As a veterinarian, I see dozens of scenarios a year where a pet is inadvertently let out of an open door, or jumps out of a car, or pulls out of their collar.
If that pet ends up at a shelter or a veterinary hospital, one of the first things that is done when a stray animal comes in, is that they are checked for a microchip. A microchip is a tiny antenna-based device that is implanted between a pet’s shoulder blades to provide permanent identification. Each microchip transmits a unique and individual number, like a fingerprint, to a specialized scanner. This number is linked through the manufacturer’s database to an owner’s contact information. These chips save lives, return lost pets to their owners, and provide identification in times of crisis when pets get lost due to disasters, collars aren’t on, and paperwork is unavailable.
Where this really hit home for me was when I volunteered time to animal shelters in my area after major disasters, like fires and hurricanes. Animals were displaced by the hundreds. They were chaotic times with an organization that was rushed and paltry at best. Many pets who weren’t immediately identified, who did NOT have microchips, were rehomed as fast as they could be, even flown across the country. They NEVER had a chance to be reclaimed by displaced, stressed owners. Most never had a chance to get home.
Here are some facts and fiction about microchips for pets:
FACT Microchips are Inexpensive:
Compared to recovery fees, a microchip is usually less than $100. Some shelters and pet rescue groups offer placements for no fees. Many companies charge a nominal annual fee which often involves free coverage for poison control, but once a pet’s number is entered into the database, there is no cost to maintain that registration. Some manufacturers, especially of low-cost chips, charge a small fee to change registration information (it’s how they recover the costs of maintaining databases) and some do not. Either way, the cost is tiny compared to other modalities that may or may not be effective in relocating a pet.
FACT In Some Municipalities, Having Your Pet Microchipped is the LAW:
Maintaining shelters are holding on to lost or stray animals is costly to cities and counties. It is in their best financial interest to make sure that lost pets get home. To that end, many cities and counties require microchip placement to obtain registrations, which are also required of pet owners in many places.
FICTION Microchip Placement is Painful:
When I was a baby vet, I used to infuse the area that I was placing the chip into with a little bit of lidocaine to numb the area. I quickly learned that the quick in-and-out of the needle is much less uncomfortable than the placement of the lidocaine. The chip is smaller than a grain of rice. With most microchips, a 14 gauge needle is used to place the chip between the pet’s shoulder blades. This is the size of a needle that is used when people donate blood, so while you feel it, it isn’t excruciating, and it’s over in a moment. At my practice, we feed squeeze cheese when we’re placing a chip, or we do it when we have an anesthetic procedure planned, and my patients wince at most when a chip is placed. Some never even notice.
FACT Microchips Help Provide Proof of Ownership if a Pet is Stolen or Inadvertently Rehomed:
Pictures and veterinary records are helpful, as are tags, but the truth is that all of these can be non-specific and even reproduced. Microchip information that leads back to you is your best protection and is enforceable by law in these scenarios.
FACT Microchipping Your Pet Dramatically Increases Your Chances of Being Reunited with Your Pet:
In a study at The Ohio State University Veterinary School in 2009, the return to owner rate for microchipped cats was 20 times higher, and 2.5 times higher for microchipped dogs than the return rates for all strays that had entered shelters. In three out of four cases, shelters were able to find owners of pets implanted with microchips. In cases where owners were not found, reasons included incorrect or disconnected numbers, failure to return communication or microchips that were unregistered.
FICTION Owners Would Be Able to Recognize Their Pet if They Saw It:
In a shelter scenario, even though you love your pet, you may actually NOT be able to recognize your pet when she is stressed and out of her own environment. Many animals do not have distinct markings. Many animals will leave their own neighborhoods and end up in shelters in different cities or even states. Many animals look different when they are scared, injured, and hiding. You cannot trust your own reactions or the pet’s response to you (or lack thereof) in these situations.
FICTION Microchips Help You Geolocate Your Pet:
Microchips are NOT location devices. Unfortunately, while GPS technology is outstanding and still developing, we are not yet able to use microchip devices to track our pets.
FICTION Registration Of Your Chip Happens Automatically When The Chip is Placed:
This is VERY important. Your veterinarian or shelter MOST LIKELY does not register your pet for you. If you are not sure whether your pet is registered with you, visit the American Animal Hospital Association’s website petmicrochiplookup.org. You will need your pet’s microchip number to locate the manufacturer, then they can be contacted directly. Your veterinarian would be happy to scan your pet at no charge to ensure that this important step is taken. If your pet’s microchip is unregistered, it is no better than an unengraved tag or a collar with no identification. PLEASE BE SURE THAT YOUR PET’S CHIP IS REGISTERED. And, when you are at your pet’s routine veterinary appointments, remind us to scan your pet to be sure that the microchip is still in place and still transmitting.
In summary, there really is no good reason not to microchip your pet. The studies are in agreement that the placement of microchips is the single best way to return lost pets to their owners.
In my practice, I recommend microchip placement AND registration as a statement of love
I love you, so I want you to return to me, no matter how we might become separated.
If you have questions about microchipping,
Please email at : kelli@grifffinshopefoundation.org
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