Microchipping Your Cat or Dog

With the frightening reality of pet theft on the
rise and animals getting lost, is microchipping
your pet the best option? You could be out in
the park, distracted for a moment and your dog
is gone. What if your pet escaped out the back
garden and got lost? What if your dog collar
became loose? These and many other situations
are faced by pet owners every day. If stray
animals are rescued but aren't reclaimed, then
sadly they are euthanized. Microchipping is a
quick and painless procedure, no anaesthetic is
required and it lasts up to 75 years. The
microchip is no bigger than a grain of rice and
is usually injected between the shoulder blades
very close to the surface. The microchip
contains a memory circuit which retains your
pets individual identification number, which is
then registered. A pet microchip has radio
frequency identification, (RFID) so when the
animal is scanned the chip then becomes active
supplying the data about the individual pet.
This type of chip is called a 'passive RFID tag'
because it lies dormant until scanned. So there
is no battery or internal power source inside
your pet.

Unlike a tag or collar, once a chip has been
implanted it can't be dislodged. Also if your
pet is stolen a chip can help with disputes as
to who is the real owner. In the U.K the
government is considering if it's worth
introducing compulsory microchipping. Battersea
Dogs and Cats home, is in principle, supporting
the idea as they feel it will encourage
responsibility in animal owners and help to
reunite owners and pets. In 2010 they took in
just over 4000 stray dogs and only 32% were
microchipped. How would you get your pet back if
they weren't chipped? Collars and tags come off
where as a microchipped pet is traceable for
life.

There is also the benefit of keeping bad
breeders in line if microchipping becomes
compulsory. If people are held to account for
the standard of animal they produce then they
will hopefully be more responsible. The
financial strain on animal shelters would also
be lessened, as stray pets would be immediately
identified and owners notified. The cost of
having to house, feed and maybe euthanize an
animal is far more expensive than having the
quick simple procedure of chipping done.

If you are a cat owner then there is also the
plus side of a microchip cat flap. We all know
about the naughty neighbourhood cats that sneak
in when you're not looking. They'll help
themselves to your pets food, maybe have a
sneaky catnap on your new, expensive bed quilt
and perhaps use your cats cat tray for
themselves. There is also the added treat of
them all spraying their messages around your
house attracting other cats as well. A lot of
the microchip cat flaps work by setting
themselves to only allow your cat in as it will
automatically pick up the first microchipped pet
through. So make sure when setting it, that your
cat is the first to go through.

Whatever your opinion on microchipping is,
something has to change. Rescue centres are
sadly sometimes the last place a lost pet will
call home.

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Alex KellyAs an animal lover, my articles are
based on issues I feel are important for fellow
pet owners.Pet Promenade has everything you will
need for the furry member of the family. From pet
food, dog leads, grooming equipment and bird
cages.With over 5000 pet products, at
competetive prices, it's worth paying us a visit
at http://www.petpromenade.co.uk/

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