Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 2: Search for a chip
• Method 2 of 2: Scan the microchip
• Tips

Microchips placed in dogs are small, passive radio transmitters that are about the size of a grain of rice and are injected under the skin above the shoulder blades. Each chip has a unique number and that number, in combination with a description of the dog, the name of the owner, an address and contact telephone number, is registered with an official, central database. When a scanner is passed over the chip, the unique number is captured and displayed on the scanner. Knowing if a dog has a chip is especially helpful when you find a stray dog ​​and want to find out the owner.

To step

Method 1 of 2: Search for a chip

1. Look for a tag on the dog's collar. If the dog is wearing a collar, see if he has a badge that indicates the dog has been microchipped. Chips are made by different manufacturers and these companies usually also supply a metal tag for the collar of the dog, to make it clear to interested parties that the dog has been chipped.
   • The tag is partly supplied to let the person who finds the dog know that it has been microchipped so that the dog can be scanned. However, it is also a visual deterrent for potential thieves who want to steal the dog, as the dog has permanent identification that indicates that it belongs to someone else.
   • If the dog does not have an official ID tag on his collar, look for another type of tag that uses words like I got microchipped or alone chipped rise. This is not the same as a badge with the dog's name and phone number on it. The purpose of the tag is purely to let the finder know that the dog has been microchipped and needs to be scanned. This type of badge usually does not contain any personal details.
2. Feel for the chip. If the dog has lost its collar or if there is no tag on the collar, try to gently feel for the presence of a chip. The chip is housed in a perspex casing that has the size and shape of a grain of rice. Chips are injected under the house, into the loose skin of the neck at the midline between the shoulder blades. So this is the ideal place to start feeling.
   • Run your fingertips across the skin between the shoulder blades and neck. Apply light pressure to determine if you can feel a solid object shaped like a grain of rice just under the skin. Chips do establish, which means they can migrate slightly from the original injection site.
   • To reduce the chance of missing the chip, you can methodically work your way up and down between the shoulders and head, side to side and then side to side, so that you have felt all the spots.
   • This is not a guaranteed method. If you can't feel a chip, it doesn't mean the dog doesn't have a chip. The chip may be present, but it may have been displaced or it may be too deep in the skin to be felt.
3. Get a definitive answer by having the dog scanned. Even if the dog doesn't have a tag that says it has a chip and you don't feel a chip yourself, it is best to have the dog scanned to find out. It is well worth having the dog scanned if you are trying to find the owner's contact information.
4. Take an X-ray. Chips are visible on an X-ray. Although this method is not usually used when checking for a chip, it can indicate that a chip is present but has stopped working.

Method 2 of 2: Scan the microchip

1. Check the scanner. The operator must first verify that the scanner is working by pressing the "on" button and swiping the scanner over a test chip. If the scanner beeps and displays a number, then it is working. If the batteries are dead, the display will remain blank or the message battery empty view.
   • If the scanner works, but the chip has not registered after a while, the message will be no chip found are displayed.
2. Scan the dog's shoulders. Turn on the scanner and hold it approximately 1 inch above the skin. Move the scans up and down from shoulder to neck and then side to side. When the scanner activates, write down the number.
3. Check other spots on the dog's body. If methodical scanning doesn't find a chip between shoulders and neck, don't give up. Move the scanner over the rest of the body. Including under the chest and around the armpits, in case the chip has migrated to an unusual place.

Tips

• Chip scanning can be done at most veterinary clinics. When you find a stray dog, take it to a local vet to be scanned.
• Microchips are also a good way to indicate ownership. The vet or an animal welfare representative can implant the chip and enter your data into the database. This process means that your pet will be officially registered with your data. The database then supplies a certificate, with a copy of the details and a password. The only person who can change the data is then the owner who has the valid password. This means that if your dog is stolen and then found by the police, scanning the tip can prove that you own the animal.