Microchipping: Is it Right for Your Pet
Most pet owners are aware of how placing an identification tag on their pet can help them get the pet back if it gets lost. Many people however have never considered the fact that a tag on a collar may not provide the most effective means to identify their pet. A tag or collar is easily lost or even removed by those who wish to make claim to your beloved pet. However, all is not as bad as it seems. Microchipping is the answer many pet owners have used to insure that their pet is identifiable as their own.
Since it’s estimated that more than ten million pets are lost or stolen each year, you can be sure that it is a real problem, and not a marketing angle for the microchip manufacturers. You may ask what a microchip is and how it can help you; well the answer is quite simple. A microchip is actually a small computer type device which has a unique number embedded within it. This device can identify your pet if it does indeed get lost or stolen.
The device is small enough to be inserted under the skin of your pet with a hypodermic needle. Once there, the microchip cannot be removed nor can the identifying number be changed. The pet is forever tagged as belonging to you. If you’re concerned that your pet will feel undue pain, then you may lay your worries to rest. The procedure is simple and does not require your pet to be put under any type of anesthesia. The procedure is painless as the chip is placed between your pet’s shoulders, just beneath the skin where it will forever remain. Most pets will not respond to the injection at all, and research has shown it to be perfectly safe for your pet.
One of the best features of the microchip is that it requires no maintenance as it has nothing that can wear out and will last for as long as your pet lives. A hand held scanner device is used to read the chip, and you’ll find that the majority of pet shelters and veterinarians now have and use these scanners to check pets for microchip implants. It’s a reassuring feeling that if your pet gets lost or even stolen that it may be returned to you because a caring veterinarian or animal shelter employee checked your pet for a microchip.
More and more dog breeders recommend to their clients that they have their pet microchipped as soon as possible. However, just because your dog may not be a pure bred dog with a long fancy pedigree history, it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t go the extra step to have your pet implanted with an ID chip. On the contrary, microchips are for any pet, dog or cat, which has someone who cares enough to take that extra step to protect their pet.
In an ideal world, a fence, collar and a leash would be all any pet owner would need to insure that their pet was safe. Sadly that just isn’t the case, so until it is, show your pet how much you care and get him or her microchipped.
