pet Recovery Database can still work for you.

If the collar has come off, and your plastic tag, rabies tag, personalized tags, engravings etc are lost… no fear! The Microchip can not be lost, it is still there to aid the restoration of your pet to Home Sweet Home!