microchips are inert chips that only retain one piece of information: a number, which is entered into a database.
currently there are several different standards, but agencies worldwide are working together, trying to come up with one standard that everyone will adhere to.
for anyone who is thinking about chipping, i strongly recommend the AVID chip over anything else, for several reasons:
- AVID has been tested and approved for many different animals, not just dogs and cats. their chips have been used in horses for a long time, and even small animals like birds and fish can be chipped for identification and AVID guarantees the chip.
- even tho some proprietary scanners can not read the AVID chips, they will still indicate that a chip is present, unlike some others who will just ignore chips they can't read.
- for AVID chips, there is no gap in documentation between the time an animal is chipped and the information is passed on to the database for registering. AVID chips are not sold before they have been registered with an initial contact (vet, shelter, rescue, breeder).
- AVID sells to individuals directly, so you don't have to go through a vet. makes it more likely for breeders to chip puppies or kittens before they go to their new homes.
- compared to AVID chips, home again is overpriced. AVID chips are available for as little as $25 per chip and you only have to pay $6 or so to change the details in the database from the original entity the chip was registered to (vet, shelter, rescue, breeder), while home again chips for example are over $60 and enrollment in their database is an additional $17.50.
- last but not least, AVID makes a chip in euro format, which you can get at the same cost as their regular chip type. this chip can be read by scanners in countries outside of the US as well. might come in handy if someone travels with their dog for a reason.