One of the most disheartening things is when a good sam brings in a stray and it doesn’t have a microchip. At SWVH, especially during the summer months, we frequently recieve phone calls about lost or found pets. One of the most important things you can do to protect your pet is to ensure its identification. A frightening number of pets enter the shelter system each year simply due to the fact that animal control has no contact information to return them home.
Collars and external tags are helpful, and should still be used, but can fall off. Microchips are a permanent form of identification. A small chip the size of a grain of rice is implanted under your pet’s skin in the same manner as giving an immunization. The chip contains secure information about your pet and can be read using a special scanner. Virtually all veterinary hospitals, shelter organizations and animal control agencies have scanners and use them to attempt to identify any lost pets.
There are many different microchip companies: HomeAgain, ResQ, AVID, just to name a few. SWVH uses HomeAgain as it offers the ‘Lost Pet Alert system’ which we feel gives you the best chance at a happy ending.
HomeAgain Features:
- Advanced anti-migration technology
- Proactive Pet Recovery Database
- Rapid Lost Pet Alerts
- Personalized “Lost Pet” posters
- 24/7 Emergency Medical Hotline
- Pet ID cards
- Pet Travel
Assistance (up to $500 to get them home!)
FACTS:
Ø 1 in 3 pets goes missing during its lifetime
Ø No anesthetic is needed for a microchip implant
Ø Microchips are not tracking devices, they are radio-frequency identification implants (RFID)
Ø Microchips have no moving parts or batteries and so do not wear out.
Ø A microchip is made out of biocompatible material that will not degenerate over time.
Ø Once your microchip has been registered with HomeAgain you are entitled to basic recovery services for life. Annual membership benefits provide extra assistance in finding your pet; including travel assistance and the Emergency Medical Hotline.
Ø Indoor cats need microchips too! Cats are escape artists – don’t leave it to chance!
Ø Your personal information is not accessible from the microchip alone. Only a unique identification number is contained in the chip. A person must then contact the manufacturer and only authorized personnel are privy to your contact information.
Ø Over 1 million microchipped pets have returned home with the HomeAgain pet recovery system!
Ø The price for a microchip is nominal, compared to the peace of mind you have during that instant when you discover your pet is missing!
SWVH offers a $10 off discount on Wednesdays and every day of the week with sedated or anesthetized procedures. The cost of your first year registration is FREE!