Why you should microchip your pet

April 4, 1:21 PMBoulder Pets ExaminerXan Rubey

Previous Next

Comment Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the Boulder Pets Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

Don'tcha wanna find me if I get lost?  DoghouseStudios

In the spring of 2008, Max the Maltese somehow got out of his Florida back yard and disappeared. His people couldn't figure out how he escaped, they wondered if he had been dognapped. After weeks of extensive searching, his family had given up hope, resigning themselves to the horrible probability that they'd never see their little buddy again.

Then, nine months later, Max's computer chip was read at a Chicago animal shelter. He had traveled over 1000 miles from his home, his fur was matted, he was hungry and grungy but he was found.

Max's folks were elated to have him back home and they owe it all to a tiny microchip, the size of a grain of rice, implanted under Max's skin. Makes you want to get your critter microchipped, doesn't it? Okay, if that doesn't, maybe this next story will.

Sam-I-Am, a golden retriever (also from Florida - what's up with that?) had wandered out of his yard after a hurricane blew down the fence. His human, Alice Baines, looked everywhere but with no luck.

Two years later, Sam-I-Am was identified by McHenry County, Illinois vet. The vets were shocked when they discovered a microchip in the scruff of the dog’s neck that placed his home more than 1,200 miles to the southeast. “I’ve never seen anything like it,” said McHenry County animal control officer, Sean Graff.

“I can’t believe it,” Alice said when she flew to Illinois to pick him up. “This kind of thing doesn’t happen.” Her son Brett, 9, was so excited to see his old pal that he left his mom 10 phone messages ensuring that she did indeed have Sam-I-Am.

No one knows what adventures Sam-I-Am might have found along his two-year journey - did he have dinner with a mouse, in a house? On a train in the rain? In a box with a fox? But the missing golden was found to be in good shape, none the worse for wear after years of wandering. All Alice Baines knows is that for the small cost of a $40 microchip, her dog and her son have been reunited.

Things You Should Know About Microchips (from Jenna Stregowski, RVT on About.com):

• A microchip is the size of a grain of rice. It is implanted between the animal's shoulder blades under the skin with a needle and special syringe. Little or no pain is felt.
• Once it is in place, the chip can be detected with a handheld device that uses radio waves to scan the chip. It then displays a unique alphanumeric code.
• The pet is registered with the microchip company so that he may be traced back to his people when found.
• Microchips are designed to last for the life of a dog or cat. They do not need to be charged or replaced.
• Some microchips have been known to migrate from the area between the shoulder blades, but the instructions for scanning emphasize the need to scan the dog’s entire body.
• A microchipped dog can be easily identified if found by a shelter or veterinary office in possession of a scanner. 

No method of identification is perfect but over 126,034 lost pets have been reunited with their owners thanks to microchipping. The best thing you can do to protect your dog is to keep current identification tags on your dog at all times, consider microchipping as reinforcement, and never allow your dog to roam free. If your dog does become lost, more identification can increase the odds of finding your beloved companion.