Animal microchipping launched in Dubai

Dubai: Animal microchipping was launched recently in Dubai to help pet owners identify their cats and dogs and keep them out of harm's way.

The chip is the size of a grain of rice and is inserted under the skin. It contains information on the animal so pets can be traced back to their owners

The animal database Aniworldbase is the brainchild of the New Medical Centre (NMC) Veterinary Division in the Middle East. Microchipping has been around globally since 1989 and is widely recognised as an effective and secure method to permanently identify a pet.

Rejection

The microchip, which costs between Dh160-Dh200, is encased in a biocompatible glass, similar to the type of glass used in human pacemakers to prevent rejection from the animal's body. When a scanner is passed over the microchip, it creates low frequency radio waves that activate the microchip, allowing the unique number to be read.

The chip will last for the animal's life and carries a unique number that will be logged in a national database.

The chip will store information about the pet, its owner and a record of the pet's vaccinations.

According to NMC, municipalities and animal rescue centres will be able to scan the microchip of an unclaimed pet and find their details in the database.

Registration information will also contain vaccination records of the pet, which could be used in pet passport schemes.