1. What are the benefits of microchipping?
Frequently dogs & cats become lost or are sometimes stolen and have no method of identification enabling them to be returned to their owners. External tags are either not worn, become unreadable or simply removed.
Microchipping is a permanent and safe method of identification and so avoids these issues.
When implant details are recorded on a licensed National microchip registry such as Central Animal Records, it provides lifetime identification & proof of ownership. Under the Victorian Animal Welfare Legislation, any licensed microchip registry must provide a National recovery service for 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, ensuring the quick return of any scanned pet to its owner.
2. Is there any down side?
The only downside is if the animal & owner details, linked to the implantation information, are not sent to the Registry, or if the owner does not keep their contact details up to date. Implantation of microchips in many millions of animals globally has demonstrated their effectiveness and safety.
Recovery statistics prove that there are only positive benefits from microchip identification of animals. (see www.car.com.au )
Microchips are used widely on rare and endangered animals as well, and this is further evidence of their effectiveness and safety.
3. What sort of information is stored on an animal’s microchip?
Information stored on a microchip is only the actual microchip number which is encoded at the time of manufacture. The microchip number is simply a link to data on the licensed Registry in a similar way to a car licence plate. Owner & animal details & emergency contact details are recorded on a subscription form, and linked with the chip number at the time of the animal being implanted by the Authorised Implanter, with those details forwarded to the Registry within 2 days of implantation. Once entered, you then receive an Acknowledgement from the Register as confirmation of your pets listing.
4. Is this information readily accessible to other members of the public?
No. Licensed National animal registries that hold animal & owner information related to any chipped pet operate under strict privacy guidelines and this information is only released to authorised scanning centres such as Councils, Animal Welfare Shelters and Veterinarians. The purpose of microchipping is to reunite a stray or otherwise unidentified pet with its owner. The details on the database are accessible to the owner but not to any other unauthorised person.
5. Is it compulsory for dog & cat owners to have their pets microchipped?
Each State and Territory in Australia is responsible for their own animal management Legislation. Currently, it is compulsory to have dogs & cats microchipped in NSW, Victoria and South-East Queensland. Additionally all dogs & cats sold from a companion animal business, such as a pet store or registered breeders, must be chipped prior to sale.
Nationally, ALL Dangerous and Restricted Breed dogs MUST be microchipped.
6. What are the consequences of not microchipping my pet dogs and cats?
Apart from contravening the Legislation in Victoria, NSW and S.E Queensland, if not chipped, it becomes extremely difficult, if not impossible, to determine identity & ownership of a dog or cat when impounded, particularly if it’s also not wearing a collar & I.D tags. If the animal is injured AND microchipped the owner can generally be contacted quickly to facilitate quick veterinary intervention in treating the injuries.
Some animals can end up in another Municipality or even in another State, making the reunification process even more difficult! Each year many thousands of dogs and cats are put to sleep because they are not properly identified.
7. What exactly does the process of microchipping entail?
The chip is pre-loaded into a sterile needle at the time of manufacture. Using an implanting device specific for the microchip being used, the microchip is then implanted under the skin between the shoulder blades (in dogs and cats). In Victoria, the act of microchipping can only be done by an Authorised Implanter, such as a veterinarian or qualified veterinary nurse, animal technician or Council officer, but they must have completed the accredited Authorised Implanter Course.
8. Is it painful for dogs to be microchipped?
Because it is an injection, there may be some minor discomfort, but experience of now hundreds of thousands of implants performed in Australia over 20 years indicates that many animals do not react in any way to the implantation. The implantation needles are specifically designed to minimize this discomfort.
If you wish, the procedure can be performed at the same time as a veterinary consultation or vaccination and generally does not require the use of either sedation or local anesthesia. Many dogs and cats are microchipped at the same time as a surgical procedure such as desexing.
9. How much does it cost to microchip a dog?
Microchipping is generally inexpensive, especially if it is combined with other procedures. You would need to contact your veterinarian or Authorised Implanter to ascertain the exact costs, but generally the costs are in the range of $40 to $80 which includes the lifetime registration on a licensed National animal registry.
10. Does my dog or cat also have to be registered with the local Council?
YES. In all cases in Victoria you must also register your dog or cat with the local Council.
Some Councils offer a reduced registration rate if the pet has been desexed and/or microchipped, so proof of microchipping may be required. Central Animal Records will provide you with a certificate once your pet’s details have been entered onto their database, so this will be not only your proof of microchipping, but proof of ownership when registering with your local Council.