By Hillary Frank, DVM, ABVP (Avian)

    Millions of dogs and cats are taken to animal shelters as strays each year—but only about 15 percent of dogs and 2 percent of cats who end up in shelters without an ID tag or microchip are reunited with their owners. Most of the remaining pets never find a home and are ultimately euthanized.

    Microchipping has become a popular and safe way to permanently identify a pet in case he or she is lost. Even the most responsible pet owners can be accidentally or unexpectedly separated from their pets. If your pet becomes lost and is transported to a local animal rescue center or animal hospital, they will be able to scan your pet for the chip and contact you.

 

The microchip is a tiny computer chip, about the size of a grain of rice, programmed with an identification number. Once an animal is injected with a chip, it can be identified throughout its life with this one-of-a-kind number using a hand held scanner. Puppies and kittens can be chipped as early as 6 weeks of age. The same size microchip and needle are used in pets even smaller than puppies and toy breeds, including kittens, birds, tortoises, and even fish.

     Microchips are permanent and can’t be lost, altered, or destroyed. Pet owners have been reunited with chipped pets missing for years or that have traveled thousands of miles.

    Once injected, the microchip is anchored in place as a thin layer of connective tissue forms around it. The microchip is inert, smooth, nontoxic, and nonallergenic. Animal shelters and veterinarians are finding chips in more and more lost pets. They are aware of the national registries and routinely contact them to obtain owner information regarding the pet.

    Fifty-three shelters in 23 states participated in a recent study published in the Journal of American Veterinary Medicine, which revealed that shelter officials were able to find the owners of lost microchipped pets in nearly three out of four cases. In the study, the biggest reason owners couldn’t be found was because of an incorrect or disconnected phone number in the registration database.

    Microchipped cats were returned to owners 20 times more often than non-microchipped cats. Dogs that were microchipped were 2.5 times more likely to be returned to their owners than non-microchipped dogs.

    While this research shows the importance of microchipping, nothing replaces the need for a collar and tag with the owner’s contact information. A phone number is listed on the tag is the easiest way to find the owner of a lost pet.

Hillary Frank, DVM, Dipl. ABVP (Avian) is the owner of North Central Animal Hospital, P.C., 20 W. Dunlap Ave. She can be reached at 602-395-9773. The information in “Pet Primer” is provided as general information only. For specific advice on your pet’s health, consult your veterinarian.