IDs and Microchipping: Keeping Pets Safe

It is scary news for a pet owner to learn that a dog or cat is lost. Whether the gate was left open, or the animal escaped from the pet sitter while the family was on vacation, losing a pet creates a stressful situation.  Hopefully, a good Samaritan will find the runaway pet and return it.

It is estimated that 10 million pets go missing in the US every year. Unfortunately, pets end up in shelters without identification and are unlikely to reunite with their owners.  A microchip may help the family reunite with their lost fur baby.

To protect pets, many owners are turning to technology, in the form of identification microchips implanted in their pets. One of the biggest benefits to microchips are that they are permanent, they can’t be lost, and they can’t be tampered with. Pets lose a collar or ID tag, but chips are there to stay.

How does your pet receive a chip?

A veterinarian injects the microchip just under the dog’s skin using a hypodermic needle. It is a quick procedure and feels like getting a shot.

What happens after the chip is implanted?

The owner of the pet must also register the chip into the manufacture’s database. This is the only way to trace the pet! When a shelter or veterinarian scans a lost pet, the chip number is entered into a database to find the owner’s profile. If the chip has NOT been registered, the database will not bring up a match. Owners also need to remember to update the database when contact information changes.

No one wants to think about their pet being lost, but accidents can happen. Always make sure the tags and registration are up to date. A combination of physical identification and a microchip gives the pet the best chance of being reunited with its owner.