16 percent of dogs and 18 percent of cats in the United States are lost<\/a> at least once during a typical 5-year span, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. About 71 to 83 percent of dogs are found. Cats don\u2019t fare as well \u2014 only 53 to 75 percent of them are recovered.<\/p>\nSurprisingly, indoor-only cats are about as likely as outdoor cats to be lost, although they\u2019re more apt to be found, according to an unpublished study. One reason is that indoor-only cats may be scared of the outdoors, so they\u2019re probably hiding nearby.<\/p>\n
But a microchip can make a difference: Microchipped dogs are twice as likely to be reunited with their owners and microchipped cats are twenty times more likely to be returned home, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association.<\/p>\n
No one thinks their dog or cat will actually go missing. But in the event of a natural disaster such as a hurricane, a microchip can help ensure your pet is returned to you. If your pet is stolen, a microchip can serve as proof of ownership.<\/p>\n
Finally, a lost pet that\u2019s severely injured and delivered to a veterinary clinic by a good Samaritan may be euthanized if the owner can\u2019t be located. Providing immediate identification with a registered microchip makes it more likely your pet will receive the care it needs.<\/p>\n
What is a microchip?<\/h3>\n
About the size of a grain of rice, a microchip is a tiny transmitter that\u2019s inserted under your pet\u2019s skin. Because it can\u2019t be lost or removed like collars and ID tags, it serves as a permanent form of identification for your pet.<\/p>\n
When a scanner is passed over the body, it activates the microchip, which, in turn, uses passive radio frequency identification device (RFID) technology to transmit an identification number back to the scanner. The chip doesn\u2019t include a battery or GPS device, and it contains only your pet\u2019s unique identification number.<\/p>\n
Personnel at the veterinary clinic or shelter reading the scanner refer to one of several microchip registries to obtain the contact information that is associated with your pet\u2019s identification number.<\/p>\n
How is a microchip implanted?<\/h3>\n
The chip is inserted under the skin with a wide-bore needle. It just takes a few seconds. Pets don\u2019t need to be anesthetized for the procedure, although many people choose to have it done when their pets are being spayed or neutered to avoid the possibility of the pet feeling any pain from the needle.<\/p>\n
Registering your microchip<\/h3>\n
The most critical part of the microchip procedure isn\u2019t the chip implantation itself \u2014 it\u2019s registration of the chip. That\u2019s when you provide the microchip company with all pertinent information, including your pet\u2019s name as well as your contact information and address.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s why it\u2019s important to make sure to contact the microchip company any time you move or change phone number, so they have your most current information available. It\u2019s also a good idea to ask your veterinarian to scan your pet\u2019s microchip at annual exams to make sure it can still be detected.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t forget ID tags<\/h3>\n
Even with a microchip, it helps to place an ID tag on your pet\u2019s collar. Many pets are returned to their owners because a kind person called the number on the ID tag or delivered the pet to the address provided. This information can actually help get a lost pet home sooner if they are found in the evening when facilities that have microchip scanners are typically closed.<\/p>\n
Hopefully, your dog or cat will never be lost. But if it is, a current, registered microchip and up-to-date ID tags can boost the chances of a very happy reunion.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
All it takes is a split second: Your dog bolts out the door, your cat slips through an open window, or your pet dashes away from a campsite at the first crack of fireworks. Once they\u2019re gone, what can you do? As part of Lost Pet Prevention Month, we\u2019ll share how microchipping pets and other … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":5931,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"Facts About Microchipping Your Pets | Taste of the Wild","_seopress_titles_desc":"Why is microchipping your pet important? Can it help find your lost pet? Discover the benefits for your four-legged friends. Read More!","_seopress_robots_index":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,20],"tags":[60,70,59,68,204,203,205,199,202,201,200,155,58],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tasteofthewildpetfood.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5924"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tasteofthewildpetfood.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tasteofthewildpetfood.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tasteofthewildpetfood.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tasteofthewildpetfood.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5924"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.tasteofthewildpetfood.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5924\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6037,"href":"https:\/\/www.tasteofthewildpetfood.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5924\/revisions\/6037"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tasteofthewildpetfood.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5931"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tasteofthewildpetfood.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5924"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tasteofthewildpetfood.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5924"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tasteofthewildpetfood.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5924"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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