The easiest way to prevent this from happening again is by microchipping your pets.
Microchips are a small, safe, and permanent form of identification that can be implanted in pets as young as 8 weeks old. A simple scan with a universal scanner will tell you if the animal has been reported missing or found. If they're yours, it's easy to get them home safely!
Microchipping 101
Each year millions of pets become lost or displaced. In fact, one in three pets will go missing during their lifetime. According to World Animal Foundation, approximately 6.3 million pets are surrendered to animal shelters every year. What do many of these pets have in common? They have no form of identification. While collars and tags are good, they can fall off or be taken off and should only be used as a backup to microchips. Microchips are an implantable medical device that safely and permanently identifies your pet. Microchips have successfully reunited millions of lost pets with their owners, and today, saving lives through microchip identification and recovery continues to be our mission.
What is a microchip?
Microchips are available in different sizes and frequencies
Microchips are an implantable, integrated transponder about the size of a grain of rice. The microchip is encapsulated in bioglass to prevent tissue irritation and microchip migration. The microchip is not a GPS, does not use batteries and becomes energized by a microchip scanner. The microchip is permanent and will last the life of the pet. Each microchip has a unique identification number encoded into its integrated circuit. When enrolled in a pet recovery service this number links the pet to the owner's contact information.
Why should I microchip my pet?
Each year, 6 to 8 million pets end up in shelters in the United States (Source: HSUS). Typically, these shelters take in hundreds of lost pets each week, experience overcrowding, and have limited resources. Some of these shelters have a no-kill policy while others have to make hard decisions. Thankfully, many shelters scan pets upon intake and before disposition and will try to reunite a microchipped pet with its owner. When a microchip is detected, the shelter will call a pet recovery service to locate the owner and reunite the pet. The system works, each month thousands of lost pets across the U.S. are reunited with their owners as long as the microchip is registered and has current contact information.
Does microchipping hurt my pet?
Microchips are typically injected between the shoulder blades with a syringe. The procedure is similar to receiving a vaccination through a needle and most pets don’t even react when the microchip is injected. The microchip provides a safe, permanent form of identification. It's like getting a vaccination against being lost!
How do I get my pet microchipped?
Many veterinarians and shelters offer microchipping services, contact your local veterinarian or shelter today. Your shelter should be able to let you know about any low-cost options available to you.
Should I register my pets microchip?
Registering your pet with your microchip company is the most important step in the microchipping process. Unfortunately, many pet owners simply forget or don't take the time to register their pet. An unregistered microchip is useless.
