As a pet owner, you understand that you are the voice for your animals – their guardian and protector. A key way to ensure your pet stays safe and you can always find out where they are is by having your animals professionally microchipped. Microchipping your pet is extremely important, as it may be the only way to find them if they get lost and provide information on what kind of dog they are should that happen.
Identifying Your Pet
When you go to a pet store, you can find many beautiful or fun collars and leashes that fit your pet. These are great for training, going on nice walks, and providing an initial form of identification for your animal via name tags. However, if the unfortunate happens and your animal finds itself lost, microchipping is a surefire way to help people identify them because they are tamper-proof, unlike collars and name tags.
Deterring Animal Theft
It’s difficult to imagine the thought process behind stealing another person’s belongings, much less their furry friends. Unfortunately, it is not unheard of, and it’s often easy enough to remove a collar with name tags and swipe pets when their owners are not looking. Luckily, with the increase in the popularity of microchipping, the number of instances of animal theft is more likely to decrease, as it’s easier to catch and return them to their owners.
Microchipping Helps Reunite Pets With Owners
Losing your beloved pet is incredibly scary and emotional, but knowing you have a way to help find them can ease some of that anxiety. Searching the streets and putting up posters is a great help, but it’s often not enough; relying solely on that wastes precious time you could spend finding and cuddling your best furry friend. Should your pet become lost, having a microchip for them will greatly increase the chances of a heartwarming reunion!
How Does Checking A Microchip Work?
If you are concerned about causing your pet any pain or discomfort, allow the science behind the procedure to clear some of that doubt from your mind! It is the size of a grain of rice and is injected just under your pet’s skin, usually between the shoulder blades, so it’s non-invasive and won’t cause massive amounts of pain. The microchip is inserted, and a scanner is used to activate the microchip and transmit the ID number back to the scanner. That information is documented in a registry with your contact information.
How Long Does Microchipping Take?
Luckily, for you and your pet, microchipping takes a few seconds (similar to getting a vaccine), so the entire process only lasts a few minutes with prep. Additionally, because your pet will not need anesthesia, this procedure has a much lower risk of complications or side effects. Most veterinary clinics keep microchips on hand, so when your veterinary clinic has availability, and you’ve made the appointment, you’re set to go!
Avoiding A Grim Outcome
Identifying your animals and helping reunite them with their worried owners faster are not the only pros to having them microchipped. Animals who wind up in shelters and do not have a professional microchip on them are more likely to be euthanized than those who do. Unfortunately, shelters and rescues cannot realistically hold onto animals for an unlimited amount of time, and many find themselves having to put animals down who have no identifiable owners – something you can avoid with an activated microchip!
Trusting A Reputable Name
It is tough to put your faith in another human you barely know to care for your pets, making it more essential to find a team that puts your mind at ease and treats them with the same level of care you do. Over the years at Old Dominion Veterinary Clinic, we’ve created a name for ourselves that invokes peace of mind and compassion when you walk into our building and pass the leash to our staff. Microchipping is one of many pet services we offer, along with exams, dental procedures, vaccinations, and many more! You can count on us to do it safely, efficiently, and with little discomfort to your four-legged pals!