Keep Your Pet Safe and FOUND with a Microchip

Microchipping pets is an extremely useful tool that has become available to the  public at a very affordable price. A chip can be implanted by a veterinarian or at a shelter in the matter of a minute. After confirming that the animal does not already have a chip, the vet or technician injects the chip (approximately the size of a grain of rice) with a syringe and records the chip’s unique ID. No anesthetic is required, and once implanted they will test the microchip by scanning the animal again.

Can you imagine what you would do if your beloved pet escaped because your gate flew open during a windy day? Or they bolted out the door unnoticed while you were chatting with a neighbor? It is truly disconcerting and a heartbreaking feeling for families who have experienced the emotion of their pet being lost. So many times we have animals brought in off the streets because they are stray or lost and the first thing we do, as an animal hospital, is scan them for a microchip in hopes of finding the owner. If a microchip is not detected and the pet remains unclaimed, the animal is then typically sent to a shelter or rescue group.

Microchips are used by kennels, breeders, trainers, rescue groups, humane societies, clinics, farms, animal clubs and associations, and pet stores. Whenever an animal is found and taken to one of these groups, they will scan the animal for a chip as well. The chances of recovering a lost pet without a microchip is very slim, but when a pet is chipped, the process can be very quick, relatively painless, and your pet returned home safe and sound.

Every chip belongs to a company and the microchip registry (that can help connect us with the correct manufacturer) typically provides 24-hour, toll-free telephone service for the life of the pet. Some veterinarians leave registration to the owner, usually done online, but a chip without current contact information is essentially useless. Please don’t forget to register your pet and keep the information (address and phone numbers) current!