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.