Microchipping cats and dogs is essential, particularly if your pets are fond of roaming around outside. While many pets exercise outside and enjoy the freedom of the great outdoors without incident, it's not unheard of for pets to go missing, or get lost or stolen. Losing a pet is heartbreaking for pet parents, and equally confusing and upsetting for the animal. Having your pet microchipped will greatly increase the likelihood of being reunited with your furry friend should they be handed in to a veterinary surgery or shelter.
Despite the process of microchipping being relatively simple, there are still thousands of pets out there that remain un-chipped, as well as hundreds of animals that have out-of-date information stored on their chip. In order to remind pet parents to do the responsible thing, the American Veterinary Medical Association and the American Animal Hospital Association have joined forces to create National Check the Chip Day. Today, August 15th, is that day. Is your cat or dog microchipped? Is the information stored within the chip correct and up to date? If not, now is the time to do something about it.
How Do Microchips Work?
A microchip is a tiny electronic chip that is usually injected into a cat or dog's scruff. It stores important information such as the pet's name, address, and the contact number of his pet parents. This information can be read and understood by a special scanner, which will routinely be run over your pet's neck if he is picked up as a stray. Don't forget to register your pet's chip in the national database immediately.
If microchipping your pet is something you've been meaning to do for a while, be sure to use National Check the Chip Day as the motivation you need. You'll be glad that you got that job done.
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