For our new series “Let’s Keep Our Pets Safe” we are going to first discuss microchipping as a way to help locate your pet if it does get lost. Microchips are tiny devices about the size of a large grain of rice that are inserted under the skin often between the shoulder blades (location does vary depending on the species) using a needle in a fashion similar to how a vaccination is given. They are battery free and activated by a hand-held scanner which read a preprogrammed, individual, identification number.
Animals are routinely scanned for microchips by animal control officers, shelters, kennels, and veterinary clinics. If a microchip is discovered on a lost animal, the number can be then looked up to enable authorities to return the pet to its family.
Microchips are a wonderful way to identify animals because they remain with the animal wherever it goes. Things like collars and tags can easily fall off and get lost. Tattoos are painful and can fade or become visually obstructed with fur. Microchips are the least painful way to permanently keep the animal identified. They definitely increase the chance you are reunited with your pet.
In an study published in the Journal of American Veterinary Medicine, they claimed that without a microchip only approximately 13% of owners were able to find their dog, whereas 74% of the animals with a microchip were able to be returned to their owners (Lord LK, Wittum TE, Ferketich AK, et al. Search methods that owners use to find a lost dog. J Amer Vet Med Assoc 2007; 230: 211-216.). Microchips are also extremely helpful in cases of natural disasters like hurricanes and earthquakes because emergency workers can quickly scan animals and work on getting them back to their families.
There are a variety of companies that sell different microchips. The best microchips are ISO (International Standards Organization) microchips because they comply with the international standards. These standards require the chip has an individual 15 digit numeric code which designates the country of origin as well as the specific animal. This helps locate the owners easier even if international borders are crossed.
You can check with your veterinary clinic if they use a brand of ISO microchips. These chips are made to be read or at least detected by different company’s microchip scanners from all over the world. These chips are also required by several countries if you plan on importing an animal or moving internationally.
Once your pet has been microchipped, you will get information on getting the number registered. Registration will link that number to your address and phone number so you’re pet can be given back to you if it’s found. It is important to keep that information updated if you do move or change your phone number.
None of us want to think about our pet getting lost, but microchipping is quite beneficial if it does happen. It will help with their safe return. Our next article in the series “Let’s Keep our Pets Safe” will be “It’s Gardening Time but some Plants are too Dangerous for our Pets”.
