Why Should I Microchip my Pet?
Why Should I Microchip My Pet?
Microchips Saves Lives
About one third of all pets get lost in their lifetimes and about 90% of those do not return home.
Getting lost is most common cause of death for pets.
Microchipping is easy
Implanting a microchip is no more difficult than giving a vaccine and does not require any sedation or anesthesia.
Implanting the microchip only takes a few seconds.
Veterinary clinics can quickly register the microchip with a national registry.
A microchip is a permanent identification
The microchip is permanently implanted subcutaneously (under the skin) and can be scanned with a microchip reader.
Collars can fall off.
Tags can fade over time.
Microchips save lives. Pets get lost everyday. We receive e-mails from the chip manufactures about lost pets daily (we got 2 e-mails from Home Again today). It only takes a minute for a dog or cat to get out. The gate gets left open by accident or they dart out the door as it is closing. They dig under the fence or jump over it. A pet may panic during a thunderstorm or get loose while travelling by car. We have not had a major storm in Florida for a while but when hurricane Katrina hit we had a lot of displaced pets transported from Louisiana to this area by rescue groups.
Microchipping your pet is easy. It can be done during a regular veterinary office visit. It takes no longer than giving a vaccine. The chip is implanted under the skin in the shoulder blade region in a few seconds. Many owners will elect to have their pet microchipped while under anesthesia for a spay, neuter or other surgical procedure. Once implanted the chip is scanned to make sure it is readable and should then be registered with the manufacturer and a national database.
Microchips are permanent identification used to get pets back with their owners. A microchip is a small transmitter about the size of a grain of rice that has a unique code. Once scanned, the veterinary office or shelter will contact the microchip company. They will then contact you to get your pet safely back to you.
It is important to register the microchip once it is implanted so the contact information is correct. You should update your information after any change in address or phone number. We see lost pets with microchips on a regular basis and it is very difficult to get them back home when microchips are not properly registered.
Starkey Ranch Animal Hospital has started a Check the Chip program in September to make sure that our patients are working and to let pet owners know how to check on their registration. We scan each pet on every office visit to confirm if a chip is present and working. Stop by the clinic during business hours and we will be happy to scan your pet and get you the information you need to check the registration.
