Chips?

[Gecko]

I have heard about getting chips put into your pets so you always know where they are and such. I was just wondering if anyone could tell me more about this and about how much it costs?

Thanks

[Formula86]

i wonder if you are talking about micro-chippinig. ??? most vets do it. the cost depends on where you live, but i want to say about $30 - $35 for everything. i would totally recommend it for dogs and cats!!! but this isn't to keep track of where they are. it's so that if your dog/cat is lost and brought to a vet/shelter, they can be scanned to find you.

if you are talking about a straight-up tracking device (where you have equipment to see where the animal is) then i have no idea where you would get that. i guess you could ask a vet.

[Mygala]

The microchips put in most pets are like Jane said, just for identification, not tracking.

They are a small passive "chip" about the size of a grain of rice that has a unique number encoded in it. There is no power supply to it, and it only responds when queried by the proper device. They are "injected" by a large syringe, and do not normally require surgery to implant.

When a device called a transponder is passed over it, it can read that number and it will thereby identify your pet by means of that number.

There are small tracking devices. However, they are usually used by researchers, and occasionally other folks, like falconers, to track animals that may travel long distances. These devices emit an active signal that can be read by the proper receiver. ...but you still have to be within a certain range of them (although some can be tracked by satellites).

These are limited to the battery life of he device, and are VERY expensive by comparison. They would also require surgery to implant.

If you get your animal "micro-chipped", if they ever end up at an animal shelter, the shelter will check for he chip and be able to find you. I think that is what you are talking about.

I hope that's the explanation you were looking for..

Bob

[Gecko]

Thanks for the explanation. I never really understood what they were for sure I just heard people talking about them. I am thinking of possibly getting one put in Zoe.

[Trickiesmurf]

i need to get this done for my cat. Do they have to give them sleepy drugs to get it in them? my cat cries when she gets a normal shot.

[RSbunny]

Ariel no Trinity will not need anything to get the microchip in. Some animals find it to be painful so if she doesn't like a normal needle she won't like the microchip but they only feel it for a minute, at most.
I have both the dogs and the cat microchipped. I think it's totally worth it. After working in a vet clinic we were always so grateful when we had a lost pet show up and they were chipped. We didn't have holding facilities for strays so if they weren't chipped we had to hand them over to the pound the same day (we always waited as long as possible incase the owner rang us). You also get to put an alternate contact person on the information so if you're on holidays and not getting the calls the alternate contact person can go and collect your pet for you.