Microchip Pet Identification

Even the most responsible pet owners can’t guarantee that their pet will never get lost. A leash could break or slip out of your hand, a pet could slip out of a collar or push through a screen door or window, or a contractor or friend might accidentally leave a door or gate open.

If this happened, you’d want to improve your chances of reuniting safely. With microchipping, this is entirely possible.

Microchipping is a safe, permanent way to identify your pet in the event that he or she ever becomes lost. A microchip, which is a tiny device about the size and shape of a grain of rice, is placed beneath the skin at the back of the neck. When a lost dog or cat is found, a handheld microchip scanner can be used to check for a chip. If the pet is microchipped, it will transmit its ID number to the scanner via a low-frequency radio wave. The veterinary hospital or shelter will then contact the chip manufacturer to retrieve the pet owner’s contact information, and the two can be reunited.

At Huron East Animal Hospital, we recommend that you use a microchip, along with a collar and ID tag, to identify your pet. An ID tag is still a reliable identification method. Pets that have tags with current contact information are less likely to end up in shelters and tend to be returned home faster than those without tags. 

That being said, collars and ID tags aren’t permanent and can be removed. Pets can also lose them. With a microchip, your best friend will have a much better chance of being identified and returned to you. Pets without microchips that end up in shelters may be adopted out to another family or even euthanized.

Please contact Huron East Animal Hospital to schedule an appointment to microchip your pet. Although we hope you and your pet never become separated, we want you to be prepared. We can also suggest a plan to have in place so if your pet does go missing, you’ll be able to act quickly.

Microchipping is also available for ferrets, rabbits, birds, and other companion animals as well!