Microchipping Your Pet
We have all seen them walking around our neighborhoods. A paper stapled to a telephone pole with a picture of a happy owner with their dog with the words “Lost Dog” underneath it. Or maybe at your local cafe of a cat with the phrase, “Help Find Me”. Yes, we all have seen these but the unfortunate truth of the matter is a very high percentage of these will ever be found. The American Humane Association estimates about 17% of lost dogs and 2% of lost cats will ever find their way home.
A recent study estimated that over 75% of lost pets would be reunited with their owners if they had been microchipped. With a success rate of over 75%, it seems most pet owners would be flocking to get their pet microchipped. That is not the case. Around 5% of dogs and cats in America are microchipped.
When it comes to microchipping there seems to be a list of concerns as well as misinformation. I want to go over some of the most common concerns and see if we can gain some clarity on them.
“Is it safe?”
Yes it is. One misconception about microchipping your pet is it’s dangerous to internal organs because it’s being injected into the body. The truth is it’s injected underneath the skin so it is away from organs. There used to be concerns of migration with the early versions of microchips. But the microchip’s of today are manufactured with anti-migrating properties. So, if it’s implanted properly, there is little risk of migration. The microchips also will never degenerate over time.
“It hurts.”
Microchipping your pet is a very simple procedure. It’s inserted into the loose skin between the shoulders and is over very quickly. Most pets won’t even notice the procedure is being performed, as we try to distract with treats and lots of loving during the process.
“Sounds expensive.”
Actually it’s not. The total price usually falls between $20*-$50. There’s a fee for the procedure and sometimes a small fee* to enter the pet into a database. There are no maintenance fees and you never have to replace the chip.
* 1st Care’s cost for a microchip is only $20 for the standard size microchip and includes free lifetime online registration and contact updates.
“My cat doesn’t go outside.”
All it takes is one open door. Maybe a repairman runs to his truck to grab a tool and leaves the a door open. It’s better to be safe than sorry.
Microchipping is safe, affordable, and life-long assurance tht your pet can be reunited if they are ever lost. Your pet can’t tell anyone who they belong to. But it is only one step you can take. It’s always best to have multiple forms of ID on your pet. ID tags coupled with microchipping will definitely help if the unfortunate situation every happens to you and your pet.
Look here for the details and price to Microchip.