Animals Die Needlessly Far Too Often - How To Protect Your Pets By Microchipping Them

Animals die needlessly when humans don't take the necessary action to protect them. A bold statement but a true one, and a problem that has been solved through the introduction of Microchip RFID technology.

Through the use of microchip technology today companion animals can be chipped and the owners can make sure the registrations are submitted to one of the major recovery services in their country. The microchip is a small transponder that is activated by a scanner and reads the number of the chip that has been implanted in the animal. The procedure to do this involves a small needle being introduced under the loose skin between the shoulder blades of the animal and a microchip the size of a grain of rice being implanted through the sterile needle. It takes about the same time as it takes for giving the pet their shots or vaccinations. It has been used around the world and extensive testing has shown it to be safe for pets

According to a 1997 study of 1000 animal shelters across America,conducted by the National Council on Pet Population Study and Policy, approximately one million dogs and 584,000 cats were taken in as strays. Unfortunately for the both the owners and animals only 16% of those dogs and 2% of the cats were returned to the owners. It is alarming that thousand of pets are euthanized because their owners cannot be found. We have the power to stop this.

When natural disasters such as Hurricane Rita or Katrina happen we see the importance of microchipping as the reunification of lost pets is enhanced. Accidents and natural disasters happen as do open doors and unlocked fences which allow the pet to escape without being noticed. Leashes and collars as well as collar tags can fall off or be lost and animals go missing. While some purebred pets are tattooed upon birth by breeders and kennels this is still mainly done for show dogs. The responsible answer is microchipping.

The cost of microchipping varies by veterinary charges and registration fees varies but is usually around $45.00 and registration with the recovery services is free or a small annual fee to keep the registration current when people move. Some of these services keep the data current by regularly contacting and confirming the contact information with the owner. Others rely on the owner to keep the record updated, Some municipal governments use the tag information to license pets in their area and provide support for animal control activities. Others use metal tags and tokens that can fall off and be lost.

The success rate of microchipping is far better than other methods and improves on the hand written or copied notices with the pets picture on utility poles or grocery store bulletin boards. It is incumbent on owners to ensure their pets are chipped and registered, either though their vet or their local shelter. One less child relieved from tears and anguish and more animals saved from the finality of euthanasia is worth the effort.

The information contained in the registration allows the rapid contact and return of the animal upon arriving at animal welfare organization. Shelters across North America have scanners that can read and identify a wide variety of chips being used. In the United States there is a movement to international microchip standards (ISO) which are used in most developed countries including Canada. The current non-ISO chips in the US can be read today and in Canada the scanners read both ISO and non-ISO chips in scanners provided specifically for that market. Once the animal has been scanned and the pattern of the chip identified by the code and number, the appropriate registry is contacted. The registries are not all exclusive to the chip manufacturers and some include all chips that are in the market. One registry, 24PetWatch, is also integrated in real time with the largest online shelter software in North America to facilitate recovery and contact while others all have Toll-Free telephone numbers for recoveries. It is the least we can do to let Lassie come home.

For timely articles on your pets visit Rob at yournewpets.com where he discusses a wide variety of companion animal issues

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