Often, people bring in found pets to various clinics for a microchip scan, especially if that pet has lost their collar or the tags are too worn out to read. At Beattie Pet Hospital, we do not charge any good citizen for trying to help a scared animal. If your pet is microchipped, we only have to wave the scanner over him or her, and the number registered will show up. We can then call the microchip company, as long as the microchip is registered, and find out the pet’s name, the owner’s name and phone number. We will then call and exchange information with the person who found your wandering pet so that the two of you can be reunited!
The Procedure & The Chip Itself
Implanting a pet microchip is a minor outpatient procedure. We will inject the chip, which is roughly the size of a grain of rice, beneath your dog or cat’s skin using a hypodermic needle. Your pet will feel minimal discomfort during the procedure. The sensation is comparable to that of getting a vaccination or other injection.
The microchip is inert; it does not contain batteries, needs no source of power and there is nothing that would cause an allergic reaction or any physical problems, besides the regular discomfort of a needle. It is covered in biocompatible glass to prevent health problems and reactions.
What Does It Do Then?
It merely sits beneath your pet’s skin and waits if ever it is needed. The pet microchip contains a unique identification number that, when read by a scanner, can be matched to your name and information in your personal vet’s database. Once you have had your pet implanted, your vet will give you the number and/or email to contact and set up your pet’s microchip number, along with your information, with a larger online database.
Remember: If ever your information is changed, call that same company to keep it current. Only you, and those given explicit permission, can change the information on your file.
