A microchip is a tiny transponder the size of a grain of rice, placed under the skin - usually on the left side of the neck. It has no battery and does not track your pet like a GPS. It carries a unique number that a special scanner can read - and that number, registered in a database, is what brings lost pets home.
Why microchip your pet
- it hugely increases the chance of recovering a lost animal,
- it is permanent - unlike a tag, it cannot fall off or wear out,
- it is required for foreign travel and for issuing a pet passport,
- in many places microchipping dogs is already required or recommended.
Registration is half the job
The chip itself is only the beginning: the number must be registered in a database together with your current contact details. An unregistered chip - or one with an outdated phone number - cannot connect a found pet with its owner. Update the entry after every move or change of number; it takes minutes and can decide whether your pet comes home.
What the procedure looks like
Placing the chip is much like a routine vaccination - a quick, virtually painless injection with no sedation needed. It can be done during a vaccination visit or alongside neutering. We verify the number with a scanner and register the animal in the database on the spot.
Chip or tag - or both?
A collar tag is visible immediately and lets a finder call you at once, but it can be lost; a chip is permanent but needs a scanner to read. The best protection is both together. If your pet goes missing: notify local shelters and clinics, inform the chip database, and share a photo and description locally. Microchipping and registration are done in one short visit at our microchipping service at MultiVet in Lutynia near Wrocław.