During Hurricanes Katrina and Rita tens of thousands of pets were displaced because of the storms. However, lost pets have a back-up option to being found, besides collars with identification tags, by a small electronic device called the microchip. The microchip is a tiny capsule injected between the pet’s shoulder blades under the skin and transmits an alphanumeric identification number to a compatible scanner.
The code displayed on the scanner will determine what brand of device the pet was injected with. Avid and HomeAgain make up the two most common brands of chips used in the Baytown area and can cost anywhere from $30 to $50 to have implanted by a veterinarian and registered with the company.The problem with microchips is there isn’t a universal scanner that can read all the brands sold in the United States.Another problem is some chips tend to move around under the skin making it difficult for a person using a scanner to communicate with the device.
If an identification tag gets lost, having a microchip serves as a back up and will help ensure, if the animal is found and registered, that it gets back to its caretakers.
Studies conducted by HomeAgain show lost animals that were injected with the company’s 2 by 11 millimeter chip are returned to their owner every six minutes.