Microchipping
Microchipping is one of the simplest, most effective things you can do to protect your pet—and it takes about as long as a routine injection.
How It Works
A microchip is a tiny device, roughly the size of a grain of rice, that is implanted just under the skin between your pet’s shoulder blades. The procedure is quick and requires no anesthesia or surgery—most pets barely notice it. Once in place, the chip is permanent and requires no maintenance.
The chip itself doesn’t transmit a signal or track your pet’s location. It’s a passive device that stores a unique ID number, readable only when scanned by a handheld scanner. Those scanners are standard equipment at virtually every veterinary clinic, animal shelter, and rescue organization in the country—so if your lost pet is found and brought in anywhere, that chip can identify them.
Don't Forget About Registration
The chip alone doesn’t reunite pets with their families—registration does. Once your pet is microchipped at Animal Medical Center, you’ll need to register your contact information with a national pet recovery database. That’s what connects the chip’s ID number to you. If you move or change your phone number, update your registration—an outdated record is no better than no record at all.
Why It Matters Here
Along the Gulf Coast, microchipping can be even more important for keeping track of lost pets. Hurricanes and tropical storms can separate pets from their families quickly, and in the chaos of an evacuation or emergency shelter situation, collars and tags get lost. Shelters and rescue organizations scan every animal that comes through the door. A microchip is the one form of ID that stays with your pet no matter what.
Microchipping is recommended for both dogs and cats—including indoor-only cats, who are actually at higher risk of permanent loss when they do get out precisely because owners assume they won’t go far.
Animal Medical Center offers microchipping for dogs and cats in Foley, AL, serving pet owners throughout Gulf Shores, Orange Beach, Elberta, and South Baldwin County. It’s a one-time procedure offering lifelong peace of mind—ask about adding it to your pet’s next wellness visit.
FAQ: Pet Microchipping
Most pets experience little to no discomfort. The chip is implanted with a needle—similar to a routine vaccine injection—and no anesthesia or sedation is needed. The procedure takes only a few seconds, and the vast majority of pets don’t react beyond a brief flinch, if at all.
Animal Medical Center uses a trusted microchip product registered with a national pet recovery database. After implantation, you’ll receive registration instructions to link your contact information to your pet’s unique chip ID. It’s important to keep that information current—especially if you move or change your phone number.
Take the pet to the nearest veterinary clinic or animal shelter and ask them to scan for a microchip. Most clinics and shelters have universal scanners and will scan any found animal at no charge. If a chip is detected, they can look up the registered owner’s contact information and help reunite the pet with their family.
Yes—and it’s important to do so. Your contact details are stored in the pet recovery database, not on the chip itself, so updates are made through the registry rather than requiring a new chip. Most registries allow you to update your information online at any time.
No, there’s no age limit for microchipping. Whether your pet is a puppy, kitten, or a senior dog or cat, microchipping is safe and appropriate at any age. If you have an older pet who hasn’t been chipped yet, it’s never too late to add this layer of protection.
No. This is a common misconception. A microchip does not transmit a signal or track your pet’s location in real time. It’s a passive device that stores a unique ID number, which can only be read when scanned by a handheld scanner at close range. If you’re interested in real-time location tracking, GPS collar devices are a separate product available through pet product retailers.