Pet owners in France urged to microchip animals

National Pet Identification Week (la Semaine Nationale de l'Identification) begins today, launched by French dog identification association I-CAD and the French ministry of agriculture and food.

Cat and dog owners in France are being reminded how important it is to add permanent identification to their pets, and are urged to do so this week (if they have not already) for safety reasons.

More details can be found on the dedicated website, Identifier-Mon-Animal.fr.

Permanently identifying a pet helps lost, stolen, and stray animals be reunited with their owners, and means owners can be contacted quickly if their pet is injured. It also makes it easier for authorities to track unregulated breeders, collect animal population data, and attribute health test results correctly.

(Image: I-CAD / Identifier-mon-animal.fr)

Read more: France changes confinement rules to allow pet adoption

Read more: Refuges: 55-110 pets a day saved in France

Pet identification methods

In France, cats and dogs can be identified with a microchip, a tattoo, or both forms of identification.

Microchips are the most common form of identification to be offered by vets in France today, and are the only form of ID accepted if you wish to travel with your pet. 

Pet identification microchips are around the size of a grain of rice, and are inserted under the skin of an animal in the neck or between the shoulder blades. Each microchip contains a code with 15 numbers that can be identified by an electric reader. 

Microchips are bio-compatible, non-magnetic, non-electric, and do not affect the health of animals.

Costs of identification

In France, microchips must be inserted by a registered vet. The procedure costs around €40-€70 depending on the veterinary practice owners choose to use.

I-CAD works with vulnerable dog owner charity Gamelles Pleines to provide free identification for dogs belonging to homeless, isolated and low-income owners who rely heavily on their dogs for social support.

Competition for pet owners 

Owners in France who have already identified their pets or who get their pets microchipped before October 2020 can enter an online competition to win prizes for their animals.

Prizes include one year of pet insurance cover, gift vouchers, and free pet food. Enter the competition online at: Identifier-mon-animal.fr.

Related stories

First recorded case of cat infected by Covid in France

Hen sales boom in France during confinement

Pets do ‘not need disinfecting’, French vet warns