The Vet Nurse's Blog
January 2012 - Microchipping
Animal rescue centres face a constant problem where they have more stray animals needing homes than they have places available. This is probably due to many different factors but one of them is because when a stray animal comes in they cannot re unite them with their owners, as they have no identification.
The control of dogs act 1992 states that all dogs when in a public place must wear a collar with the name and address (including postcode) of the owner. This needs to be either engraved or written on. This is the minimum that dogs should have and if your dog or cat goes missing and is taken to a rescue centre where it remains unclaimed for 7 clear days the rescue centre is then able to re home the pet and any claim the original owner had ceases. There are times wear the collar system fails for example a cat wearing a collar might get it snagged on something and it breaks off or your dog is around the home so you decide to take his collar off and he gets out of your home and runs off. It is these times where a microchip is invaluable. All rescue centres and local dog wardens will automatically scan any stray animal for a microchip. If the pet has one they will call the national database Pet Log and obtain the owners information and reunite them with there lost pet. It is important that if you have your pet microchipped you keep the information up to date. This will involve a phone call to either Pet Log or the company who made the microchip and may involve a small charge. The people who implanted the microchip do not have access to the database so you will need to call them separately.
Microchipping is a simple procedure. It involves an injection into the scruff at the back of the neck, but uses a bigger needle. Most animals cope fine with being microchipped but occasionally an animal has a low pain threshold, these times it may be best to wait until they are under a general anaesthetic being neutered.
Ask at your veterinary clinic about microchipping.
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