Microchipping Your Pet

A microchip is an easy and effective way of permanently linking your pet to you. It will increase the chances of being found if they are lost, stolen or stray away from home. For every story of a lost pet reunited with its family because of its chip, there are thousands of pets each year that turn up missing or stolen and are never returned to their owners. Since a lost animal can't speak for itself you should have your pet microchipped so they can be identified if necessary.

Microchipping is a quick, simple and painless process in which your pet is implanted with a special microchip tag that has its own unique code number. Your contact details and the code are put in the national Petlog database. If your pet is lost or stolen a scanner can be passed over the pet to reveal the code. Then the code is matched against the database. This is a foolproof way to identify your pet. There are many animal welfare organisations, vet offices and the RSPCA that have scanners that will read the microchip's code.

The microchip process is easy to do and is a simple injection. The microchip is the size of a grain of rice and is inserted under the animal's skin. It is painless to the animal. Once the microchip is implanted it will not move or be seen. The price of the procedure varies but is a one-off payment and you and your pet will then be recorded in the Petlog database. If you move house you can have your information quickly updated.

Micro-chipping is a fast, affordable way to increase the chances of finding your beloved pet if they wander off or get stolen. Some areas are even offering discounted rates so as to try and combat the number of abandoned animals coming into local shelters. Microchipping your pet will give you peace of mind knowing you are doing everything you can to keep your pet safe and easily identified.

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