How big is it, reallyDrawn to scale against a millimetre rule, enlarged so you can read it. The real thing is about the size of a grain of rice.
What it is, and what it is not
People picture something far bigger, and something far cleverer. It is neither.
It is a number, not a tracker.No battery, no signal, no map. The chip does exactly one thing: when somebody passes a scanner over your pet, a 15-digit number appears, and a database says who to call. If you want to know where your dog is right now, that is a GPS collar tag, and it is a different product entirely.
It goes in like a vaccination.A needle between the shoulder blades, a second or two, no anaesthetic and no shaving. Any age from around eight weeks, and it can be done in the same visit as a vaccination or while your pet is already under for neutering.
It lasts the whole of their life.Nothing to charge, nothing to replace, nothing to renew. The only thing on a microchip that expires is your phone number.
Already chipped? Three things worth checking
Tick them off as you go. If you cannot answer all three with a yes, the chip is not doing the job you paid for.
Bring your pet in and we will scan and read the chip, free, whether or not we put it there.Call for a chip check
If the worst happens
What to do, in the order that works
Worth reading before you need it. Panic wastes the hours that matter most.
The first hourSearch your own property properly before anything else — frightened cats are usually within a few doors, not a few streets. Then call us with the chip number, and report the pet as lost on the database so any scan anywhere flags it.
The first dayPost in the Ajman and Dubai lost-pet groups with one clear, recent photo and the chip number. Tell building security and every clinic within reach. Leave a litter tray or a worn t-shirt outside the door — scent brings cats back more reliably than calling does.
The first weekKeep the listing live and visit shelters in person rather than phoning. Most pets that come home do so because somebody scanned them at a clinic or a shelter — which only works if the registration behind the number is current.
If your pet may ever fly, the order is not optional. The chip has to be implanted before the rabies vaccination, or most countries will not accept the record and the dose must be repeated. The chip also has to be a 15-digit ISO 11784/11785 one — the standard we use as a matter of course, and the standard a cheap chip from elsewhere sometimes is not. Vaccination schedule →Pet relocation →
Questions owners ask
Does it hurt?
Momentarily, like a vaccination. The needle is a little larger, so it is a sharper pinch. Most dogs barely register it; cats that object are usually objecting to being held still rather than to the chip.
Can it be done at the same time as neutering?
Yes, and it usually should be — your pet is already under anaesthesia and will not feel it at all. Say so when you book the surgery.
Can the chip get lost inside my pet?
It can move a few centimetres from where it went in, which is why a scan should cover the whole animal rather than one spot. Outright failure is uncommon but real. That is the entire reason we check chips for free.
Is microchipping required by law here?
It is required for travel to essentially anywhere, and for a rabies record to be accepted.
Do you microchip birds?
Yes — birds as well as cats and dogs. With birds it is a question of size rather than species: a macaw or an African grey is straightforward, a budgie or a finch is not, and the chip goes into the breast muscle rather than the scruff. Bring yours in, or send us a photo, and we will tell you before you make the trip.
We adopted and the chip is in someone else's name.
Bring the adoption paperwork. We can look up which database holds that number and tell you exactly what it needs to transfer the record to you. It is usually a form, not a fight.
These cards are a live feed, not copy. Every one is pulled straight from your Google Business Profile — the stars, the words, the name and the date are whatever Google holds that day. Nothing here is written by us or by you.
Every review on our Google Business Profile is written by an owner, not by us. We do not publish selected quotes here — read them all, in full and unedited, on Google.
Book it with something else
A chip takes seconds, so it is rarely worth a journey on its own. These are the visits it fits inside.
Veterinary Falcon
Pet Clinic LLC
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