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What is the best way to ensure your pet gets home safe when lost? Microchipping your pet is important in getting your pet home safe if it ever gets lost. Every day we receive reports of lost pets. Every month we reunite over 100 lost pets with their owners. Less than 20 of these pets have chips.
What Are Microchips and How Do They Work?
Microchipping is a simple process that takes place in a vet’s office or clinic. The chip is injected between the shoulder blades beneath the pet’s skin. The chip is about the size of a grain of rice. The procedure is like any vaccination and doesn’t require anesthetic.
Microchips are permanent pet IDs – like a social security number for your pet. There is no internal energy source so it will last a lifetime. Chips are read by microchip scanners that pass over your pet. A code pops up and animal services officers or vets can then call the chip company to get owner’s contact information and reunite the pet.
Be Sure Your Pet’s Microchip is Registered
Once your pet is chipped, it’s important to be sure the registration information is always up to date. Our website has microchipping resources for all chip companies. You can also register your pet’s microchip or update the information for free at the Found Animal’s Registry.
If you’re not sure whether your pet is chipped, your vet can scan and get the chip information for you.
Checking Found Pets for Microchips
If you’ve found a pet, please take them to get scanned for a microchip. We realize with people’s hectic schedules or finding pets late at night, getting them scanned for a chip takes time. Any ER Vet can scan after hours – we have a complete list.
During the day, any vet or Petsmart can scan for free. One of our goals at Lost Pet Services, Inc. is to purchase several microchip scanners so we can scan pets as soon as they are found and return them to their owner faster. You can help us by donating to this cause.
Microchipping can be done through the Humane Society of Sarasota County or the Humane Society of Manatee County at their clinics. On our web page, you will find agencies that offer rates starting as low as $15.
Even with microchips, we strongly recommend every pet wear a collar with ID tags. ID tags will give immediate information to get your pet Home Safe quicker. Think about chipping your dog today!