Microchip For Your Pets
The Advantages Of
The Microchip
For Your Pets
Every pet owner wants to keep his or her beloved
cat or dog as safe as possible. What if your fuzzy
feline accidentally slips out of the door at night
and you search to no avail? Placing a collar with
an identification tag is important, but collars sometimes
become lost. When you consider the fact that many
animal shelters only keep dogs and cats for seven
days, you want to make sure that your pet is properly
identified. That is where the microchip comes in handy.
The microchip is the newest way to identify lost pets
and helps ensure that your lost pooch or feline finds
his or her way back home.
|
|
|
The technology of the microchip has become so popular that
most animal clinics and animal shelters have the ability
to scan a cat or dog for microchip identification. If you
opt for the microchip, you should know that it is a painless
procedure for your pet. Your vet will insert a tiny microchip
about the size of a grain of rice directly under your pet’s
skin using a hypodermic needle. The microchip is usually
placed behind the neck. The microchip contains special digital
number that has been entered on a national microchip database.
That information will give the person your contact information.
When you pet is lost, a veterinarian or animal shelter can
use a special scanner to retrieve the microchip information.
It is that easy.
Pet owners love the idea of the microchip because it is
permanent. You cannot remove the microchip and unlike a
collar or tags, it cannot be lost or destroyed. This is
one of the best features of pet microchip, especially for
cats. If you place a collar on a cat, more than likely it
will be a breakaway collar. If your cat climbs a tree, or
is caught on something, the collar breaks off. If your cat
does not have a microchip, it will be very difficult to
identify your cat if it is found.
There are a few important things to remember about pet
microchips. First, if your pet gets lost, you should never
just sit back and wait for a call, even if your pet has
a microchip. Not all veterinarians
and shelters are equipped with this technology. You need
to take the time to call around and place “lost pet”
flyers around your neighborhood. In addition, you need to
make sure you take the time to update your contact information
should you move. It does little to no good to have your
pet implanted with the microchip if the information on the
national database is incorrect. Your veterinarian can give
you information on how to update this information.
It is important to get your pet implanted with the microchip
at a young age. Puppies can have the microchip at age six
weeks. Even small breeds of dogs can handle this procedure.
Kittens can also undergo this procedure at six weeks. The
insertion of the microchip is not painful and feels like
a regular vaccination shot. You can have your pet implanted
with the microchip at your veterinarian
office and can expect to pay between $30 and $50 for this
service.
|
|
Pet Health 
