How Much Does It Cost to Microchip a Dog?

Typical microchip prices

PetMD's microchip guide puts the cost at about $15 to $50, and its wellness exam price table lists microchip placement at $20 to $75 at veterinary clinics. The AKC's puppy cost guide uses $25 to $50, and the ASPCA's cost table uses $20 as a typical figure for dogs and cats.

Shelters often include a microchip in the adoption fee, and low-cost vaccine clinics and community events sometimes offer chips at a reduced price. If your vet charges an exam fee as well, ask whether the chip can be placed during a visit you already need, such as a vaccine appointment or spay or neuter surgery. Prices vary by region and clinic.

What you get for the price

A microchip is a tiny implant, about the size of a grain of rice, placed under the skin between the shoulder blades with a needle. It carries a unique ID number that a scanner reads using radio frequency. It has no battery, does not track your dog's location and should last your dog's lifetime.

PetMD cites the AVMA's view that the injection is no more painful than a typical vaccination, and some vets apply a numbing agent first. Many owners have it done while their puppy is already under anesthesia for a spay or neuter.

Registration: the step people skip

A chip number is only useful if it links to you. After the chip is placed, register it with the microchip company online or by phone, using a phone number and email you actually check. Some companies include registration in the chip price; others offer optional paid upgrades. Ask your vet which registry the chip uses.

Update your details whenever you move or change your phone number. When a lost dog is found, a vet or shelter scans the chip and contacts the registry, so outdated details are the most common reason a chipped dog is not reunited with its family.

How scanning works, and its limits

Vet clinics and shelters keep handheld scanners and scan found animals as routine. Chips can occasionally shift from the shoulders, so a thorough scan covers the whole body. Thick or matted coats, metal collars and a wet coat can sometimes interfere with a reading.

Ask your vet to scan your dog's chip at annual checkups to make sure it is still readable. A microchip works alongside a collar and ID tag, not instead of one: a tag lets a neighbor call you straight away without a trip to a clinic.

Is microchipping worth it?

For a one-time cost of tens of dollars, a registered microchip is one of the cheapest forms of protection you can buy. Collars break and tags fall off, but a chip stays with your dog. Some cities, shelters, boarding kennels and travel rules require one.

Ask your vet about microchipping at your puppy's first visits, or check whether a shelter dog is already chipped and transfer the registration to your name. Once it is in place, put a reminder in your calendar to check your registry details once a year.

This page is general information, not veterinary advice, and it cannot replace an examination by the vet who knows your pet.