Dog on the loose!
from thinkstock
When a neighbor’s dog ran loose recently, due to an inattentive contractor, I promised to provide information about micro-chipping as a future safeguard. Fortunately, the blog below was presented to me by the professionals at Petco. It is in the interest of your pet’s safety that we share their blog with you:
“While collars and tags are common, a microchip goes one step further in identifying lost pets and reuniting them with their owners.
A microchip is a radio-frequency identification device about the size of a grain of rice. These tiny devices contain an identification number that is unique to your pet and tied to an online database that contains your contact information.
When a special scanner is waved over the microchip, it reads the chip’s radio frequency and displays the identification number. Typically, a veterinarian’s office, animal shelter or law enforcement agency has a handheld scanner to use for this purpose.
When the number is entered into the online database, the person who scanned the chip can retrieve contact information and reunite the pet with his family.
According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, microchips only contain an ID number. The chip itself does not contain any contact information nor can it track a pet. When you register your pet in the database, you can provide additional pet information if you choose.
The chip process is quick and usually painless. Using a hypodermic needle, microchips are implanted between the shoulder blades under the animal’s skin. General anesthesia is not necessary, though local anesthesia may be used.
Within 24 hours, the pet’s tissues usually bond to the chip so it stays in place. (In rare instances, the chip can migrate to another part of the pet’s body. The microchip can still be detected if the person performing the scan passes over another area of the body.) Allow the microchip insertion site to fully heal before bathing or grooming your pet.
Most veterinarians or animal shelters implant microchips. The procedure cost can vary. Vetco microchips dogs and cats for $15 with no registration fee. Some shelters and clinics offer low cost or free micro-chipping clinics too.
When your pet is micro-chipped, you should receive manufacturer information and the microchip number. You can visit the manufacturer’s website to register your pet and input your contact information.
Most registries charge a registration fee and, sometimes, an annual maintenance fee to keep the information up to date. Organizations such as: foundanimals.org and freepetchipregistry.com/ do not charge a chip registration fee.
It’s important to keep your pet’s microchip information up to date. (Always remember to update your contact information if you move or get a new phone number.)
When a lost or stray pet comes into their care, shelter workers or animal control officers generally scan for a microchip first. Helpful people often bring lost pets to veterinarians’ offices or animal welfare organizations to scan for a microchip.
This simple procedure has reunited thousands of animals with their families.
Once the microchip is implanted in your pet, it should last your pet’s lifetime.
According to a study by the Ohio State University Department of Preventative Veterinary Medicine, out of 53 shelters that recorded information on 7,704 animals entering a shelter with a microchip, 73% of the families of stray dogs and cats were successfully located.
Sadly, researchers also discovered that one of the most common reasons pet parents weren’t successfully contacted was due to incorrect or non-working phone numbers with a smaller number of microchips that weren’t registered.”
Doolittle’s Doghouse cares about you and your pets! Let us know how we can help you with your cage-free boarding needs, pet product purchases, pet insurance and other health and wellness issues. We’re here to help you keep those tails waggin’.
Hugs,
Tori