My daily walks take me through a maze of different neighborhoods, including mansions, low-income and middle income homes. But I noticed some strange things in my neighborhood: An uptick in posters of missing pets.
It’s strange because I rarely see these posters. I noticed a poster for an orange cat named Paws, missing for a few weeks. Paws’ poster is stapled to many telephone poles around town
Missing Pets
One day, I also saw a poster about a missing Labrador/hound mix named Romeo. He lives in a town about seven miles away. Romeo is a long way from home. Maybe he ran away to escape the noise and fireworks from the July 4th weekend.
As an animal lover, I always stop to read missing pet posters, and hope they have a microchip. Microchipping is one of the best way to return a pet home to their pet parent.
A lost pet is a scary situation for any pet parent. One source explained that 1 in 3 pets go missing.
Collar tags and pet tattoos are a good choice. Microchipping is a better choice to protect a lost pet.
Why Microchipping?
Collar tags imprinted with the pet’s name and the contact phone number of their owner or veterinarian are useful. But tags wear out or can slip off. Pet tattoos have a similar problem.
Pet microchips are more stable (don’t wear out or disappear) and the identification number cannot be changed or removed.
Microchips are small implants (about the size of a grain of rice) placed under the pet’s skin. No anesthesia is needed. Microchips are impossible to read and can’t be removed.
Microchip Myths
A list of microchip myths include:
- A microchip will hurt my pet. Wrong. The procedure is simple and similar to giving your pet a vaccine at the veterinarian’s office.
- Microchips are expensive. Wrong. Your pet may already have a microchip from the animal shelter or rescue. Read your pet adoption paperwork or check for a scan at your next vet visit.
- Only dogs, not cats, need to be microchipped. Wrong. Cats do not always wear a collar. Less than 2% of cats without a microchip are returned home. With a registered microchip, cats are 20 times more likely than cats without a microchip, to return to their pet parent.
- I need to microchip my pet more than once. Wrong. The microchip is made of biocompatible (compatible with living tissue and nontoxic) materials that will not decompose over time. Microchips will last the lifetime of your pet.
- A microchip gives a pet the best protection if he gets lost. Wrong. Microchipping is the first step! Pet parents must register the microchip in a database, such as the National Pet Recovery Database. It’s important to keep your contact information up to date.
- If my contact information is contained in the chip, anyone with a scanner can access it. Wrong. Each microchip is a unique identification number. If your pet is lost and taken to a veterinary clinic or animal shelter, your pet will be scanned for a microchip. The unique number will be called into the pet recovery service. They will contact you from the information in the national pet recovery database.
Wrangler: A Dog Lost and Found
Many pet lovers enjoy stories about pets returning home. I read a pet recovery story about a dog rescued from a hoarding situation in Texas. Authorities seized almost 200 animals from that home.
The poor dog, named Wrangler, was a victim of a domestic situation. His dog dad was a service member on active duty. And while he was away, Wrangler’s dog mom gave him away.
Sadly, Wrangler was missing for three long years. But he wore a microchip. And thanks to the good work of local rescue groups, Wrangler found his way back home to his dog dad!
I encourage more pet parents to microchip their pets. Remember to keep your contact information current in the national database registry.
I hope Paws and Romeo find their way back home!
Thanks for stopping by!
Dr. Pet Mom
“I believe cats to be spirits come to earth. A cat, I am sure, could walk on a cloud without coming through.”
–Jules Verne
“Dogs laugh, but they laugh with their tails.”
–Max Eastman