A Microchip is a safe, convenient, and reliable way to permanently identify your pets and help to insure, if lost, that they can be more easily reunited with their owners.  The American Humane Society estimates that only 17 percent of lost dogs and only 2 percent of lost cats ever find their way back from shelters to their original owners.

The microchip is a tiny computer chip about the size of a grain of rice that is injected under the skin between the shoulder blades.  The number on the chip is registered with an international database along with the owner's name and contact information.  The chip cannot be lost or damaged and will last the lifetime of the pet. 

Virtually all veterinarians and shelters have microchip scanners which work much like the scanners at the grocery store to read the pet's microchip number.  If your pet is separated from you and taken to a shelter or veterinarian’s office, it will be scanned to check for a microchip.  If one is present, they will call the database to get your information and can then contact you to reunite you with your pet!

The microchip cannot be lost or damaged and will last the lifetime of the pet.  The microchip is easily and painlessly implanted and is inexpensive (about $50).  The only other obligation of the owner after the implantation is to register the contact information (there may be a fee for that, usually less than $20) and to update the contact information with the registry as it changes.

In a perfect world, leashes, fences, and doors would keep our pets safe at home, and collars with their id tags would always stay attached.  In the real world, accidents happen and our pets depend on us to protect them.  A microchip is a dependable, durable and effective way to help return a lost pet home.

Parker Center Animal Clinic, PCAC,
is a full service veterinary animal hospital located in Parker, Colorado.