Found: Lost Dog!

A few times a year, we have stray dogs or cats brought to us to scan for a microchip.  More often than not, the pet hasn’t been microchipped, or the microchip hasn’t been registered making it useless.  However, twice in April we had some good luck. Two lost dogs were brought to us and both dogs were microchipped... and the registration information on both microchips was up-to-date allowing us to find the owners and get the dogs back home. 

Studies show that 1 in 3 pets will get lost in their lifetime, and without ID, 90% of pets will never return home.  In fact, getting lost is the number one cause of death in pets.  According to a study by the American Veterinary Medical Association, dogs are over 52% more likely to be returned home if they are microchipped, and cats are over 38% more likely to be returned home.  These statistics illustrate the importance of microchipping, and we find that many of the dogs and cats in our practice are microchipped.  This, however, is only the first step in the process.

The second step to getting a microchipped pet home is to make sure the registration information is current.  When we microchip a pet, we register that number with the owner’s address and phone number.  Oftentimes, information for one or more alternate contacts will also be included, increasing the chances of getting the pet home.  In a study we did in hospital a few years ago, we found that 40% of the microchips in our patients were not registered, or registered with inaccurate information.   In these cases, the microchip is useless because there is no information for the owner attached to it. 

What can you do to make sure your pet can get home to you if he or she gets lost?  First, microchip your pet.  Most dogs and cats tolerate the process very well.  We can do it at any visit.  Second, make sure your information is registered to the microchip.  If you move or change your phone number, make sure you update your information.  If we can’t find you, we will have a very difficult time getting your dog or cat back to you.  If your pet is microchipped, and you don’t know if it’s registered to you (or at all), we can help.  We can scan your dog or cat and check on the registration information.  We can’t change this for you, but we can give you the necessary phone numbers to take care of it.  Please talk to any technician for more information on microchipping and registration. 

What is a Cat Friendly Veterinary Practice?

We are Cat Friendly!

by Kelly L., CVT

In the US, there are millions more cats than dogs as pets, but cats see the veterinarian much less frequently than dogs.  One of the biggest reasons is that it is very stressful for cats (and their owners) to go to the doctor.  In fact, studies show that 58% of cat owners report that their cat hates going to the vet, and 38% of owners say that they get stressed just thinking about taking their cat to the doctor.  At Hallett Veterinary Hospital, we’ve become an American Association of Feline Practitioners designated Cat Friendly Practice to help make visits more comfortable for cats and their owners. 

What does this mean for you and your cat?

To be given the designation of a Cat Friendly Practice, we needed to prove that we have taken steps to assure we understand the specific needs of cats and have implemented feline friendly standards to decrease stress and provide a more calming environment.  

• Our staff has been trained in feline friendly handling and understanding cat behavior.
• We have an exam room dedicated to cats only.  This room is down the hall, away from the waiting room and our busiest exam rooms.  
• We have a Feliway diffuser which is a calming, synthetic feline facial pheromone running in the exam room all day.  
• We have installed shelves for cats to play on.  We can also do our physical exams on these shelves if a cat is more comfortable there.
• We have toys available for playful cats, and a window for cats that like to look outside.  
• Our staff goes slowly with cats using the least amount of restraint that is necessary to handle them.  We also have some lower stress techniques for handling uncooperative cats.  
• We try to do as many procedures as we can in this exam room rather than move the cat to another area of the hospital that may be unfamiliar and uncomfortable.  
• We have a separate cat ward for hospitalized patients to make sure they are away from noisy dogs.  

We are proud of our Cat Friendly Practice designation and work hard to provide a less stressful experience for cats and their owners.