Middlesex Veterinary Center

31 Stevens St.
Littleton, MA 01460

(978)952-8500

www.middlesexvetcenter.com

MICROCHIPPING


Home Again Microchip has great success recovering those pets that are permanently identified with a microchip.  A microchip is a rice-sized device encoded with a unique and unalterable identification number.  The "chip" is implanted just under the skin in the scruff of the neck and is read by a scanner.

The Home Again Microchip is read by many scanners including the universal scanner developed in 1996 to detect and read the numbers of all major brands of microchip.

Pets implanted with the Home Again microchip receive a bright yellow collar tag imprinted with their unique microchip number and the toll-free hotline number.

The Recovery Process

Anyone who finds an animal identified with a microchip or tattoo may contact the program co-ordinator and give the identification number for the pet.  If the animal is taken to a shelter or participating veterinarian it can be scanned to determine if a microchip is present.

If the animal is enrolled in the program, the owner will be called immediately.  If the owner cannot be reached, an alternate contact or the veterinarian will be called.  The owner will be asked to contact the locator to make arrangements to reclaim their pet.

How Long Will The Microchip Last?

The microchip is completely safe for companion animals at any age and will last for the lifetime of the pet.  The microchip is encased in biocompatible material and is placed just under the skin.  The "chip" has an antimigration cap to prevent movement with the pet's body.  The "chip" contains an unalterable ID code that can only be activated when read by a scanner.

Size

Obviously, one of the most significant technical features of the microchip is its size.  About the size of a grain of rice (approximately 12 mm), the microchip is so small it cannot be seen in your pet once it has been implanted.  Thanks to this small size, the actual implantation of the microchip is quite easy.  Your veterinarian simply injects it beneath the surface of the skin between the shoulder blades - the scruff.  The process takes only a few seconds, is virtually painless and requires no special treatment of anesthetic.

Finally, and most importantly, the microchip has no batteries or internal energy source, so it will last the life of your pet.  After implantation, the microchip remains inactive until it is read with a scanner-  the low radio frequency emitted by the scanner provides the microchip with the power necessary to transmit its unique code and positively identify the animal.  Thus the microchip will be able to transmit the ID code for the life of the animal.

Please ask us for any further information.