Why microchip your pets?
Having your pet microchipped is one of the best ways to increase your pet’s chances of getting home if he or she is lost or stolen and winds up at an animal shelter or veterinary office. Unlike ID tags and collars, which can fall off or be removed, microchipping is a more permanent form of identifying your dog or cat.
Why microchip my indoor-only city cat?
Even when cats are of the indoor-only variety, the fact is that at one time or another, given the right conditions, they may disappear–for a few days or for forever. There is much you can do to weigh the odds in your kitty’s favor, should she ever become lost. At Animal General, we have used microchips to reunite owners with their pets when dogs have slipped the collar when a dog-walker was out with them, when cats have jumped out of apartment windows (even taking the screen with them), and when cats have escaped from the apartment when a pet-sitter, service person, emergency worker, or any other unfamiliar person has entered the apartment. Please don’t take a chance that your kitty couldn’t be reunited with you. At Animal General, we use Bayer’s ResQ microchip.
How does it work?
A tiny capsule about the size of a grain of rice is injected under the loose skin on the back of your pet’s neck. The procedure provides no more discomfort than a vaccination.
Register the chip. This is extremely important! Make sure you complete the form, call the company, or log onto their website to register that microchip to your pet and your contact information as soon as it is implanted.
If your dog or cat becomes lost and turns up at a shelter or vet’s office, a scanner can be used to read the digital number on the chip.
A phone call to the microchip company to which you registered the microchip provides the shelter or vet with your contact information, and you can be contacted to retrieve your pet immediately.
