Tomorrow, August 15th, is National Check the Chip day. The American Veterinary Medical Association and the American Animal Hospital Association have joined together to celebrate pets with microchips and to promote microchipping of pets that do not have them. Microchips are very small identification devices (slightly larger than a grain of rice) that contain vital information about your pet and you, the owner. It is permanently implanted under the skin, between the shoulder blades of dogs and cats and can be “read” through the skin by a microchip scanner. The scanner reveals a number which can be looked up in a database of owner’s names, phone numbers, addresses and other emergency contact information.
Microchips are crucial in helping lost animals find their way home. Most recently, microchips played a huge role in finding homes of dogs and cats affected by the tornadoes in Oklahoma. When lost or stray pets were presented to the local humane societies, doctors and staff scanned the animals and were able to look up owners’ information linked to the microchip number. Thousands of pets were reunited with their families.
For more information on microchips and registration, click on the following link: https://www.avma.org/Events/pethealth/Pages/Check-the-Chip-Day.aspx
