Question 1

What is the HALO chip?

Accepted Answer

The HALO chip is a small GPS microchip for dogs, placed under the skin by your veterinary team. It shows your dog’s live location in the HALO Chip app, alerts you if they leave a safe zone, and learns their activity, sleep and behavior patterns so you can spot changes early. There’s no collar, and it charges itself, so there’s nothing to plug in.

Question 2

Is it the same as a regular microchip?

Accepted Answer

No. A standard ID microchip only stores a number that a scanner can read if your dog is found. The HALO chip actively tracks location and activity and sends it to your phone. Keep your dog’s ID microchip; the HALO chip adds to it rather than replacing it.

Question 3

How big is it?

Accepted Answer

About 15 mm long and 3 mm wide, a little bigger than a standard ID microchip. Once placed, you won’t see or feel it in everyday life.

Question 4

Which dogs can have the HALO chip?

Accepted Answer

Dogs 5 kg (11 lb) and over. Your veterinary team will confirm your dog is healthy enough for placement at the visit.

Question 5

Does it work for cats?

Accepted Answer

Not currently. The HALO chip is designed for dogs 5 kg (11 lb) and over. Join the waitlist and we’ll let you know if that changes.

Question 6

How does it charge?

Accepted Answer

It charges itself. The HALO chip runs on your dog’s own body heat and movement, so there’s nothing to plug in and nothing to take on and off.

Question 7

How long does it last?

Accepted Answer

The HALO chip is designed to work for the life of the chip without maintenance. If a chip ever stops reporting, contact your clinic or our support team at support@thehalochip.com and we’ll sort it out under the two-year warranty.

Question 8

Where is the HALO chip available?

Accepted Answer

Through partner veterinary clinics in the US. Enter your ZIP on the How It Works page to see clinics near you, or join the waitlist to be told when one opens in your area.

Question 9

How does the HALO chip track my dog without a collar?

Accepted Answer

The chip under the skin takes quick location readings and sends them, encrypted, over long-range low-power networks, Wi-Fi and GPS to the HALO Chip app. You see your dog on a live map.

Question 10

How accurate is it?

Accepted Answer

Accuracy depends on where your dog is. Outdoors with a clear sky it’s typically within a few meters; indoors and in dense cities it uses nearby Wi-Fi to place your dog within a building or block. In Lost Pet mode the app also helps you home in at close range.

Question 11

Does it work indoors?

Accepted Answer

Yes. GPS doesn’t reach indoors, so the HALO chip uses Wi-Fi positioning there instead. It also knows when your dog is at home, so you don’t get alerts for a nap on the couch.

Question 12

Does it work in the countryside or on hikes?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Away from Wi-Fi, the HALO chip uses GPS and long-range networks. If your dog is briefly out of all coverage, the chip keeps a record and catches up as soon as it reconnects.

Question 13

Does it work abroad?

Accepted Answer

The HALO chip launches in the US. Coverage in other countries will be announced on this page and in the app.

Question 14

What are safe zones?

Accepted Answer

Areas you draw in the app, like home, the park or the sitter’s place. The moment your dog crosses the edge of a safe zone, you get an alert. You can set as many as you like.

Question 15

What happens if my dog goes missing?

Accepted Answer

Turn on Lost Pet mode in the app. The HALO chip reports your dog’s location more often, the app shows direction and distance as you get close, and you can share a live link with family or a finder.

Question 16

Can I see where my dog has been?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Walk history shows every walk with distance, duration and route. Location history is kept for as long as your account is open, and you can delete it any time.

Question 17

Does the HALO chip track me?

Accepted Answer

The HALO chip tracks your dog. The app only uses your phone’s location if you allow it, to show the distance and direction to your dog. It’s stored with your account, and you can delete it any time.

Question 18

What are health insights?

Accepted Answer

The HALO chip’s motion sensor works throughout the day. Its AI learns what’s normal for your dog, then tells you in plain language when something changes: activity, rest and sleep, scratching, head shaking, restlessness, posture, heat-stress risk, and recovery after surgery. Insights help you spot changes early; they are never a diagnosis.

Question 19

Is this a diagnosis?

Accepted Answer

No. Health insights help you notice changes early so you can talk to your veterinary team. They don’t replace an exam, and your vet’s advice always comes first.

Question 20

How does the HALO chip know what’s normal for my dog?

Accepted Answer

It learns from your dog’s own patterns over the first week, so alerts compare today to your dog’s usual, not to an average dog.

Question 21

When do insights start?

Accepted Answer

About a week after placement, once the HALO chip has learned your dog’s baseline. Location and safe zones work from the first minutes.

Question 22

What’s a vet-ready report?

Accepted Answer

A summary of your dog’s activity, sleep and behavior changes over the past weeks that you can share with your veterinary team before or during a visit, so they see trends instead of a five-minute snapshot. You choose when to share it.

Question 23

Can it tell if my dog is in pain?

Accepted Answer

The HALO chip can’t feel pain, but restlessness, pacing, changes in posture and less activity are patterns that often go with discomfort. It flags those so you can check in with your veterinary team. It isn’t a diagnosis.

Question 24

Is it useful for older dogs?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Night-time pacing and a flipped sleep schedule can be early signs of age-related changes, and the HALO chip flags them so you can talk to your veterinary team. It’s also useful after surgery, to see whether crate rest is really rest and how activity comes back.

Question 25

Which plans include health insights?

Accepted Answer

Track + Health and Complete. The Track plan includes location, safe zones and alerts. You can change plans any time in the app.

Question 26

Who places the chip?

Accepted Answer

A participating veterinary clinic. The HALO chip is never placed at home.

Question 27

How is it placed?

Accepted Answer

Your veterinary team numbs a small spot between the shoulder blades with a local anesthetic, then places the chip with the single-use HALO Chip Pen in a quick, minimally invasive procedure. The small opening is closed with skin glue and a breathable patch; stitches usually aren’t needed. Your dog stays awake.

Question 28

Does it hurt?

Accepted Answer

A local anesthetic numbs the area first. The placement itself takes a few seconds. Some tenderness for a day or two afterwards is normal; call your veterinary team if it gets worse.

Question 29

How long does the visit take?

Accepted Answer

The placement cycle takes seconds, and the whole visit, including the check-up and activation, is usually under 15 minutes.

Question 30

Do I need to prepare my dog?

Accepted Answer

No fasting is needed. Tell your clinic about any medications, allergies (including to skin glues or adhesives), bleeding problems or skin conditions. If you want to bathe or groom your dog, do it a day or two before. Download the HALO Chip app ahead of time.

Question 31

What’s the aftercare?

Accepted Answer

Keep the area clean and dry for 7 to 10 days: no baths, swimming or grooming of that spot until your veterinary team says it’s fine. Leave the patch on until it comes off or your veterinary team removes it, don’t peel the glue, and stop licking or scratching (a cone may help). Gentle lead walks are fine; skip rough play and dog parks for a few days. Your vet’s instructions always come first.

Question 32

When should I call my veterinary team?

Accepted Answer

If you see redness, swelling or heat getting worse after the first 48 hours, any discharge or bad smell, the opening coming apart, the chip visible through the skin or seeming to have moved far from where it was placed, or your dog seeming unwell.

Question 33

Can my dog swim afterwards?

Accepted Answer

Not until your veterinary team says the site has healed, usually after the first 7 to 10 days.

Question 34

Can the chip move?

Accepted Answer

It’s placed under healthy skin a short distance from the opening so it settles in place. A small shift in the first days is normal. If it seems to have moved far, call your veterinary team.

Question 35

Can it be removed?

Accepted Answer

Yes, by your veterinary team. Talk to your clinic if you ever need it taken out.

Question 36

Is there a follow-up?

Accepted Answer

Your clinic may book a quick recheck after about 10 to 14 days. Make sure the chip is reporting in the app; if it isn’t, contact the clinic.

Question 37

How much does the HALO chip cost?

Accepted Answer

You pay your clinic once for placement, and that fee includes your $50 HALO chip activation. Then you pick a plan in the app: Track at $9.99/mo, Track + Health at $14.99/mo, or Complete at $21.99/mo. Pay yearly and save 10%.

Question 38

What’s in each plan?

Accepted Answer

Track: live GPS, safe zones, instant alerts and walk history. Track + Health: everything in Track plus AI health insights and vet-ready reports. Complete: everything in Track + Health plus 24/7 televet access.

Question 39

Where do I pay?

Accepted Answer

Placement is paid to the clinic at your visit. Your plan is paid in the HALO Chip app, where you choose it at activation. We never store your card details.

Question 40

Is there a contract?

Accepted Answer

No. Plans are month to month or yearly, and you can cancel any time in the app. Yearly plans are billed once a year at 10% off and can be refunded in full if you cancel within 30 days of purchase; after that the year runs its course. If you cancel a monthly plan and later want to come back, there’s a $50 reactivation fee.

Question 41

Can I change plans?

Accepted Answer

Yes, any time, in the app. Upgrades take effect right away; downgrades at the next billing date.

Question 42

What happens if I cancel?

Accepted Answer

The chip stays in place and does no harm, but tracking and insights pause until you restart a plan. Restarting a cancelled monthly plan has a $50 reactivation fee. Your dog’s history stays on your account unless you delete it.

Question 43

Is there a warranty?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The chip is covered for two years from placement. If it stops working through no fault of yours in that time, we’ll replace it through a partner clinic.

Question 44

What’s the waitlist offer?

Accepted Answer

Join the waitlist and invite a friend, and you get three months free when you choose an annual plan. That’s on top of the 10% annual discount. The offer is applied when you activate your chip; it doesn’t apply to monthly plans.

Question 45

Which phones does it work on?

Accepted Answer

iPhone and Android. Download it before your visit so you can activate the chip there.

Question 46

How do I activate the chip?

Accepted Answer

At your visit, your veterinary team links the chip to your account using the activation card. You open the app, confirm your dog’s profile, and your first location appears within minutes.

Question 47

Can more than one person track my dog?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Invite family members or a dog walker to your account from the app and they’ll see your dog’s location and alerts too. Up to five people can share one dog’s account.

Question 48

Does the app need Bluetooth and location on?

Accepted Answer

Bluetooth is used to connect to the chip for setup and secure updates, and for close-range finding in Lost Pet mode. Your phone’s location is only used, if you allow it, to show the direction and distance to your dog.

Question 49

Will I get a lot of notifications?

Accepted Answer

You decide. Safe-zone exits and Lost Pet alerts are on by default; activity, sleep and health notifications can be set to daily, weekly or off.

Question 50

What if the chip stops reporting?

Accepted Answer

Check the app’s chip status first. If it’s been offline for more than 24 hours with your dog at home, contact our support team at support@thehalochip.com or your clinic.

Question 51

How do updates work?

Accepted Answer

Chip software updates are delivered securely through the app when your phone is near your dog. You’ll be asked to approve them; they take a few minutes and your dog won’t notice.

Question 52

Is the HALO chip safe for my dog?

Accepted Answer

The HALO chip is placed by your veterinary team in a quick, minimally invasive visit under local anesthetic, in the same spot as a standard ID microchip. It’s sealed in a biocompatible capsule designed for long-term use in the body. It’s currently available for dogs 5 kg (11 lb) and over, and your veterinary team will confirm your dog is a good candidate.

Question 53

Is it safe with MRI, X-rays or airport scanners?

Accepted Answer

X-rays and security scanners are fine. Before any MRI, tell the veterinary team your dog has a HALO chip so they can plan accordingly.

Question 54

Does it give off radiation or heat?

Accepted Answer

The chip sends very short, very low-power signals, far below the limits set for consumer electronics, and it doesn’t warm the skin.

Question 55

Who can see my dog’s location?

Accepted Answer

You, and anyone you invite to your account. Our staff access data only to provide support or fix a problem, and only under strict controls. We never sell your data and never share it for advertising.

Question 56

How is my data protected?

Accepted Answer

Everything the chip sends is encrypted end to end, from the chip to our servers to your phone. Each chip has its own unique security keys, and updates are signed so only we can send them.

Question 57

What data does the HALO chip collect?

Accepted Answer

Your account details, your dog’s profile, your dog’s location and movement data, and basic app and device information needed to keep the service working. The full list, how long we keep it, and your rights are in our Privacy Policy.

Question 58

Can I delete my data?

Accepted Answer

Yes. You can delete location history any time, and delete your whole account and its data from inside the app.

Question 59

Is my dog’s data shared with my veterinary team?

Accepted Answer

Only what you choose to share. Your partner clinic links the chip at activation; after that, your veterinary team sees a report only when you send it.

Question 60

How do I find a partner clinic?

Accepted Answer

Enter your ZIP on the How It Works page to see the clinics closest to you, then call to book a HALO chip placement.

Question 61

My clinic isn’t a partner. What can I do?

Accepted Answer

Point them to our page for veterinary clinics, or join the waitlist and we’ll tell you when a partner clinic opens near you.

Question 62

I’m a vet. How do I offer the HALO chip?

Accepted Answer

We’d love to talk. Partner clinics get the HALO Chip Pen, placement training, and in-clinic materials, plus a recurring share of every subscription. Request the partner kit and we’ll be in touch within two business days.

Question 63

Does my clinic need special equipment?

Accepted Answer

Just the single-use HALO Chip Pen kit, which we ship to the clinic, and a phone or tablet for activation.

Question 64

Can a different clinic help if I move?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Any partner clinic can check the chip, and the app works anywhere in the US.

Questions, answered.

The basics

Location and tracking

Health insights

Placement and aftercare

Plans and billing

The app

Safety, privacy and data

Partner clinics and vets

Stay in the loop with The HALO Chip.