Microchip
Information
Micro chipping your pet is the best way of providing
permanent  identification for your friend and offers the
optimal chance for you to be reunited with your companion.

Microchips are about the size of a grain of rice and are
implanted into your pet with a surgical grade needle.  This
can be done during a regular office visit and does not
require
any sedation.

There are multiple brands of microchips being used in the
US.  Unfortunately standardization of microchips  and
readers is not yet complete.  There are basically 2 different
types of microchips - ISO compliant and non ISO
compliant.  They differ in the frequency of the microchip  
(125 and 134.2 kHz) and whether they are encrypted
(coded).  Some readers can only read one frequency and
will not detect chips using other frequencies.  Some
readers only display the id numbers for their own encrypted
chips.  Most microchip manufacturers donate scanners to
shelters.

Efforts are being made to standardize chips and readers -
that is where ISO - International  Organization for
Standardization comes in .  ISO chips use a frequency
standard supported by the US and over 140  nations
around the world.

At Naples Safari and Westcoast Veterinary Hospitals  we
recommend Bayer ResQ Microchips which are ISO
compliant.  We have ResQ scanners which scan multiple
frequencies and well as  old style scanners.  All strays are
double scanned to avoid missing chips.  

Microchips must be registered by the owner after
implantation to be effective and the registration must be
kept current.  Many microchip companies charge extra for
registration.  The Bayer ResQ chip registration is free.

For more information  please click on the following links:

ResQ Microchip                                     ISO