What is Microchip?

There are still many questions about What Microchip is.

Recently, more and more peoples talking about Microchip especially for the subject about Lost and Found of Pets or when Pets moving to the country that required having microchip prior arrival.

Microchip is an identification device, like a pet tags but this one using Radio Frequency to read it, so it's called Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) device. Microchip transmits passive radio frequency but only when the reader/scanner is working, not all the time microchip transmitting the radio frequency, actually only retransmitting.
It is safe for animals, but it is not for Human and also not for the animals that for human consumption.
People will need a Microchip Reader (Scanner), in order to know what identification numbers inside the microchip.
There is unique number in every microchip, it is the only one in the world when your pet has it. Yes only numbers, there are 15 digits of number for the ISO numbering system (called ISO 11784 and ISO 11785) or there is also mixed between number and letter (for AVID standard).
Unfortunately most of the Scanners are not able to read both systems (ISO and AVID). When One Country need an ISO Microchip and your pet has only AVID microchip then you will need to provide an AVID microchip reader, otherwise you have to implant an ISO one because the officer has only ISO scanner. It's also the same thing when the country need an AVID microchip. It Depends on how flexible the Authority to accept that difference system.

AVID mostly used in USA and HAWAII and also HONG KONG.
ISO 11784 and ISO 11785 has been used in other part of the world including EUROPE, JAPAN, AUSTRALIA ETC.

Microchip doesn't store everything about your pets.
Computer does all data. Microchip only has a unique number, for that number people stores the data into computer, like your pet's name, date of birth, color, health record, owner's name and address, phone number etc, anything you can store in the computer as data based, but not in the microchip. It is important that somebody or the authority has a data based of pets with its microchip.

If you move to other country and you want to have your dog found when lost, then you must register your pet with the Authority or a Pet Club or an Institution that store data base of pets in that City or Country.



Size of microchip: both AVID or ISO is about a grain of rice size.



How it is inserted into the pet's body.
Veterinarians implant the microchip with help of a specially designed, single used syringe.

The use of microchip:
Besides for daily use such as identification in case of lost then can be found, microchip also to identify related dog or cat with the document, like passport number in human life.
Before you do blood test usually this identification number of microchip need to be on the Certificate, just to make sure that the dog/cat is correspond to that certificate.
Many countries has asked for the microchip such as: Australia, UK, Singapore, EU countries, Japan, Hawaii (USA) etc.