Microchips are the gold standard for lifelong, permanent animal identification.
These tiny electronic transponders are the approximate size of a grain of rice and are enclosed in a thin cylinder of glass. They sit just under the skin and are inert, meaning the body is not stimulated to reject them or wall them off.
Veterinary professionals use a large-bore hypodermic needle to inject the microchip under the skin.
Microchips are simple in design. A microchip scanner emits radio waves that activate the microchip and it emits a unique, multi-digit identification number that can be read on the scanner interface.
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When the microchip is implanted, the identification number is registered with the microchip company database. The company database links the number to the owner’s information, including name, address and phone number.
None of this information is present in the microchip itself. It only contains data for a long ID number. Microchips do not emit any locational data and cannot be GPS located.
If someone moves or the animal changes ownership, the microchip company database must be updated to reflect these changes.
The most common use of microchips for animals is to permanently identify dogs and cats. Many veterinary clinics offer to microchip pets as part of either routine puppy and kitten appointments or at the time of spay/neuter.
Given the large needle size and small stature of some puppies and kittens, implanting the chip when the animal is under general anesthesia for surgery is beneficial from a welfare standpoint but it can be done at any routine appointment if requested.
When stray animals are picked up, it is routine to scan them for a microchip ID. This number can be used to look up owner information and contact them to get their animal back.
They are also critical to identifying animals in the event of a natural disaster or if animals are stolen. Studies have shown that animals with microchips are significantly more likely to be reunited with their owners compared to animals that do not have microchips.
If you ever entertained the ambition to move to Europe with a pet, then microchip identification is necessary and the microchip must meet international standards. In dogs and cats, the standard microchip location is between the shoulder blades along the back.
Other species of animals can also benefit from microchipping. Although less visible than branding or tattooing, microchips are less prone to the issues of fading, tampering or illegibility that can occur with these other forms of identification.
Microchips are also cheaper and do not require freezing or pain medication. They are better from an animal welfare perspective because they are less invasive and cause less damage to soft tissues compared to tattooing and branding.
Horses are being microchipped with increasing frequency. As with pets, owners must register their information with a database. In horses, it is important to note the location of the microchip, as there is some variation on where they are implanted. The historical standard location in horses has been in the nuchal ligament (just below the mane) half-way along the neck on the left side.
The Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society is switching to locate microchips in the “nasal area,” which they argue is a better spot for horses. Because horses are curious and will explore things with their nose, people can safely scan unknown horses without the need to catch and halter them.
The Calgary Stampede has adopted microchips as a form of identification for all horses competing in chuckwagon racing to keep track of their veterinary inspections, days off for rest and random drug testing program.
The horse racing industry has been slowly transitioning away from the traditional upper lip tattoo to microchips. For example, the American Quarter Horse Association will completely switch to microchip identification this year after using lip tattoos for decades.
There are many advantages to microchip identification including low cost, permanency and the fact that they are tamper proof. They are easy to implant so if you are interested, talk to your veterinary team during the next routine pet appointment or horse herd health visit.
Dr. Jamie Rothenburger, DVM, MVetSc,PhD, DACVP, is a veterinarian who practices pathology and is an assistant professor at the University of Calgary’s Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. Twitter: @JRothenburger
