Microchips are permanent IDs about the size of a grain of rice, placed under the skin between the shoulder blades with a needle, and it is one of the simplest ways to get a lost dog or cat home. South Carolina animal shelters must scan every incoming dog and cat for a chip, so a chip with current contact details can bring a call on day one. Petfolk Veterinary & Urgent Care - Indian Land is a veterinary clinic on Sherbrook Avenue by Charlotte Highway in Indian Land, South Carolina; it places microchips during a regular exam, checks that the chip reads and walks you through registering it.
A chip has no battery and no GPS. When a scanner passes over it, it shows a unique number, and that number leads to your contact details in a registry database.
Call (803) 232-9817 or book online.
What happens to a found pet in Lancaster County?
South Carolina law requires animal shelters to scan incoming dogs and cats for a microchip or tattoo and promptly try to reach the pet parent (S.C. Code 47-3-55). A pet picked up in Indian Land is likely to go to the Lancaster County Animal Shelter on Pageland Highway in Lancaster. According to the county's reclaim page:
The shelter scans every incoming animal for a microchip.
A stray without ID is held for five working days.
To take your pet home, you need proof of rabies vaccination, or must update it within five business days.
Five working days is not long, especially over a holiday or while you're away.
Does a microchip help if my pet crosses into North Carolina?
Yes. Indian Land sits right against North Carolina, and a dog that slips out near Marvin or Waxhaw can easily be found across the line by a different county's shelter or a vet you've never visited. A microchip number reads the same on any universal scanner, in any state, while a county tag may mean little there.
How do I keep a microchip useful through storm season?
Hurricane season runs from early summer into fall, and South Carolina's public health evacuation guidance warns that most shelters for people don't accept pets, so plan ahead for your pet. Pets that bolt during a storm are among the hardest to reunite. Before each season:
1. Have your pet scanned at a checkup at Petfolk Indian Land to confirm the chip still reads. 2. Check that the registry has your mobile number, not only a landline. 3. Add a second contact who lives outside the area. 4. Keep a photo of your pet and the chip number on your phone.
What does international travel require?
Many countries require a 15-digit ISO-standard chip, often placed before the rabies vaccine on the travel paperwork, so the order matters. Check your destination's rules on the USDA APHIS pet travel site months ahead, and see the travel health certificates page for the visit itself.
When should I update my registry record?
A chip with an old phone number is close to useless. Update the record when you move (even within Indian Land), change phone numbers or email, or adopt a pet chipped by a shelter or a previous family, because the chip may still be registered to someone else. If you don't know which registry your pet's chip uses, Petfolk Indian Land can scan it at any visit and help you look it up.
When do Petfolk pets usually get chipped?
Many pets at Petfolk's clinics get their chip at the same visit as their spay or neuter, while they are already asleep.
Across Petfolk's Charlotte-area clinics, just over half of microchips (56%) go to dogs and the rest to cats (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026).
Across Petfolk's Charlotte-area clinics, a microchip is part of about 1 in 3 dog (33%) and half of cat (52%) spay or neuter visits (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026).
Across all Petfolk clinics, nearly two-thirds of microchips (64%) are placed during a spay or neuter visit, at a typical age of about 10 months (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026).
What is microchipping like for my pet?
At Petfolk Indian Land, the chip goes in with a needle, much like a vaccine, though the needle is larger. Most pets react about the same as they do to a shot, and no anesthesia is needed. Some pet parents choose to add it during spay or neuter surgery. The team scans right after placing it to confirm it reads, and the number goes on your pet's record. Rarely, a chip moves a little under the skin or a small lump forms at the site; the vet checks the spot at later visits.
What if my lost pet is found hurt?
Get to a 24-hour emergency hospital if your pet is found after being lost and is injured, struggling to breathe or unable to stand. The reunion paperwork can wait until your pet is stable.
How do I book microchipping in Indian Land?
Any vet in Indian Land can scan a found pet, and Petfolk Veterinary & Urgent Care - Indian Land, at 1150 Sherbrook Ave, Ste B109, Indian Land, SC 29707, can place one. Call (803) 232-9817 or book online to add a chip at your next visit.
Book a visit at Petfolk Veterinary & Urgent Care - Indian Land, or see all veterinary services in Indian Land.
Microchip questions from local pet parents
On Sherbrook Ave by Charlotte Highway