What You Need to Know About Micro-chipping By Kelly Marshall At Isnare.com Ezine Articles

Many of us have been there before. A door or gate is left open accidentally or for a moment too long when a beloved pet slips past and is gone. This happens ten million times annually and is heart-breaking and stressful for both the pet and its owners. Collars have been the recommended solution for years, but with their easy loss and removal, microchip implants have become a preferable alternative. If you're considering micro-chipping your dog, here is what you should know about the process and its benefits.

The microchip is a small device that fits through the eye of a hypodermic needle. It has no moving parts, and as such will not break down. Each chip contains a permanent and unique identification number that is associated with your pet for its lifetime.

The procedure happens to be simple, safe and mostly painless, requiring no anesthesia. Your dog receives a simple injection into the loose skin between its shoulders. The injection contains the microchip which is encased in connective tissue. This holds the chip firmly in place throughout your dog's life.

Studies done long term have shown that micro-chipping is very safe, the procedure being as routine as an annual vaccination. Furthermore, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) recommends micro-chipping as a humane and highly effective means of recovering lost pets. This one-time procedure brings a number of benefits, drastically improving the likelihood of recovering a lost pet. Many shelters or veterinarians have scanners which can read your pet's unique ID number. If the contact information associated with your dog is kept up-to-date, you'll soon receive a call to come and retrieve your lost friend.

There are two major companies providing this service. One, the American Veterinary Identification Devices (AVID), registers your dog with its national PETrac service. Your veterinarian should provide you with the required application following the procedure. Should you not receive the application, or if any information needs to be updated, call PETrac by dialing (800) 336-2843. AVID also provides a tag with the ID number prominently displayed. Anyone seeing this tag will know that the process of matching up a lost pet with its owner is more convenient than it would be otherwise, and might act more quickly to bring the dog to a scanner-equipped shelter.

Schering-Plough HomeAgain is another popular microchip provider. Once chipped, your dog is registered with the Companion Animal Recovery (CAR) program by the American Kennel Club (AKC). Just as with the AVID system, CAR represents a nationwide database which associates your pet with current contact information. To update this information, call HomeAgain at (800) 252-7894.

Micro-chipping is incredibly effective. CAR statistics report that nearly 1.5 million pets are enrolled, 97% of whom are implanted with HomeAgain microchips. The system boasts a 100% success rate in uniting pets found in the system with their owners.

Your dog, while a beloved member of your family, is also an animal with years of instincts to combat. Despite our best efforts and wishes, sometimes they are lost. Of the many ways to recover from such a possibility, micro-chipping is a simple procedure with huge and life-long benefits.

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