Cats & Dogs - Microchipping Your Pet

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Microchipping Your Pet

Joseph Devine

Every year, more than ten million pets are lost each year. 17% of all lost dogs find their way home and a mere 2% of lost cats are reunited with their families. Microchipping, a somewhat new technology in animals, provides a much greater chance that your pet will return home safely.

Some of the benefits of microchips are that they last the length of the pet's life, they don't break because there aren't any moving parts, and there is nothing that can be worn away. While collars work well, they frequently break. A dog that has had to force its way under a fence can tear his collar on the fence and there goes his form of identification. In addition, identification tags on a dog can have their information worn away to the point that it is no longer legible. This too does little good for the dog. Fortunately, microchips do not have these problems.

A microchip is a very small computer chip with an identification number programmed into it by the manufacturer. These chips are so small that they can be placed in the dog through the use of a hypodermic needle. The identification number in the chip cannot be altered or removed. In addition, your pet's body will naturally corm a layer of connective tissue around the chip. This keeps the chip from floating around inside the pet.

Many pet owners are worried that this microchip will hurt their animal. The truth of the matter is that the dog, most likely, will not even feel it. If your dog reacts badly to shots, he or she will react in a similar way to being microchipped. In addition, long-term studies show that it's very safe for the pet.

Microchips work because each chip is equipped with a number that is unique to each animal. A veterinarian or animal shelter will use a scanner to "read" the chip's information. The chip will reveal its unique number which is then called into one of two national databases. These databases will be able to provide the vet or animal shelter worker with the owner's contact information as well as the name of their vet.

An important thing to do whenever you move or change any contact information is to call your database and change their information as well. There is no point in providing inaccurate information.

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) supports microchips as the most reliable way of recovering a lost pet. The program actually has been 100% successful. Every animal that has been microchipped that gets lost has been recovered by its owners.

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If you would like more information on microchipping your pet, visit http://sanfranciscoveterinarianclinics.com/articles.aspx Joseph Devine

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joseph_Devine
http://EzineArticles.com/?Microchipping-Your-Pet&id=1213778

This news arrived on: 06/03/2008

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