Read About Small Pet Microchipping

Small pet microchipping is a developing science. Responsible pet owners far and wide are seeking improvements to the microchipping process to ensure that their beloved pets can always find their way home again.

Traditional pets like dogs and cats have been microchipped for the last few years on a regular basis. In fact, many communities have voted microchipping into law, requiring that any dog or cat over a certain age be micro chipped. Although somewhat controversial in nature, the practice does ensure that local veterinarians and animal shelters can find the pet’s owner in quick fashion. More and more pets are being saved by microchipping every day, much to the pleasure of their owners.

For small pet owners, they await the day that the implantation process is as easy for them as it is for traditional pet owners. Ferrets can be implanted with a microchip with relative ease, but the same does not hold true for snake and other reptile owners. Mammals over 1-2 pounds are put through the same process for microchipping as dogs and cats. A veterinarian uses a special syringe, loaded with the microchip implant, to insert it into the soft tissue near the spine in order that their information can be easily read by using a special scanner which will produce a code when reading a chip. On occasion, based on the nature of the particular animal, anesthesia may be used to alleviate stress from the animal and his owner.

Many experts agree that the implantation process can be more difficult than beneficial for reptiles. Their tissues are different from mammals causing the problem. Snakes are especially prone to issues stemming from microchip implantation. Their muscular tissues can push an implanted microchip out, or can sometimes push the chip into tissues, thereby damaging that tissue and causing scar tissue to build.

Bird microchipping is also being studied. At this time there are not standard protocols being practiced for the implantation of microchips in birds.

Further research is being done on a daily basis to provide a solid process for the practice of small pet microchipping.