May is Chip Your Pet Month, which makes it a good time to talk about dog and cat microchipping. Pets wander further than they should, or bolt out of fear—a firework, a thunderstorm, a door left open—and when that happens, a microchipped pet stands a considerably better chance of getting home. A chip also gives you a way to prove ownership if your pet is taken. Lost pets are common enough that we'd recommend microchipping for every dog and cat, indoor cats included.
What Is Microchipping?
Cat and dog microchipping is an affordable, minimally invasive way of giving your pet permanent identification. Unlike a tattoo, which fades and becomes illegible, or a tag, which can be lost or removed, a microchip stays put and keeps working for your pet's whole life.
The chip itself is a small passive device—it has no battery and doesn't transmit anything on its own. It sits inertly under the skin until a scanner passes over it, which powers it briefly and reads back its number. We implant it with a syringe, usually between the shoulder blades.
Some other things worth knowing about the procedure:
- The chip is about the size of a grain of rice.
- The whole thing takes a few seconds and feels much like a vaccination.
- No sedation or anesthetic is needed, and your pet can carry on as normal immediately afterward.
- It can be done at any age from a few weeks old, and it's often combined with a routine visit or with a spay or neuter—though there's no need to wait for surgery, since anesthesia isn't required.
Registration Is the Part That Matters
This is the single most important thing on this page, so we'll be direct about it: a microchip only works if it's registered and the details are current.
Every chip carries a unique number linked to an account in a registry database. We'll help you register it at the appointment, and that account holds your name, phone number, address, and your pet's details. When someone scans your pet, the number tells them which registry to contact, and the registry contacts you.
If any of that information is out of date, the chain breaks. When a microchipped pet isn't reunited with their family, it's usually because the chip was never registered in the first place, or because the contact details belong to an old phone number or a previous address.
So it's worth making a habit of:
- Updating your registry account whenever you move or change your phone number
- Adding a second contact—a family member or friend—in case you can't be reached
- Transferring the registration into your name if you've adopted a pet who was already chipped, since the details may still point to the shelter, breeder, or previous owner
- Keeping a note of the chip number somewhere you can find it, and a recent photo of your pet on your phone
If you're not sure whether your pet's chip is registered, or which registry holds it, we can scan them and help you find out. It takes a couple of minutes and it's worth doing.
How Microchipping Protects Your Pet
If someone finds your pet and takes them to a shelter or veterinary practice, staff will pass a scanner over them to check for a chip. The scanner displays the number, they contact the registry, and the registry contacts you. It isn't foolproof, but it improves the odds considerably—and research consistently shows microchipped pets are returned to their owners at far higher rates than pets without a chip.
A chip is also useful evidence of ownership if your pet is taken or if there's a dispute, which is why keeping the registration in your own name matters.
Can a Microchip Fall Out?
This comes up often, and the short answer is no. A chip that's been properly implanted stays put and lasts a lifetime—there's no battery to run down and nothing to break.
What can happen occasionally is migration: the chip moves from where it was placed to somewhere else under the skin, often down toward a shoulder or leg. It doesn't stop working, but it can be missed if whoever is scanning only checks the usual spot. Veterinary and shelter staff are trained to scan the whole animal for exactly this reason.
Very rarely, a chip fails to read. That's why we'd suggest asking us to scan your pet at their annual checkup—it takes a moment, confirms the chip is present and readable, and is a good prompt to check your registration details at the same time.
Are There Any Downsides?
Very few. The procedure is quick, complications are rare, and most pets show no sign of noticing afterward. Occasionally there's mild soreness at the site for a day or so, and very rarely a small lump or a local reaction—do mention it to us if you notice anything.
The genuine limitation is that a chip only helps once your pet reaches someone with a scanner. Almost every shelter, veterinary practice, humane society, animal control facility, and many police stations have one—but a neighbor who finds your dog wandering and keeps them for a few days can't read a chip.
That's why a microchip should complement a collar and tags rather than replace them. A tag with your phone number gets your pet home from three doors down without anybody needing a scanner or a database. The chip is your backup for when the collar comes off, and the two together are considerably better than either alone.
A Note on Indoor Cats
Owners of indoor cats sometimes feel a chip is unnecessary, and we'd gently disagree. An indoor cat has no collar, no tags, and no familiarity with the outside world—so a cat who slips out of a door left ajar is both harder to identify and less likely to find their way home than a cat who goes out routinely. Indoor cats are among the pets a microchip helps most.
Having Your Pet Microchipped for Chip Your Pet Month
The AVMA has a thorough microchipping FAQ if you'd like to read further. Otherwise, there's no better way to mark Chip Your Pet Month than getting it done—the benefits far outweigh the very small risk, and a few minutes now could be what brings your pet home. Call us today to find out more or to book your pet in.