News

BTN 500

 

 

We are stronger together than we are alone!

  • Register

BT BTCALLHOME

No matter how good a pet owner you are. No matter how well your dog is about not running off, things happen that cause our beloved pets to disappear.  Thousands of pets are missing, lost, and stolen weekly. You just have to look in the newspapers, on Craigslist, on social media, on the light poles. New pleas for help  to find and locate dogs and cats come out every day, along with many "Look what we found, Do you know where her family is?"

Take for instance the repairman that leaves the inclosed back porch gate open when he was repairing your Air Conditioner,  Or the time the Utility man did not know that the yard gate had not closed correctly. Remember the time the grand-kids you had not seen in over two years, in their exuberance stood with the front door open fighting over who was going to bring in the rolling suitcase they had brought with them. Oh and how could you possibly not heard of the aftermath of  Hurricane Katrina. Thousands of pets were left stranded and woefully separated from owners. These types of day to day and unplanned occurrences, highlighted the need for a permanent identification system, to reunite their pets with owners. Microchip implants offer one solution. In addition to tags, microchips, theoretically provide a surefire, permanent identification method for pets. Dog-nappers can easily remove dog tags, but it would take a difficult surgical procedure to remove a microchip.

 

Basic Technology:  How does it work?A pet microchip uses radio frequency identification (RFID) technology. RFID, as the name implies, uses radio waves as a medium to transmit information. An RFID tag stores data and, using electromagnetic forces for power, communicates that data to a device that interprets it. If you're curious about this process, read How RFID Works.

RFID tags come in different forms. Microchips in animals don't need to actively transmit information; they just hold information (a unique identification number for the pet). This type of tag, dubbed a passive RFID tag, has no battery and no internal power source. Rather it sits completely inert in the animal, waiting to be read.

 

 

BT 231MICROCHIPSIZE

 A microchip is no bigger than a grain of rice, and veterinarians can implant the chips into all kinds of pets -- from reptiles and birds to cats and dogs. The device carries a number, and this number is plugged into a database that includes the name and contact information of a pet's owner. Inside the capsule, you'll find the actual silicon microchip that holds the important information, as well as a tuning capacitor and an antenna coil. The capacitor receives power and sends it to the microchip. The microchip's information can then be picked up through the antenna, which is a copper coil.

Because it has no internal power source, a microchip like this needs a reader or scanner (also called an interrogator) to energize it source: RFID Journal. Often, manufacturers of microchips donate scanners to animal shelters. When set to the correct frequency, the scanner "interrogates" the microchip by invigorating the capacitor with electromagnetic power. When energized, the microchip capsule sends radio signals back to the scanner with the identification number. The scanner can then interpret the radio waves and display the identification number on an LCD screen (liquid crystal display screen).

 

The glass material that encapsulates the device is biocompatible. That means it's not toxic and doesn't hurt the animal's body, so your pet won't experience an allergic reaction to the device after implantation. Some versions of the microchip also include a cap made of polypropylene polymer to keep the chip from moving around once it's inside the animal. The polymer works by encouraging connective tissue and other kinds of cells to form around the capsule to hold it in place source: Identipet. Although surgical removal of the device is difficult, microchips don't expire or wear down. They're good for the life span of the pet.

 

 There are several companies, like AVID and HomeAgain are the largest sellers of the microchips. AVID claims that its microchips help reunite as many as 1,400 pets with their owners every day, and HomeAgain touts a growing total of more than 400,000 pet recoveries source: AVID, HomeAgain.

 

How this chip is implanted in a pet. Is it painful for the animal?BT 198IMPLANTCHIP

Most veterinarians will likely tell you that microchipping your pet is painless. Some pet owners are squeamish about idea of a microchip implant. You might worry that it will be a painful procedure for the animal. But it's not. The procedure doesn't even require anesthesia (though some vets use a local anesthetic). The pet won't suffer at all from the implantation -- or at least as little as one might suffer from a routine shot. A veterinarian uses a hypodermic needle to implant the microchip, which is why the pain Fido or Fluffy feels is similar to pain of a vaccination shot. And many pet owners agree that the benefits of a microchip far outweigh the temporary discomfort during implantation.

BTN  recommends that if your pet gets a microchip, you insist on anesthetic. No matter what you have been told, the procedure hurts -- the chip is inserted with a really big 12-gauge needle!

 

Certain state and local laws govern microchip implantation. Many of these laws specify that only a licensed veterinarian can implant microchips into animals. Some communities, such as El Paso, Texas, have shown more interest in the microchips. That city requires owners to microchip dogs, cats and ferrets. source: City of El Paso, Texas.

 

In Europe, pet microchips are becoming more standard -- about a quarter of European pets have a microchip implant. But the idea isn't quite as popular in the U.S., where only about 5 percent of the approximately 130 million dogs and cats are microchipped.

The American Kennel Club Companion Animal Recovery group (AKCCAR) explains on its Web site what to expect when a vet implants a microchip. Before the vet does anything, he or she should use a microchip scanner to ensure the pet doesn't already have an implant. If it does, that means the pet already has an owner to whom it needs to be returned.

When a veterinarian receives a microchip, the manufacturer has already encoded a unique identification number into the device. Typically, the microchip comes inside a needle and applicator in a bag with the identification number on the label. The AKCCAR needle includes a retractor handle that connects to the applicator for easy implantation. The vet gathers flesh between the shoulder blades of the animal, inserts the needle and pulls the retractor handle back. This simple action effectively releases the microchip, which stays in the pet permanently.

Rest assured the process also won't put too much stress on your pocketbook. Although prices vary depending on the vet, a typical implantation costs between $25 and $65 (in addition to registration fees). Distributors of microchips are quick to remind consumers that these prices pale in comparison to the costs of printing neighborhood signs and paying rewards.

However, this implantation process alone only gives the pet a number, which is meaningless if the owner fails to register the pet. Or if the owner fails to update new addresses, transfer of ownership, phone  numbers etc.