Microchip implant ( animal ) - wikipedia Microchip implant ( animal ) This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( February 2017 ) For use in humans, see Microchip implant ( human ). Microchip implant in a cat. An RFID chip ( also known as PIT tag ) next to a grain of rice. A microchip implant is an identifying integrated circuit placed under the skin of an animal. The chip, about the size of a large grain of rice, uses passive RFID ( Radio Frequency Identification ) technology, and is also known as a PIT ( Passive Integrated Transponder ) tag. Externally attached microchips such as RFID ear tags are commonly used to identify farm and ranch animals, with the exception of horses. Some external microchips can be read with the same scanner used with implanted chips. Contents 1 Uses and benefits 2 Usage 3 Components of a microchip 4 Implant location 5 Animal species 6 Worldwide use 7 Cross-compatibility and standards issues 8 Reported adverse reactions 9 See also 10 Notes 11 References 12 External links Uses and benefits Animal shelters, animal control officers and veterinarians routinely look for microchips to return lost pets quickly to their owners, avoiding expenses for housing, food, medical care, outplacing and euthanasia. Many shelters place chips in all outplaced animals. Microchips are also used by kennels, breeders, brokers, trainers, registries, rescue groups, humane societies, clinics, farms, stables, animal clubs and associations, researchers, and pet stores. Some pet doors can be programmed to be activated by the microchips of specific animals, allowing only certain animals to use the door. Some countries require microchips in imported animals to match vaccination records. Microchip tagging may also be required for CITES - regulated international trade in certain endangered animals : for example, Asian Arowana are tagged to limit import to captive - bred fish. Also, birds not banded who cross international borders as pets or for trade must be microchipped so that each bird is uniquely identifiable. Usage Information about the implant is often imprinted on a collar tag worn by a pet Microchips can be implanted by a veterinarian or at a shelter. After checking that the animal does not already have a chip, the vet or technician injects the chip with a syringe and records the chip 's unique ID. No anesthetic is required it is a simple procedure and causes little discomfort : the pain is minimal and short - lived. A test scan ensures correct operation. An enrollment form is completed with chip ID, owner contact information, pet name and description, shelter and / or veterinarian contact information, and an alternate emergency contact designated by the pet owner. Some shelters and vets designate themselves as the primary contact to remain informed about possible problems with the animals they place. The form is sent to a registry, who may be the chip manufacturer, distributor or an independent entity such as a pet recovery service. Some countries have a single official national database. For a fee, the registry typically provides 24 - hour, toll - free telephone service for the life of the pet. Some veterinarians leave registration to the owner, usually done online, but a chip without current contact information is essentially useless. The owner receives a registration certificate with the chip ID and recovery service contact information. The information can also be imprinted on a collar tag worn by the animal. Like an automobile title, the certificate serves as proof of ownership and is transferred with the animal when it is sold or traded ; an animal without a certificate could be stolen. Authorities and shelters examine strays for chips, providing the recovery service with the ID number, description and location so they may notify the owner or contact. If the pet is wearing the collar tag, the finder does not need a chip reader to contact the registry. An owner can also report a missing pet to the recovery service, as vets look for chips in new animals and check with the recovery service to see if it has been reported lost or stolen. Many veterinarians scan an animal 's chip on every visit to verify correct operation. Some use the chip ID as their database index and print it on receipts, test results, vaccination certifications and other records. Some veterinary tests and procedures require positive identification of the animal, and a microchip may be acceptable for this purpose as an alternative to a tattoo. Components of a microchip A microchip implant is a passive RFID device. Lacking an internal power source, it remains inert until it is powered by the scanner. Most implants contain three elements : a ' chip ' or integrated circuit ; a coil inductor, possibly with a ferrite core ; and a capacitor. The chip contains unique identification data and electronic circuits to encode that information. The coil acts as the secondary winding of a transformer, receiving power inductively coupled to it from the scanner. The coil and capacitor together form a resonant LC circuit tuned to the frequency of the scanner 's oscillating magnetic field to produce power for the chip. The chip then transmits its data back through the coil to the scanner. Example of an RFID scanner used with animal microchip implants. These components are encased in biocompatible soda lime or borosilicate glass and hermetically sealed. Barring rare complications, dogs and cats are unaffected by them. Implant location In dogs and cats, chips are usually inserted below the skin at the back of the neck between the shoulder blades on the dorsal midline. According to one reference, continental European pets get the implant in the left side of the neck. The chip can often be felt under the skin. Thin layers of connective tissue form around the implant and hold it in place. Horses are microchipped on the left side of the neck, halfway between the poll and withers and approximately one inch below the midline of the mane, into the nuchal ligament. Birds are implanted in their breast muscles. Proper restraint is necessary so the operation requires either two people ( an avian veterinarian and a veterinary technician ) or general anesthesia. Implanted microchips can distort magnetic resonance imaging ( MRIs ), including those of the spinal cord. Animal species Horse microchipping Many animal species have been microchipped, including cockatiels and other parrots, horses, llamas, alpacas, goats, sheep, miniature pigs, rabbits, deer, ferrets, penguins, sharks, snakes, lizards, alligators, turtles, toads, frogs, rare fish, chimpanzees, mice, and prairie dogs -- even whales and elephants. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service uses microchipping in its research of wild bison, black - footed ferrets, grizzly bears, elk, white - tailed deer, giant land tortoises and armadillos. Worldwide use Microchips are not yet universal, but they are legally required in some jurisdictions such as the state of New South Wales, Australia and the United Kingdom ( for dogs, since 6 April 2016 ). Some countries, such as Japan, require ISO - compliant microchips or a compatible reader on imported dogs and cats. In New Zealand, all dogs first registered after 1 July 2006 must be microchipped. Farmers protested that farm dogs should be exempt, drawing a parallel to the Dog Tax War of 1898. Farm dogs were exempted from microchipping in an amendment to the legislation passed in June 2006. A National Animal Identification and Tracing scheme in New Zealand is currently being developed for tracking livestock. In April 2012 Northern Ireland became the first part of the United Kingdom to require microchipping of individually licensed dogs. Dog microchipping became mandatory in England on 6 April 2016. In Israel, microchips in dogs are mandatory. Australia has a National Livestock Identification System. The United States uses the National Animal Identification System for farm and ranch animals other than dogs and cats. In most species except horses, an external eartag is typically used in lieu of an implant microchip. Eartags with microchips or simply stamped with a visible number can be used. Both use ISO 15 digit microchip numbers with the U.S. country code of 840. Cross-compatibility and standards issues In most countries, pet ID chips adhere to an international standard to promote compatibility between chips and scanners. In the United States, however, three proprietary types of chips compete along with the international standard. Scanners distributed to United States shelters and veterinarians well into 2006 could each read at most three of the four types. Scanners with quad - read capability are now available and are increasingly considered required equipment. Older scanner models will be in use for some time, so United States pet owners must still choose between a chip with good coverage by existing scanners and one compatible with the international standard. The four types include : The ISO Conformant Full Duplex type has the greatest international acceptance. It is common in many countries including Europe ( since the late 1990s ) and Canada. It is one of two chip protocol types ( along with the `` Half Duplex '' type sometimes used in farm and ranch animals ) that conform to International Organization for Standardization standards ISO 11784 & 11785. To support international / multivendor application, the 3 - digit country code can contain an assigned ISO country code or a manufacturer code from 900 to 998 plus its identifying serial number. In the United States, distribution of this type has been controversial. When 24PetWatch.com began distributing them in 2003 ( and more famously Banfield Pet Hospitals in 2004 ) many shelter scanners could n't read them. ( Some still ca n't ; asking local shelters about this is still a good idea. ) At least one Banfield - chipped pet was inadvertently euthanized. The Trovan Unique type is another pet chip protocol type in use since 1990 in pets in the United States. Patent problems forced the withdrawal of Trovan 's implanter device from United States distribution and they became uncommon in pets in the United States, although Trovan 's original registry database `` infopet.biz '' remained in operation. In early 2007, the American Kennel Club 's chip registration service, AKC Companion Animal Recovery Corp, which had been the authorized registry for HomeAgain brand chips made by Destron / Digital Angel, began distributing Trovan chips with a different implanter. These chips are read by the Trovan, HomeAgain ( Destron Fearing ), and Bayer ( Black Label ) readers. Despite multiple offers from Trovan to AVID to license the technology to read the Trovan chips, AVID continues to distribute readers that do not read Trovan or the ISO compliant chips. A third type sometimes known as FECAVA or Destron is available under various brand names. These include, in the United States, `` Avid Eurochip '', the common current 24PetWatch chips, and the original ( and still popular ) style of HomeAgain chips. ( HomeAgain and 24Petwatch can now supply the true ISO chip instead on request. ) Chips of this type have 10 digit ( hexadecimal ) chip numbers. This `` FECAVA '' type is readable on a wide variety of scanners in the United States and has been less controversial, although its level of adherence to the ISO standards is sometimes exaggerated in some descriptions. The ISO standard has an annex ( appendix ) recommending that three older chip types be supported by scanners, including a 35 - bit `` FECAVA '' / `` Destron '' type. The common Eurochip / HomeAgain chips do n't agree perfectly with the annex description, although the differences are sometimes considered minor. But the ISO standard also makes it clear that only its 64 - bit `` full - duplex '' and `` half - duplex '' types are `` conformant '' ; even chips ( e.g., the Trovan Unique ) that match one of the Annex descriptions are not. More visibly, FECAVA can not support the ISO standard 's required country / manufacturer codes. They may be accepted by authorities in many countries where ISO - standard chips are the norm, but not by those requiring literal ISO conformance. Finally, there 's the AVID brand Friendchip type, which is peculiar due to its encryption characteristics. Cryptographic features are not necessarily unwelcome ; few pet rescuers or humane societies would object to a design that outputs an ID number `` in the clear '' for anyone to read, along with authentication features for detection of counterfeit chips, but the authentication in `` Friendchips '' has been found lacking and rather easy to spoof to the AVID scanner. Although no authentication encryption is involved, obfuscation requires proprietary information to convert transmitted chip data to its original label ID code. Well into 2006, scanners containing the proprietary decryption were provided to the United States market only by AVID and Destron / Digital Angel ; Destron / Digital Angel put the decryption feature in some, but not all, of its scanners, possibly as early as 1996. ( For years, its scanners distributed to shelters through HomeAgain usually had full decryption, while many sold to veterinarians would only state that an AVID chip had been found. ) Well into 2006, both were resisting calls from consumers and welfare group officials to bring scanners to the United States shelter community combining AVID decryption capability with the ability to read ISO - compliant chips. Some complained that AVID itself had long marketed combination pet scanners compatible with all common pet chips except possibly Trovan outside the United States. By keeping them out of the United States, it could be considered partly culpable in the missed - ISO chips problem others blamed on Banfield. In 2006, the European manufacturer Datamars, a supplier of ISO chips used by Banfield and others, gained access to the decryption secrets and began supplying scanners with them to United States customers. This `` Black Label '' scanner was the first four - standard full - multi pet scanner in the United States market. Later in 2006, Digital Angel announced that it would supply a full - multi scanner in the United States. In 2008 AVID announced a `` breakthrough '' scanner, although as of October 2010 AVID 's is still so uncommon that it 's unclear whether it supports the Trovan chip. Trovan also acquired the decryption technology in 2006 or earlier, and now provides it in scanners distributed in the United States by AKC - CAR. ( Some are quad - read, but others lack full ISO support. ) Numerous references in print state that the incompatibilities between different chip types are a matter of `` frequency ''. One may find claims that early ISO adopters in the United States endangered their customers ' pets by giving them ISO chips that work at a `` different frequency '' from the local shelter 's scanner, or that the United States government considered forcing an incompatible frequency change. These claims were little challenged by manufacturers and distributors of ISO chips, although later evidence suggests the claims were disinformation. In fact, all chips operate at the scanner 's frequency. Although ISO chips are optimized for 134.2 kHz, in practice they are readable at 125 kHz and the `` 125 kHz '' chips are readable at 134.2 kHz. Confirmation comes from government filings that indicate the supposed `` multi-frequency '' scanners now commonly available are really single - frequency scanners operating at 125, 134.2 or 128 kHz. In particular, the United States HomeAgain scanner did n't change excitation frequency when ISO - read capability was added ; it 's still a single frequency, 125 kHz scanner. Scanner Compatibility table for chip types used in pets Expected results for chip type ( OK = Good read NR = No read DO = Detect Only with no number given ) Scanner to test ISO Conformant Full Duplex chip AVID Encrypted `` FriendChip '' Original U.S. HomeAgain, AVID Eurochip, or FECAVA `` Trovan Unique '' and current AKC CAR chips Minimal ISO Conformant Scanner ( also must read HALF Duplex chips common in livestock ear tags ) OK NR NR NR AVID Basic U.S. Scanner NR OK NR NR AVID Deluxe U.S. Scanner NR OK OK NR AVID Universal Scanner sold outside U.S. OK OK OK NR Assumed AVID MiniTracker Pro Scanner announced August 2008 OK OK OK NR according to some ( Few have seen one. ) Various vintages of U.S. HomeAgain `` Universal '' Shelter Scanners by Destron / Digital Angel Corp. NR, DO, or OK OK OK Possibly all OK Typical Destron / Digital Angel Corp. U.S. Veterinarian 's scanner pre-2007 NR DO OK DO Trovan LID - 560 - MULTI per mfr. specifications on Web OK OK OK OK U.S. Trovan Pocket Scanner per AKC - CAR Web Site DO OK OK OK U.S. Trovan ProScan700 per AKC - CAR Web Site OK OK OK OK Original 2006 Datamars Black Label Scanner OK OK OK OK but Reliability Questioned Datamars Black Label Scanner `` classypets '' model OK NR or DO ? OK OK but Reliability Questioned Banfield - Distributed 2004 - 2005 Vintage Datamars Scanners OK Possibly all DO OK Possibly all OK but Reliability Questioned ( Undocumented Feature ) Datamars Minimax and Micromax OK NR NR NR Typical Homemade Scanner OK OK but extra step required ( web - based decryption service ) OK OK ( For users requiring Shelter - Grade certainty, this table is not a substitute for testing the scanner with a set of specimen chips. One study cites problems with certain Trovan chips on the Datamars Black Label scanner. In general, the study found none of the tested scanners to read all four standards without some deficiency. The study predates the most recent scanner models, however. ) Reported adverse reactions RFID chips are used in animal research, and at least three studies conducted since the 1990s have reported tumors at the site of implantation in laboratory mice and rats. Noted veterinary associations responded with continued support for the procedure as reasonably safe for cats and dogs, pointing to rates of serious complications on the order of one in a million in the U.K., which has a system for tracking such adverse reactions and has chipped over 3.7 million pet dogs. A recent study found no safety concerns for microchipped animals with RFID chips undergoing MRI at one Tesla magnetic field strength. In 2011 a microchip - associated fibrosarcoma was reported found in the neck of a 9 - year old, neutered - male cat. Histological examination was consistent with postinjection sarcoma, but all prior vaccinations occurred in the hindlegs. See also Microchip implant ( human ) PositiveID Proximity card Pet recovery service Remote - controlled animal Notes Jump up ^ For display, typically the three country / manufacturer code digits are followed by twelve digits of serial number to make a 15 - digit numeric string. Jump up ^ Curiously, an actual matching descriptive specification from the Federation of European Companion Animal Veterinary Associations, or one from Destron Corporation, remains illusive. Jump up ^ The differences are obvious and easily surmounted by someone trying to make a scanner for a FECAVA chip specimen, so the Annex is still quite useful. ( The actual FECAVA frequency - modulated signals are inverted ( backwards ) from the Annex specification. ) Jump up ^ This is found in clauses 2 and 6 of ISO 11785 ; the two actual conformant 64 - bit types are described in clauses 6.1 and 6.2. Jump up ^ Few of the petitioners bothered to ask AVID to add Trovan - chip compatibility at that time, as these chips would remain uncommon and obscure until 2007 in the U.S. Jump up ^ In addition to its current scanners with full support for ISO full duplex chips, and maybe ten years production of earlier scanners with no ISO support, Destron / Digital Angel Corp. is also reported to have made in - between models circa 2006, one that gives a detection indication, but no number for ISO chips, and one model that gives either simple detection or full number readout, depending perhaps on the chip 's manufacturer or some other factor. These models may be hard to discern without many specimen chips ; upgrades may be available, especially to current customer partners of HomeAgain. Jump up ^ A mention of a chip type called `` AVID Travelchip '' has been removed from this heading. It appears that `` Travelchip '' was actually a trademark not of AVID itself but of a chip distributor, which used it as a blanket term for several different chip types sold in value - added kits - firstly AVID Eurochips, later HomeAgain types both regular and ISO. References Jump up ^ Lomas, Natasha ( 28 June 2017 ). `` Now you can quantify your cat 's comings and goings too ''. TechCrunch. Retrieved 2018 - 01 - 04. Jump up ^ `` Why is it important to ensure my pet is microchipped ? - RSPCA Australia knowledgebase ''. kb.rspca.org.au. Retrieved 2017 - 07 - 04. Jump up ^ Microchip Implantation Sites ( World Small Animal Veterinary Association ). Jump up ^ Saito M, Ono S, Kayanuma H, Honnami M, Muto M, Une Y ( May 2010 ). `` Evaluation of the susceptibility artifacts and tissue injury caused by implanted microchips in dogs on 1.5 T magnetic resonance imaging ''. J. Vet. Med. Sci. 72 ( 5 ) : 575 -- 81. doi : 10.1292 / jvms. 09 - 0386. PMID 20086326. Jump up ^ `` WSAVA - Australian Microchip Standard ''. Retrieved 25 November 2017. Jump up ^ `` Dog microchipping law brings fines risk ''. 6 April 2016. Retrieved 25 November 2017 -- via www.bbc.co.uk. Jump up ^ Entering Japan : Dogs & Cats. Jump up ^ Masters, Catherine ( 25 March 2006 ). `` The year of the dog war ''. The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 25 October 2011. Jump up ^ Farm Dogs Exempted from Microchipping Jump up ^ `` NI first on law to microchip dogs ''. 8 April 2012. Retrieved 25 November 2017 -- via www.bbc.co.uk. Jump up ^ `` Dog microchipping becomes compulsory across UK ''. BBC News. 2016 - 04 - 06. Retrieved 2016 - 10 - 19. Jump up ^ Pet 's Death Rekindles Electronic ID Debate in JAVMA News Jump up ^ Trovan Chips Adopted by Los Angeles in 1996. Jump up ^ `` Open Letter to Hannis Stoddard ''. www.rfidnews.com. Retrieved 25 November 2017. Jump up ^ `` B '' Country List ( Search for `` Home Again microchips are ISO compatible '' in the text. ) Jump up ^ ISO Standards Discussion ( Search for `` as compliant '' in the text. ) Jump up ^ The TRAVELchip Single ( Search for `` Complies with '' in the text. ) Jump up ^ ISO Standards Combined Text ( `` FECAVA '' discussion starts on page 16 of the PDF file. ) Jump up ^ Pet 's Death Rekindles Electronic ID Debate in JAVMA News ( Search for `` best '' in the text. ) Jump up ^ APHIS Comment Submission from Digital Angel Corp ( page 2, item 4 in the referenced. doc file. ) Jump up ^ Avid Announces New Scanner to Reunite More Lost Pets with Their Families Jump up ^ U.S. FCC database search form ( Submit the form with `` Grantee Code '' and `` Product Code '' for each individual scanner ; for the new universal Digital Angel / HomeAgain Scanner, still operating at 125 kHz codes `` C5S '' and `` HS9250L '' ; for a recent AVID scanner, operating at 134.2 kHz, codes `` IOL '' and `` - 134 - AV1034I ''. ) Jump up ^ Descriptions of AVID Scanners ( Search for `` only the AVID '' in the text. ) Jump up ^ Test Results from American Humane ( Search for `` in use in canada '' in the text. ) Jump up ^ Avid Announces New Scanner. Jump up ^ Test Results from American Humane ( Search for `` unless vet is with a shelter '' in the text. ) Jump up ^ Trovan Multi Scanner specifications ( Apparently applies to models sold outside U.S. ) Jump up ^ Using The AKC - CAR Multi-System Pocket Scanner ( U.S. Model says `` Detect Only '' on ISO chip type. ) Jump up ^ AKC CAR Scanners Jump up ^ Datamars Multi Scanner specifications. Jump up ^ Datamars Multi Scanner specifications. Jump up ^ Datamars Scanner Descriptions. Jump up ^ Software for Homemade Scanners - Chip Type Listing. Jump up ^ Nov. 2007 Scanner Evaluation from EID Limited. Jump up ^ Lewan, Todd. `` Chip Implants Linked to Animal Tumors ''. The Washington Post. Retrieved 12 May 2010. Jump up ^ Position Statement from World Small Animal Veterinary Association. Jump up ^ Baker, Martin A. ; MacDonald, Iain ( 2011 ). `` Evaluation of veterinary radiofrequency identification devices at 1T ''. Veterinary Radiology & Ultrasound. 52 ( 2 ) : 161. doi : 10.1111 / j. 1740 - 8261.2010. 01762. x. Jump up ^ Carminato A, Vascellari M, Marchioro W, Melchiotti E, Mutinelli F ( December 2011 ). `` Microchip - associated fibrosarcoma in a cat ''. Vet. Dermatol. 22 ( 6 ) : 565 -- 9. doi : 10.1111 / j. 1365 - 3164.2011. 00975. x. PMID 21535253. External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Microchip implant. A1 ID Systems : Manufacturer of microchip identification for animals. Lost Pet Found After 13 Years ( Apparently the current record for this type of story ) `` Injunction on Microchip Sales ''. Pet Age. January 2005. Retrieved 2009 - 01 - 03. Microchip Frequently Asked Questions Petlog SmartChip PETtrac Tracer Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Microchip_implant_(animal)&oldid=822921663 '' Categories : Cat equipment Dog equipment Dogs as pets Radio - frequency identification Identification of domesticated animals Hidden categories : Articles needing additional references from February 2017 All articles needing additional references All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from May 2014 Articles containing potentially dated statements from October 2010 All articles containing potentially dated statements Talk Contents About Wikipedia Български Català Deutsch Español Français Italiano Magyar Nederlands Polski Русский Suomi Українська Edit links This page was last edited on 29 January 2018, at 07 : 57. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. 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Question: where does the microchip go in a cat
Answer: usually inserted below the skin at the back of the neck between the shoulder blades on the dorsal midline