Microchipping Davie Pets
By microchipping your pet, Davie pet owners can dramatically improve their chances of recovering their dog or cat if it wanders off or is stolen. The sad fact is that nationally over 8 million pets wind up in shelters and only 15% of dogs and less than 2% of cats are ever reunited with their owners. Microchipping can increase the odds that your pet will find its way back to you.
You can think of pet microchips as small dog or cat tags. These tiny devices, which include a unique identification number, are inserted in your pet between the shoulders using a syringe similar to the type used when your pet gets inoculations. The chip's number can be read by a scanner which all shelters and veterinarians have allowing them to check the manufacturer's database and get the owner's contact information.
Don't Let Your Pet Slip Through the Microchip Crack
Microchipping sounds like an excellent means of identifying a pet that winds up in a shelter but there is unfortunately a chink in the armor and it involves the pet owner. Having the chip injected into the pet takes less time than filling out the paperwork that goes with the process. That paperwork is exceptionally important and has to be maintained in order to make the information on the pet relevant.
There are several companies that manufacture pet microchips and each maintains a database on pet identification. Owners are responsible for keeping that information up to date. If an owner moves, changes phone numbers or names, that data has to be submitted to make it relevant to the shelter or other organization doing the scanning.
As a fallback position, the chip identifies which veterinarian placed the chip. If a scanner can't get an owners contact information they can contact the vet and ask for assistance. The vet clinic will most likely have a correct address assuming the owner hasn't moved out of town and is still using the vet.
If you would like to get a microchip for your dog or cat, give us a call at DPC Veterinary Hospital and set up an appointment. If your pet is already a patient at the clinic, you can just ask that the chip be inserted as part of your pet's next scheduled inoculation visit.
Just remember, this chip needs your help to make it work. Always keep your contact info up to date!
