Family pets have become a more important part of one’s family in the last 10 years. Keeping that in mind, identification of your pet has become more important in helping to increase the safety as well as make it easier to try and locate a lost pet.
Until the last few years, the only true form of identifying your pet was by way of tattoo. The major drawbacks to tattoos is the appearance a tattoo may have on a pet that can be displeasing to some owners. It can also be uncomfortable for the pet during the process of application. A relatively new method of identification is microchipping.
A mircrochip is a small implant, the size of a grain of rice that is inserted below the skin in the region between the shoulder blades. This is achieved by injection similar to the way vaccinations are given. The needle used is slightly bigger but the time period of injection is approximately one second.
The big advantages of choosing microchips over tattoos is less expensive, ease of application, relatively unalterable unlike tattoos, if pet is stolen; the thief doesn’t know if chip exists or not, and microchips have become more popular to the point that many veterinary hospitals and humane societies usually have a microchip scanner to check a pet if needed.
If you are interested in microchipping your pet, call de la Houssaye Animal Hospital for an appointment. We have the chips available and scanner available for your convenience.