Warm weather is here! Our fuzzy friends are spending more time outside. It’s a great time to make sure your dog or cat has a microchip so they have a better chance of being returned to you if lost.
Most pets wear a collar with tags that have their name and the phone number displayed. If a collar falls off, a microchip can provide permanent identification so your pet may be returned to you. Often cats do not wear collars, and may not have any other form of ID. A recent study showed that less than 2% of cats without microchips were returned home. If a cat is microchipped, the return-to-owner rate is 20 times higher than if the cat was not microchipped.
The process of implanting a microchip takes only a few seconds, and your dog or cat will not react any more than he or she would to a vaccination. Microchips are approximately as large as a single grain of rice. Although they are small, they can hold all of your contact information. Nearly all veterinarians and shelters have scanners capable of reading the information on these chips. Since they are under the skin, there is no chance of the chip getting lost.
Make sure you update the address and phone number that is registered to your microchip. If you have any questions, call or text Indian Peaks Veterinary Hospital at (303) 938-9474.