25 Nov 2022
HomeAgain Thermochip, featuring temperature monitoring technology, has been launched in the UK.
Allister Webb
Job Title
A new microchip, which its developers say can offer both pet identification and temperature monitoring, has been launched in the UK.
MSD Animal Health says the HomeAgain Thermochip, which has already been used for several years in the US, and an associated free database can also make it easier to reunite lost pets with their owners.
And a Berkshire-based vet, whose practice has been trialling the device, said it had proved “incredibly useful” to its daily operations.
The Thermochip is intended to work throughout a pet’s lifetime and allows their temperature to be monitored in a non-invasive manner.
Jan Moehlenbrock, MSD’s UK and Ireland managing director, said the company was “excited” to launch the device in the UK following its success in the US.
He said: “Vets have been using rectal thermometry as the gold standard for many years. And while this is accurate and reliable, it can only offer a single standard reading and a snapshot of a pet’s health.
“Through our research, we have found that temperature trends can be more useful than one-off readings and multiple temperature values collected regularly can build a more comprehensive picture of a pet’s health. This is where the Thermochip comes in.”
Michael Morrow, director of the St Vincent’s Veterinary Surgery in Wokingham, described the chip as “a real game-changer in the market”.
He said: “We have been trialling the Thermochip for some time and it’s now our default option to measure temperature.
“It’s incredibly useful in everyday practice, particularly when it comes to fractious cats or extremely nervous dogs, and it improves efficiency in consultations.
“We also use the Thermochip extensively during anaesthetic and postoperative monitoring – with minimal handling.
“Reassuringly, we’ve never had any issues with the microchip reader or with the chip migrating to other parts of an animal’s body, so it’s very reliable.”
The chip also incorporates the HomeAgain Pet Recovery Database, which MSD says is Defra-compliant and offers 24-hour UK-wide support to trace a lost pet, regular prompts to keep contact details updated and the ability to register multiple contacts against a single microchip.
More information is available online.
