If you’ve ever had someone tell you to microchip your pet, you might’ve wondered whether it’s truly necessary. Spoiler: it is.
A simple microchip can be the difference between losing your best friend forever and getting that life-changing reunion call — and the cost is far less than most people expect.
Consider this your easy, no-stress guide to what microchips are, how they work, and why they matter so much.
What Exactly Is a Pet Microchip?
A pet microchip is a tiny piece of technology, about the size of a grain of rice, that sits just under your pet’s skin. It stores a unique ID number that dramatically increases your chances of being reunited if your pet ever goes missing.
Only a licensed professional — usually a vet or trained rescue worker — can implant a microchip since it requires a needle. While that might sound scary, the procedure is quick and barely painful, similar to a routine vaccine.
How Do Microchips Work?
Think of a microchip like a permanent, unbreakable ID tag.
Just like a collar tag, a microchip links your pet to your contact information. But unlike a tag, it can’t fall off, fade, or break. And only someone with a microchip scanner — like a vet, shelter, or rescue — can read your pet’s unique ID number.
Once scanned, that number is entered into the chip manufacturer’s database, which pulls up the contact details you’ve registered: phone number, address, emergency contacts, and more.
It’s simple, secure, and always there when you need it.
How Much Does Microchipping Cost?
Microchipping prices vary, but most pet parents pay somewhere between $15 and $45 for the procedure.
If you adopted your pet from a shelter or rescue, the chip may already be included in your adoption fee. If you go through a vet, an exam fee may be added — but once it’s done, it’s done for life.
Microchips don’t need to be replaced, updated, or removed. One quick appointment = lifetime protection.
How Microchips Help You Find a Lost Pet
If your dog or cat goes missing, a microchip becomes one of the most powerful tools in your search.
Vets, shelters, and rescues routinely scan every found animal for a chip. If your pet is brought in, your contact information pops up instantly, and you get that long-awaited phone call.
Of course, you should still notify local vets and rescues that your pet is missing — the more eyes looking, the better. But a microchip dramatically boosts the chance that someone can identify your pet and get him back home fast.
The Bottom Line
Microchipping is a tiny effort that delivers massive peace of mind. If you’re on the fence, don’t be. The procedure is quick, affordable, and permanent — and it could be the very thing that brings your best friend back to you one day.
That makes it worth every penny.
