No matter how responsible a pet owner is, things can happen, and sometimes our pets get away from us. However, thanks to new technology and microchipping, we are more likely to have our pets returned to us. See a veterinarian on our veterinary team at Walker Valley Veterinary Hospital in Walker Valley, NY, to learn more about microchipping your pet and how it can be returned to you if it becomes lost.
Reasons for Microchipping Your Pet
Microchipping your pet has many benefits, including the number one benefit of having your pet returned to you safely in the event it becomes lost. Some other reasons to microchip your pet include reducing the need for animal shelters to pay for boarding animals that have homes, creating a permanent way to identify your pet, and keeping a cross-referenced database with up-to-date vaccination records. Additionally, if there is a dispute over ownership of the animal, the microchip may help determine the pet's legal owner.
What Is Involved with Microchipping My Pet?
Microchipping a pet is a quick and easy process that is relatively painless for the animal. Though the microchip can be implanted beneath your pet's skin anytime, it is easier to do this during routine pet exams and vaccinations.
The microchip, about the size of a single grain of rice, gets injected beneath the surface of the pet's skin using a needle and syringe. The standard injection site is between the shoulder blades on the pet's back.
How Are Pets Located Using Microchipping?
When a lost pet is brought into a veterinarian office or animal shelter, it is scanned to look for a microchip. In most pets, the microchip remains between their shoulder blades, but in some cases, the microchip may move about within the dog's body. Properly trained vet technicians, animal control specialists, and animal shelter workers know how to scan the pet in search of the microchip.
Once scanned, the identification number transmitted by the chip's radio frequency is used to check a database and locate your contact information, the pet's name, and potentially other information. This information helps return the pet to you by contacting you with details on where and how to pick up your pet.
Learn More about Microchipping with a Veterinarian on Our Veterinary Team
If you still have questions about microchipping your pet, schedule an appointment with a veterinarian on our veterinary team at Walker Valley Veterinary Hospital in Walker Valley, NY. We can help show you the benefits of microchipping and get your pet microchipped with us during their next pet exam. Call us at (845) 744-8605.