Dog & Cat Microchipping in Woodland Park
In spite of pet owners’ best efforts, one out of every three pets become separated from their owners at some point during their lives. Indoor cats pop out through broken window screens, contractors accidentally let pets out of the house, and dogs get frightened and break off their leashes or dig under the backyard fence.
The American Humane Society estimates that every year ten million cats and dogs are lost, and unfortunately most of these animals will never be reunited with their families. Collars come loose and identifying tags become lost or carry outdated information. So, even when lost pets are found and turned into a shelter or veterinarian, it is nearly impossible to locate their owners.
How Does Pet Microchipping Work?
A pet microchip is a very small (about the size of a grain of rice) transponder, which holds an identifying number unique to each pet. In a quick, simple and safe procedure, similar to a vaccination, Dr. Cooper inserts the microchip into a cat or dog just above its shoulder.
The number associated with your pet is then recorded in a computer system along with your contact information and all of your pet’s vital information. Anytime a lost pet is turned into a shelter or veterinarian, the dog or cat will be scanned for a microchip. The shelter or veterinarian can then look up the pet’s identification number in the national database to locate and contact its family.
Only professionals working with animals have access to the microchip database, and since your pet’s microchip itself contains none of your personal information, there’s no chance of your information being taken from your pet to be used for unauthorized reasons.
How Effective Are Pet Microchips?
The Journal of the American Veterinary Association reported that fewer than two percent of cats and only about 22% of dogs without microchips turned into animal shelters are reunited with their families. With microchips, about 38% of cats and 52% of dogs turned into shelters find their families, a significant improvement over the use of ID tags alone.
Schedule an Appointment with Our Woodland Park Veterinarian
If your pet does not yet have a microchip, we encourage you to schedule an appointment as soon as possible with Dr. Cooper in Woodland Park. No matter how careful you are and how much you love your pets, they can still become lost.
