Microchipping
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What Is microchipping?
Microchipping is permanent pet identification. The process is safe, simple, permanent and designed to quickly identify lost pets and reunite them with their owners.
The microchip, which is about the size of a grain of rice (12mm), is injected beneath the surface of your pet's skin between the shoulder blades. The process is similar to a routine vaccination and, takes only a few seconds. No anesthetic is required.
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Microchipping at San Diego Humane Society
Microchipping is offered by appointment at San Diego Humane Society. We administer HomeAgain microchips which are 15 digits, 134.2 kHz, and ISO compliant.
Cost: $25 (includes registration). Please bring a government-issued ID.
How do recoveries happen?
Reporting your pet lost to the microchip company is an important step to take! If a community member finds a lost pet and brings them to a shelter, veterinary clinic or other location for an ID trace to try to reunite them with their family, they will be able to see that the owner is looking for their pet. (Please note that an ID trace is not automatically performed every time a pet's microchip is scanned at any location.)
HomeAgain microchips are designed to last your pet's entire lifetime, and once enrolled, they link to a permanent record of your owner information. Your microchip comes with a personal listing in HomeAgain's lost pet database.
The microchip has no internal energy source, so it will last the life of your pet. It is read by passing a microchip scanner over the pet's shoulder blades. The scanner emits a low radio frequency that provides the power necessary to transmit the microchip's unique cat or dog ID code and positively identify the pet.
If your pet gets lost and is taken to an animal shelter or veterinarian, they will scan the microchip to read its unique dog or cat ID code. This is the number used by HomeAgain to identify the pet and retrieve your contact information, which is used to reunite you with your pet.
Note: Microchips do not have GPS capabilities.
The importance of updating your microchip
In the event your pet is found, the microchip is how animal shelters and vet offices retrieve your contact information. It is important that your pet's microchip is updated with your most current address, phone number, email address, and alternate contacts so that you can be reached as soon as possible.
How to update your microchip information: Contact your microchip company directly to review your information and update if necessary. Many microchip companies allow owners to update information online.
How to find out which company your microchip is registered with: Visit www.petmicrochiplookup.org and enter your pet's microchip number to determine if your microchip is registered and with which company.
How to find out if your pet is microchipped or how to obtain the microchip number: If you are unsure if your pet has a microchip already, consult with the party you adopted from and then check in with your vet to see if they have the number in their records. If there is no microchip number on-file, speak with your vet about bringing your pet in to be scanned.
Save This Life microchip company recently closed, meaning that microchips from the company are no longer connected to a database. If a pet with one of these microchips is scanned, the owner's information will not be found. Fortunately, if your pet has a Save This Life microchip, you don't need to get them a new chip — you can simply register the existing number with a new company.