Microchipping Identification for Pets-Fluffy come home

One of the best ideas to protect your pet and your piece of mind is by having your pet chipped when you first get it and know what to do if and when your pet goes AWOL.

Microchipping is the implantation of a small chip through a injector-needle in the shoulder blades areas of cats and dogs . This chip ,about the size of a grain of rice has a code number in it that will activate and identify it to any animal control, spca or veterinarian who has a scanner and scans the pet .

Most animals that are adopted by shelters are microchipped for identification. Veterinarians can inject the chip and ensure that the registration is filled out and submitted with the pets details and the name and contacts for the owner. It can be done online by some of the registries. In the US and Canada there are several databases where these are stored. The 24Petwatch.com is a system which will store and keep your records handy in the case of a lost pet report. It also connects to an animal welfare software system ,Petpoint,which over 850 shelters and rescues across North America have access to. They can scan the dog or cat and know the name and address and contact that the owner has registered, in order to expedite reuniting the pets with their owners. Other database and pet recovery services exist such as Schering-Plough's Home Again program, and Avid Identification's database. All of these have Toll-free numbers to call in the case of a lost or found report.

Some database owners only register the microchips made by them, but the 24Petwatch system will register any and all valid chips in their files. Owners can register online at www.24petwatch.com or call their 1-866-597-2424 toll-free line. The shelter or veterinarian microchipping the pet should also be able to give you a copy of your registration and information to make sure it is submitted.

Many families have been reunited with their lost pets through this method and you should make sure you have it done when you get your new pet.