While no one expects their pet to get lost, the reality is, pets sometimes do wander away from home. A microchip is a tiny chip, about the size of a grain of rice, that has a unique number. The microchip is implanted in your pet just beneath the skin in a simple outpatient procedure. The unique number is registered with an international database and is associated with you, the pet owner. The registry stores information such as your name and contact information, along with information about your pet (e.g., breed, coat color, sex). The microchip is read with a small hand-held scanner that allows this information to be retrieved immediately tracing your pet back to you.
Microchips significantly improve the chance of being reunited with your pet if he or she does happen to wander away from you. At PawSteps Veterinary Center, we typically implant microchips during spay and neuter surgery, but we can implant them at any time since it is a quick, painless procedure. As well, we can also register any pre-implanted microchip. It’s a lifetime registration for a small one time fee.