Dog Chip Reader

Although dog microchipping is mandatory, and many owners do not understand the need for this act, it comes with a great advantage – that of being the life-saving solution if you have lost your dog while walking with it in the park or if someone steals it and goes with it to the vet office.

According to statistics, one in three dogs gets lost at some point, and therefore it is important for your dog to be microchipped so that the veterinarian (if the lost dog arrives at the vet’s office) can scan it with the dog chip reader.

What is a microchip for dogs?

The microchip, also known as radio frequency identification transponder, is an electronic device the size of a grain of rice (diameter 1.2 – 2.2 mm; length 2.0 – 15.00 mm: weight 0.2 g), encapsulated in a biocompatible glass, which is introduced by injection under the skin of pets (dogs and cats).
It is anti-migration treated so that it does not move from the inoculation site (however, there are rare cases in which the chip has been found elsewhere in the body).
The chip contains a unique 15-digit number, which, once registered, can be assigned a lot of information about the owner and the dog.
The microchip itself cannot contain more information than that unique number! It doesn't need batteries or power, but the dog chip reader does.

How does a microchip work?

After being inserted under the animal's skin, the chip is read with a special dog chip reader (is verified). Then, the ID number is inserted in a universal database, where it is assigned information about the owner (name, address, phone number) and the pet (species: dog/cat, age, breed, sex). Data such as dog vaccines, deworming, and medical history can also be inserted.

When the microchip is scanned with the dog chip reader by the veterinarian, it transmits only the unique ID number.
In other words, the dog chip reader only reads the ID number and cannot store information in it.

What does dog microchipping require?

This procedure is extremely simple, and all veterinarians are familiar with it, so you
should not be afraid! Therefore, your dog’s implantation is performed only by the veterinarian,
and the subsequent scan (the dog chip reading), as well.
The dog won’t feel more than a sting at the injection site, does not require anesthesia, and it will be over faster than you expect! The microchip is injected in the area between the dog’s shoulders and neck (it is no more invasive than a vaccination).
Before the microchip is implanted, the veterinarian will scan the pet with the dog chip reader to make sure that it does not have another chip. This measure applies especially to adopted dogs.
All microchips come in sterile packages! Before it is removed from the package, the vet will scan it with the dog chip reader to make sure it works properly.

Are there any dangers?

This method does not involve any threat to the animal’s health. There are very rare cases
in which, at the site of the implantation, local inflammatory reactions occur (seroma – a collection of fluid beneath your dog’s skin).
This reaction is not infectious and will withdraw in a maximum of 2 weeks.
Other “side effects” are:
– in some rare cases, it can migrate – the microchip can descend on the shoulder or leg, but remains strictly under the skin; it cannot migrate to the organs and affect your pet’s health. To find the location of the migrated microchip, the dog is scanned on the surface of the body with the dog chip reader.
– hair loss at the injection site, a reaction mentioned by some producers.

When should you chip your dog?

Newborn dogs are microchipped within a maximum of 90 days since birth (usually at the age of 7-8 weeks), mandatory before a sale, free donation, or taking them out in public places for walking.
Adult dogs are chipped before being sold, donated, or taken out into public spaces, at the latest before the rabies vaccination. Dogs adopted from public shelters must be microchipped before they leave with their
new owner.

The advantages of dog microchipping

1. Facilitates the retrieval of a lost dog

   If you somehow lost your beloved quadruped when you went for a walk, or maybe it just ran away from the backyard, the fact that it has a microchip increases its chances of getting back to you.
   If the person who finds the lost dog goes with it to a veterinary office, the dog will be scanned with the dog chip reader for the microchip.
   If your pup has it, according to the database in which it was added to its implantation, the veterinarian will find your information and will be able to call you to tell you that he has found your fluff ball. It is true that the one who finds the dog should go with it to a veterinarian in order to identify it, but without this microchip, the veterinarian certainly could not contact you to give your so loved pet back.
   Also, a dog tag is an identification variant, but not a permanent one! If the person who found your dog, no longer wants to return it, it can easily get the tag off.

   If you have no evidence that the dog was ever yours, and if the person who stole/found it manages to microchip it and register it before you, it becomes the legal owner!

2. It makes dog owners responsible

   Before microchipping became mandatory, more and more pet owners were tempted to abandon their dogs and cats or not have a clear record of their medical evolution.
   Due to this, more and more dogs have now their vaccines and deworming up to date. Also, many pet owners
   were educated to neuter their dogs from which they did not want puppies.

Can a phone work as a dog chip reader?

There are no android or ios applications that can read your pet’s microchip. Mobile
phones do not have the technology to function as a dog chip reader. So, any application you find
that states that it can make your phone a dog chip reader is fake and can be used for entertaining
purposes only.

The myth that microchips are a GPS tracking device

The microchip is not a GPS device; it does not emit the location of the dog, it cannot be
tracked remotely by the owner or strangers. A GPS device cannot provide your contact information to help you find your dog. GPS devices are 3-4cm wide, 5-6cm long, and 1-2cm thick (slightly smaller than a Tic-Tac box, while the chip is the size of a large grain of rice.

Their battery lasts a few hours, a maximum of 12, after which it must be recharged. They contain a SIM for transmitting the location, while the microchip cannot perform this function.
As well, the dog chip reader cannot scan or read your dog’s GPS tracking device.