The Pros of Having Your Dog Microchipped
According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, lost dogs with microchips were returned to their owners 52.2% of the time.
July is National Lost Pet Prevention month and as such, our team at Longwood Veterinary Center would like to share with you some of the pros of microchipping your dog or cat. Many pet owners agree that their biggest fear is becoming unintentionally separated from their pet; however, there are a lot of precautions you can take to help prevent this from happening, and things you can do to make it easier to find your pet should you ever become separated.
What is a microchip?
A microchip implant is an identifying integrated circuit that is placed under the skin of an animal. The chip itself, roughly the size of a large grain of rice, makes use of passive radio-frequency identification technology, and is also known as a PIT tag.
Should you have your dog microchipped?
Having your dog microchipped is becoming an increasingly popular form of pet ID and one that can help you increase your chances of being reunited with your dog after it gets lost. This is also important to do with cats. There are a lot of pros of microchipping for pets including:
- Microchips are a form of ID that cannot be removed or tampered with
- The procedure is painless and doesn’t require any anesthetic. The chip is quickly injected between your dog’s shoulder blades.
- When your pet is microchipped, your personal information stays safe and confidential. No data other than the unique reference number is stored on the microchip, and this number refers to an entry on a database that is managed and secured by the microchip provider. Only authorized parties have access to this information, like vet offices and animal shelters.
What are the cons of microchipping?
There aren’t disadvantages to having your pet microchipped, but there are some things to be aware of. First of all, a microchip is not a GPS. It cannot be used to track your dog if he or she goes missing. The chip is RFID, which enables it to be read by a microchip scanner, but only once your pet has been found.
What does it cost to have a dog microchipped?
We offer microchipping services here at Longwood Veterinary Center. The average cost is around $80, which is a one-time fee covering the registration of the pet in the database as well as the actual procedure of implanting the chip. We find that for most pet owners, the peace of mind that comes from having your pet microchipped is invaluable. If you have any questions about microchipping your dog or cat, or want to make an appointment, contact our Longwood team today!