Imran a 5year old Burmese cat was bought to the Reservoir Veterinary Clinic as he had been found in the roof of a house. He was very friendly and was bought to the clinic so that we could scan him for a microchip and hopefully find who his owner was. Luckily Imran had a microchip implanted so Nurse Lauren was able to find his owners details from the national registry. Once we had the contact details Lauren called his owner to inform her that Imran was at the clinic. Lauren received a shock when his owner reported that Imran went missing 2 years previously and she had given up hope of ever being reunited with him. After getting over the initial shock and surprise that her beloved cat was found Imran's owner rushed over to the clinic to be reunited with her long lost friend.

Take Home Message:

It is now compulsory in Victoria for all pets to be microchipped. A microchip is a permanent form of identification for pets which contains a unique identification number. The microchip is as small as a grain of rice and the identification number is linked to your address and contact details on a national registry. The microchip is injected under the pet's skin above the shoulder blades and your details can be changed at any time.

How does the microchip system work?

1. If your pet is lost and is picked up by a ranger or taken to a veterinary clinic, pound or animal shelter it is scanned to find the unique identification number.

2. The number is then given to the national registry who looks up the details on the database to obtain your contact details.

3. You are then contacted and advised that your pet has been found and where they can pick their pet up.

NOTE: Please ensure that the national database has your current contact details and that these are updated every time these details change.

There are two national registries that operate in Australian. They are Australian Animal Registry and Central Animal Records. Veterinarians, local government pounds and animal welfare agencies have 24-hour access to the pet location service offered by these registries.

Even if your pet does have a microchip it is still advisable to place a collar with an identification tag on them so that members of the public can identify them.

Did You Know We Have A Microchip Scanner?

A microchip scanner is a valuable piece equipment in a veterinary clinic as we can scan any lost and stray animals to see if they have a microchip and then we can reunite them with their owners. The microchip scanner reads the unique identification number on the chip so that we can retrieve the owner's details from the national registry.