Vetcetera Vet

The difference between lost and found.

Thirty-three percent of pets will get lost at least once in their lifetime - a sad, but true fact. The good news is that there is technology available to identify your pet twenty-four hours a day, three hundred and sixty five days a year. Using microchips for pet identification is fast becoming the most popular method of identifying pets.

The microchip procedure is simple. A tiny microchip (about the size of a grain of rice) is painlessly injected under the loose skin between your pet's shoulder blades. Each microchip has a unique I.D. number to identify your pet for life. Important information on you and your pet is entered into a National Database.

Virtually all clinics and shelters across the country have scanners that are equipped to read these microchip I.D. numbers. In the event that a lost animal comes into an animal hospital or shelter, these animals are routinely scanned for these microchips. If one is found, a call is made to a toll-free hotline that will identify the rightful owner and contact numbers.

Microchips are completely safe. They are made from bio-compatible material and have an anti-migratory design which keeps the chip in place. Once inserted in the pet, the microchip remains inactive until a hand held device known as a scanner or reader is passed over the pet in proximity of the chip. The scanner generates an electromagnetic field which activates the microchip. The number is than transmitted back to the scanner.

Important Reasons For Microchip Identification:

• It is a safe, painless, and permanent method of pet identification
• Collars and tags are important - but they can fall off or be removed
• Information on your pet's database may save its life - i.e. medications, special instructions, etc.
• Tattoos are often difficult to read, harder to trace, and painful to apply
• The service operates twenty four hours a day, three hundred and sixty five days a year, in both official languages, getting lost pets home quickly and safely
• Over one hundred and fifty thousand Canadian pets are microchipped and registered
• Microchipping is the solution for cats who do not wear or will not tolerate collars
• Last year over five thousand lost pets were returned home because they were identified with microchips
• In North America, thirty eight thousand family pets are euthanized every day simply because they cannot be identified

Extras You Receive With Microchips:

• No Renewal Fees - Lifetime registration on the National Database
• Free Information Changes - There is never any fee to change your address or add important information to your pet's file

It's the difference between lost and found.