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Yes, Chips Are Good For Pets

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By KRISTEN LEVINE

Tribune correspondent

Published: May 7, 2008

If your family has ever lost a pet, you know it's an agonizing experience. No matter how careful you are, the unexpected happens: A dog gets spooked and takes off through an open door. A cat disappears on moving day. A storm devastates a neighborhood.

ID tags and a microchip offer the best - maybe the only - chance of a happy reunion. Although tags and collars may not be worn all the time and can get lost in a chaotic situation, the microchip is permanent.

"I'm an advocate for mandatory microchipping," says veterinarian Diana Joyner-Mattox of San Antonio Animal Hospital. "It's a permanent, identifiable marker as long as owners keep information up-to-date in the database and provide alternate contact numbers."

A microchip is about the size of a grain of rice and acts as a transponder. It's inserted between the shoulder blades using a needle - a procedure akin to vaccination. Once implanted, the microchip remains under the skin for the lifetime of the pet.

Next, information about the animal such as owner's name, telephone number and address is entered into a national database.

If your pet turns up at an animal shelter or veterinary hospital or comes into the care of a rescue group or disaster relief team, a worker will wave a scanner over it to see whether it has a chip. When the chip is detected, it displays a number unique to the pet owner, which also corresponds with the information in the database. By calling a toll-free number, the worker can then reach the owner.

Implanting the chip is not painful, Mattox says.

"Your pet feels only minor discomfort, similar to any needle injection," she says.

The procedure takes just minutes and costs $30 to $55 at veterinary clinics. Once your pet is chipped, be sure it's registered with your contact information. If you move, update the information.

"The biggest mistake people make is not providing or verifying that they have an accurate record on file," says Connie Brooks, a member of the Disaster Animal Response Team. "Many lost pets are found with chips registered to no one."

After Hurricane Katrina, animal relief workers reported as many as 15 percent of rescued pets had microchips, but many were never registered properly. Some that were registered had only home phone numbers - no alternates. That didn't help in communities where everyone had evacuated or been flooded.

"When registering your pet's microchip, be sure to list an alternate emergency contact name and number besides your own," Brooks says. "List a family member or friend outside of your area in case your region is victim of a natural disaster."

Here are three good reasons to make an appointment today for your pet to be "chipped":

•June 1 is the official start of hurricane season. With so many lost pets after a natural disaster, the odds of finding their owners drop dramatically. Chip pets now as part of your storm season preparation.

•Summer vacation is just around the corner, and 14 million dogs and 3 million cats are expected to travel with their owners. Any time your pet is in an unfamiliar place, chances of getting lost increase. Your chances of a happy reunion are best if they are tagged and chipped.

Also, when you travel with your pet, consider using a temporary tag with your cell phone number or the contact information of a person who knows how to reach you.

•More families relocate in the summertime than any other time of year. Again, when a pet is in new surroundings, its likelihood of becoming lost increases.

If you're relocating, be sure the microchip database has updated contact information, including new home phone numbers, cell phone numbers, e-mail addresses and alternate contact people.

IDEAL ID

•Microchip your pet and make sure it's wearing current, readable tags (rabies and ID).

•Register your chip and provide accurate contact and alternate contact information. (This is generally handled by the shelter where you adopt or the veterinary office, but be sure it gets done properly!)

•Update tags when they become hard to read or when your address or phone numbers change.

•Include "Reward" on the tag, if you're willing to pay one.

•Update any contact changes with the microchip database.

•Spay or neuter your pet because fixed pets are less likely to roam from home.

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