Microchipping

  • Microchipping is a permanent form of identification; unlike collars and tags microchips can’t get lost or be removed.
  • A small microchip the size of a grain of rice is inserted via a needle under the skin, usually over the shoulder area.
  • Each microchip carries a unique Identity Code
  • It can be done in the conscious patient.
  • The animal will feel a small scratch as the needle enters the skin and occasionally the skin may bleed a small amount.

How Does a Microchip Work?

Once the microchip has been placed some simple paperwork is completed that then registers you and your pet’s details onto a nationwide data base.This database is totally secure and available 24 hours a day. If your pet was found straying all veterinary practices, police stations, dog wardens and animal refuges would automatically scan your pet for a microchip. Once a microchip is found the data base is contacted with the details of your pet’s unique identification number. The details are checked against the database and your contact details are provided so we can reunite you with your pet.

If you are thinking about taking your pet abroad with you then a microchip will be necessary as microchipping is the chosen means of identifying your pet under the PET Passport Scheme. It is used as proof that each vaccination record corresponds to the correct animal.

Will the microchip harm my pet?

The chip itself is cased in a special container which is designed to not have any toxic effects on the body; it is airtight preventing any moisture entering it and has an anti-migratory structure which means it should not move around the body.

Animals are not physically or behaviourally affected by the chip and it is only in very rare circumstances that there is a reaction. The chip is a passive device that does not act until a microchip scanner is passed over it - at this point the chip is ‘read’.

                   
This can be performed by a Qualified Veterinary Nurse or Veterinary Surgeon in a routine consultation or whilst in to be neutered.

Please call the surgery for an up to date price.