Statistics show that thousands of pets are lost each year. Most of us never expect to lose our pet and when the unexpected happens, most owners are caught by surprise and unprepared and owners are heartbroken at the loss of their pets. Taking a simple preventative action can prevent this problem from happening.
Lost pets can easily be found with a microchip. Every chip is encased in a smooth, strong biocompatible glass, and is small enough to fit into a hypodermic needle. The microchip is encoded with an identification number and this unique number can identify them throughout their life.
A veterinarian as well as most animal shelters can do the procedure. Animal shelters provide the service for much less than a vet. It can be done in about thirty seconds and does not hurt pets. A microchip ID is a very, very small chip. In fact, it’s just about the size of a grain of rice.
HomeAgain Pet Recovery Service, 24PetWatch and AVID (American Veterinary Identification Devices) Microchip ID are the three companies that produce these microchip IDs. The companies that produce these microchips have their own national database that stores all the pet information.
The microchip implanted under the pet’s skin reflects the low-frequency radio waves given by the scanner. The unique alphanumeric code is then retrieved, decoded, and displayed in the scanner readout window when the animal is scanned. Scanners can be handheld that have a reading range of about 3 inches and some are larger and more powerful that have reading ranges that vary from 6 to 20 inches.
Animal shelters and animal control officers have been educated and informed about microchip identification and how it functions. Shelters use industry-wide, cross-compatible scanners that read all chips operating at a certain frequency and once a microchip is located in an animal, the appropriate steps are then taken.
If you are living or traveling throughout Europe and other countries except China (it requires a 9-digit chip), a 15-digit microchip made according to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standards 11784 and 11785 is required when importing an animal, as a proof that the animal and the vaccination record belong together.
There are still some drawbacks despite the fact that microchips to track your pet are completely safe. Some owners are against microchips because there was an issue reported that these microchips cause Fibro Sarcomas in the animals that have been implanted with these devices.
However, a lot of pet owners are not bothered by this issue because of the advantages that microchipping offers. Injecting a microchip is just like any other injection or vaccination. Anesthesia is not even required or recommended. The AAHA (American Animal Hospital Association, 2007) goes on to state that “The chip is made out of an inert, biocompatible substance, which means it won’t cause an allergic reaction in your furry friend, and it won’t degenerate over time”. When properly implanted, a small layer of connective tissue forms around the microchip thus actually preventing movement or migration of the chip.
Microchips provide an important extra level of protection for you and your pets in the event that your worst nightmare happens- your pet gets lost. But before you do anything drastic or something you might regret later, weigh your options first.
Pet Medications, Pet Supplies SuperStore, Bargain Prices Now
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!