More pets get microchip implant

There's a growing trend in pet care that might help owners find a missing pet more quickly. Microchipping is a method of helping identify pets and their owners, no matter where the animals may turn up.

 For about $50 per pet, a tiny microchip - about the size of a grain of rice - is implanted by needle under the animal's skin, usually between the shoulder blades. The chip has a unique number that can be picked up and then read by a hand-held universal scanner, according to Bethany VanHove, veterinary assistant at Fenton Veterinary Center.

 "Microchip can be implanted in any dog or cat, at any age," she said. Usually, it's done while the pet is under anesthesia, possibly while being spayed or neutered. Any pets can be microchipped, including cats, birds, rabbits, snakes, rare fish and horses. 

 "If a lost pet is found, we can scan the animal to see if it has a microchip. If it does, the number would come up and we can get the owner's name and number from an Internet data base," VanHove said.

 VanHove estimates that nearly half of all dogs they see at Fenton Veterinary Clinic are being microchipped today, as the trend is growing quickly, locally and nationwide.

 Nationwide, up to eight million animals end up in shelters each year, but less than 20 percent of dogs and only 2 percent of cats are ever reclaimed by their owners, according to Louise Murray, DVM, of the ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) in New York City. "One way to increase the chances of finding your lost pet is having a microchip implanted," Murray says.

 Once implanted, the microchip number is sent to a national company, HomeAgain, which places the number in the national database.

 Microchipping cannot help track a missing animal with a GPS device, Murray warns. It only works if someone brings the pet to a shelter or veterinarian's office to be scanned. "We scan each microchipped pet once a year at no charge, to make sure it stays in the correct place," said VanHove. Found animals are scanned at Fenton Veterinary Center at no cost, to attempt reuniting them with their owners.

 "Some rescue organizations microchip ic components all the animals they put up for adoption," she added. "And some breeders also do it. Microchipping is becoming much more popular than in the past."

 Murray said microchipping is almost painless. "It hurts about as much as having blood drawn," she said. "There's a pinch. But I've seen a lot of animals not even flinch when it happens."

 Pets still need identification tags, and usually require local licenses, according to Murray. "A microchip is only part of your pet's identification system. Your pet should also have a collar with tags on it."

Are humans next to be microchipped?

 Microchip implants are already available for humans. It also contains a unique ID number, which can be linked to a database offering personal identification, medical history, medications, allergies and contact information, according to Amal Graafstra, author of the book, "RFID Toy." He uses the microchip to open his home and car doors and log in on his computer.

Article source: http://www.icdealer.com/product-news/microchip-articles/more-pets-get-microchip-implant