Microchipping your pet is a great way to get the peace of mind that he or she would be returned to you if it went missing. While microchipping has been around for years, a lot of people have not heard of it or don’t know much about it. Our veterinarians at Miami Shores Animal Clinic in Miami, FL, know a lot about pet microchipping.
How Pet Microchipping Works
Microchipping works by inserting a small chip just below the skin on a pet. This chip contains a code that links to a database. If your pet is lost and returned to a veterinarian office or an animal shelter, the vet can use a special scanner to access the information on the chip. The information can include contact information for the owner as well as specialty care instructions.
In microchipping, the chip is inserted under the skin. On dogs, it’s typically done under the skin in the scruff of the neck where skin is thickest. Pets don’t notice that they have the chip, and many of them don’t even react when the chip is being placed.
Microchipping is relatively inexpensive. In fact, many animal shelters include it as part of the basic health care that they provide to all animals that they adopt out to new homes. If you have adopted an animal that already has a microchip, it is necessary for you to take it to a vet to have the contact information changed.
Pet Microchipping Is Not Pet Tracking
It’s important to realize that a microchip can only be scanned in a vet office or an animal shelter. It cannot be tracked. Microchipping is not a pet location service. It will only work to identify your pet if it is found by someone else. The chip does not record any information. All it has is a numerical code that is registered in a database. This means that it is not possible to “hack” your pet or gain any other information from the chip.
Contact Us for More Information
Microchipping is highly recommended for all pets, regardless of how often they leave the house. Even well-trained animals have been known to escape a fenced yard, especially if they are playing. More tragically, many animals have been stolen right out of front yards. In these cases, it has been possible to identify the animal through the microchip, even if the animal has had its collar lost or removed.
If you live in the Miami, FL area and you’re looking for a group of veterinarians who perform microchipping, give us a call. Call us at (305) 757-3030 Miami Shores Animal Clinic.