During the month of November, Catlett Animal Hospital is offerring 10% off Microchipping all dogs and cats!!

Read below for more information..

 

Microchipping your pets

Hundreds of dogs and cats go missing every year. Eventually, they are found and brought to the local animal shelter where volunteers desperately search for the animal’s owner often with little to no success. Along the same lines, owners of lost animals will contact local shelters, put up flyers, and use technology (such as facebook and shelter pages) in hopes that they will find their lost pet. Even with all of this, most pets are never returned to their homes.

You might think that collars and/or identification tags would aid in helping return pets home. This is a false hope however. Sometimes during their time astray, collars and/or tags often slip off. Thankfully, there is a small device that will help aid in identification for lost pets handed into the local shelters: a microhip.

Microchipping is an important element of pet identification. This is a small glass cylinder about the size of a grain of rice that contains a radio transmitter and an electronic device containing the animal’s ID number. This number links to your contact information in an online registry that allows shelters, clinics, veterinarians, and humane organizations to contact you if your lost pet is found. This microchip is not a tracking device that can be used to pinpoint a pet’s exact location. It simply holds a code that is linked to your contact information. This device is injected just under the skin between the shoulder blades similar to any standard injection procedure. However, to accommodate the microchip, it does require a slightly larger needle. This chip will last over 25 years, which is well beyond the lifespan of most pets. According to a 2009 study, it was found that cats with microchips were 20 times more likely to be returned home than cats without, while dogs were 2.5 times more likely to be returned home than those without.

It is important to know that in order for a microchip to work, you will need to register the microchip and keep your contact information up-to-date. These devices are reliable and use nationwide registries, but they depend on the information you provide. Ensure that you continue to update your information and provide multiple emergency contacts. Here at Catlett Animal Hospital we will microchip your pet for a one time 10% discounted fee. Ask any of our receptionists, technicians, and veterinarians for more information: 540-788-6094