Nothing can cause a pet owner’s heart to sink faster than the realization that a beloved animal has gone missing. If your South Edmonton pet has disappeared, you can only hope that his collar tag is still attached — unless you’ve equipped him with a powerful, convenient second form of identification known as a microchip. Cat and dog microchipping can help your pet get traced back to you quickly and efficiently — which is why we’re so proud to offer this preventative service here at Ellerslie Pet Hospital & Accessories.
How Microchipping Works
The process of microchipping a pet is simple, affordable, and completely non-surgical in nature. Our veterinarian in Edmonton, Dr. Kewish, uses a hypodermic needle to inject a tiny microchip just under the skin on your pet’s upper body (where it’s unlikely to drift over time). This remarkable chip works as radio-frequency identification (RFID) transceiver, even though it doesn’t carry a power source. When an RFID scanning gun aims its beam at the pet’s skin, the transceiver uses that energy to send its data. That data consists of nothing more than a unique identification number which has been registered, along with your contact information, in a national database. This number is all that’s needed to look you up in the database so you can be informed that your pet has been found.
An Essential Supplement to Collar Tags
Many pet owners dismiss the notion of microchipping because their pet already carries collar-tag identification — but this can prove a crucial error. The trusty collar tag is definitely important because most individuals who find a missing dog will look for that form of ID first. (It’s also an easy way to advertise that your pet has had his rabies shots, in case anyone is nervous about interacting with him.) But collar tags and even entire collars can be torn off by anything from a thief’s efforts to a low-hanging branch, leaving your pet otherwise anonymous — unless he carries a microchip.
The numbers make it quite clear that microchipping gives pets a much better chance of being reunited with their owners. Research has found that dog microchipping helps canines return to their homes 52.2 percent of the time, as opposed to just 21.9 percent for non-microchipped dogs. Cat microchipping makes an even more astounding difference. non-microchipped cats are reunited with their owners less than 2 percent of the time — but for microchipped cats, that percentage jumps to 38.5 percent. Veterinarians and shelter employees know to check for microchips, and they have RFID scanners on hand for just that purpose.
Schedule Dog or Cat Microchipping With Our Veterinarian in Edmonton
You couldn’t do your South Edmonton pet a better favor than to schedule this simple procedure, which can be administered during a routine wellness check. Call (780) 702-7738 today to schedule dog or cat microchipping with our veterinarian in Edmonton!