The thought of your pet getting loose is a scarey scenario that may play in your mind from time to time. Of course, there are a lot of things you can do as a REACTION to losing your pet, but we want to focus on what you can do preemptively. Let’s be prepared for the worse and hope for the best.
Making sure your pets have collars with proper ID tags is always best. But, let’s be honest – some owners don’t like to keep them on their pets 24/7 or they may break off if your pet did get out.
Let’s Talk About Microchipping Your Pets
A microchip is a small, circuit that is implanted just under a pet’s skin, typically between the shoulder blades. It is implanted using a needle and for the most part, doesn’t cause pets much more pain than their annual vaccinations. The microchip is about the size of a grain of rice and emits no energy.
When a specialized scanner is waved close to the microchip, the scanner emits a low radio frequency which provides the chip enough power to provide the scanner with its specific ID number. That specific ID number is linked to your pet.
Many rescues and shelters implant a microchip into pets before they are adopted, as part of their pre-adoption process. If your pet was adopted and didn’t already come with one or if you purchased your pet, you can have a microchip implanted at your veterinarian during a regular veterinary visit.
What Kinds of Pets Can Be Microchipped?
- Cats
- Dogs
- Birds
- Horses
- Reptiles
- Ask your veterinarian about your pocket pets or other species
Do They Actually Work?
Yes, microchips work and help return thousands of pets to their owners every year! Many of those pets would have ended up in shelters or rescues and their fate isn’t always pleasant. You can read about our experience finding a lost dog while pet sitting in Toms River and how it’s microchip made the reunion possible, in the article listed at the bottom of the page.
Are There Different Brands of Microchips?
Yes, much like any other product, there are different manufacturers and brands. We’ve been working in the veterinary field for many years and have seen the different brands and what they offer, but we have always recommended HomeAgain microchips to our clients and will continue to do so.
What are the Benefits of a HomeAgain Microchip?
- Internationally Recognized – This means that the frequency the chip emits can be picked up by a scanner, all over the world.
- Bio-Bond – “a patented anti-migration feature to help ensure that the microchip will stay in place so that it may be easily located and scanned,” according to their website.
What are the Benefits of the HomeAgain Service?
Whether your pet is microchipped with a HomeAgain chip or any other chip, you can still register them with the HomeAgain Service and take advantage of these great advantages:
- You should keep an updated photograph of your pet and current contact information on file with them. They have a staff who will create LOST posters for you and will fax them to all veterinary offices, shelters, and rescues registered with them in a 25-mile radius of your address
- They will contact volunteers who will go out and search for your pet
- You can create LOST posters directly on their website
- When your pet is found, their staff is on call 24/7! HomeAgain will contact you and/or your emergency contact as soon as they receive information that your pet has been found
- If your pet is found over 500 miles away, HomeAgain will pay $500 in pet airfare to help you reunite
- Included in your membership is access to Pet Poison Control, usually a $50 fee per call, for FREE
Related Article: 5 Things You Can Do If Your Pet Goes Missing
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