Some Pet Microchips Useless at Shelters

The Humane Society of the United States and the Sequoia Humane Society are cautioning pet owners that certain microchips on the market may not be compatible with scanning devices used in shelters and may not be useful in identifying lost pets.

The societies say all pets should wear a collar and identification tag at all times but add that microchips serve as an additional precaution because collars and tags can fall off. The chips are inserted under the animal’s skin.

The society uses only microchips that can be read by universal scanning devices. They advise that some companies are selling microchips without providing shelters, humane societies or veterinary hospitals with scanners needed to detect the chips.