It is sensible to ensure permanent identification of your pet, no matter whether much loved family pet or valuable show animal and the best and easiest way to do this is to have your pet microchipped.
Microchipping is primarily designed to provide an effective means of reuniting owners with pets that have strayed. Also, with the recent relaxation of quarantine regulation, microchipping is mandatory for positive identification if you wish to travel abroad with your dog and to return without having to undergo quarantine - see the Pet Passport Scheme.
What is a microchip and how is it inserted?
A microchip is about the size of a small grain of rice. Each chip carries a unique 15 digit number which can be 'read' by a special scanner which all vets, dog pounds and animal sanctuaries will have.
With sterile precautions the chip is injected under the skin at the base of the neck. This is done by your vet and only takes an instant - for your pet it will feel much the same as having a vaccination injection. It can be done at a specific appointment but we also often do it when pets come in for their annual health assessment & vaccination or when they are being neutered.
How does the system work?
After we insert the microchip its details and your contact details are registered on a central database. This can be done online or by post. For example see www.fido.ie which is the main database in Ireland and the one we use. Once this is done your pets 15 digit microchip number will relate to you so that whoever scans the chip and searches the database can find you and let you know where your pet is. Only vets, dog pounds etc have search privileges so your details will never be divulged to just anyone.
How much does it cost?
Not as much as you may think - around the same price as a consultation fee and we do it for a reduced rate if being done at the same time as neutering or a visit for vaccinations or another problem. The registration on the database is included with this and there is no annual fee payable for continued registration. Details can be changed on the database free of charge - for example of you change your mobile number or move house.
My puppy was microchipped before I bought him - why is this and do I need to do anything?
Since 2006 all pedigree puppies have to be microchipped for Irish Kennel Club registration. This is done by the breeder's vet when the pups are about 6 weeks old and have to be done before the puppies can be sold with papers.
The chip itslef will work perfectly well but because it was the breeder that did (or didn't do!) all the necessary paperwork there is often a problem in that the chip is not registered to the pup's new owner. As a result if the dog strays and is brought to a dog pound or vets they will not be able to track down the owner of the dog via the microchip number - the microchip is basically useless as it means nothing.
So if you have a dog that was microchipped before you bought him it important to ensure that the microchip is correctly registered to you. We can check this for you and if the information is incorrect this can be corrected by e-mail. If the chip is not registered at all you can purchase a registration pack for www.fido.ie.
