Pets are our family, and there are no two ways about that. They are like your children, and if anything happens to them, it’s a gut-wrenching feeling for the pet parent. So, it’s safe to say that there isn’t a more traumatizing and horrible feeling than losing a pet who just happens to slip out of its collar or walk past an open door.
It’s an absolute horror for pet parents to be separated from their furry friends, which is why every person needs to know about National Chip Your Pet Month.
Among many other things, the month of May is officially recognized as the National Chip Your Pet Month by the American Kennel Club (AKC). The main idea behind this holiday is to educate responsible pet parents and make them aware of the importance of microchipping their adorable little furry friends.
What Is A Pet Microchip?
Simply put, a pet microchip is a small device that is inserted in the scruff of your pet’s neck. It’s almost the size of a rice grain, and the ultimate purpose behind it is to give each animal a unique identifier which is extremely important in any instance where they get lost.
Each microchip has a unique identification number, and it functions as a radio-frequency identification transponder. Once the microchip is implanted between your pet’s shoulder blades, it is registered to a national pet recovery database. It also registers your contact information along with it, so in the event where your pet separates itself from you, you will receive a call, and you surely don’t want to miss it.
How Does It Work?
The thought of inserting a microchip inside your pet’s body might sound painful, but it isn’t. It is quite a painless, quick process and is almost like giving your furry friend a shot.
The chip comes in a glass cylinder and is injected under your pet’s skin with the help of a hypodermic needle. The procedure lasts just a few minutes and doesn’t require any kind of surgery or use of invasive techniques.
After the insertion of the microchip inside your pet, the next thing you need to do is register it with the manufacturer. This is one of the most crucial steps because, without registration, the microchip won’t have any important information, rendering it useless. Once registration is done, the manufacturer will proceed to give your furry friend an identification number, after which all your information and data will be stored online on their recovery database.
In case your pet happens to go missing and somehow ends up at an animal clinic or shelter, the responsible staff will scan it. As soon as they scan your pet, you will receive an alert that will tell you that the microchip located in your pet has been activated.
Benefits of Microchipping Your Pet
National Chip Your Pet Month brings into account the many benefits and advantages of microchipping your pet. If, at some point, you’ve been debating about getting your pet microchipped, perhaps the following factors will convince you.
- In the event of your pet trying to escape or separating from you in a large crowd, a microchip will significantly increase the chances of you reuniting with your furry buddy.
- Microchipping offers great protection and security against your pet being stolen, or worse, being sold to someone else for money. It offers a highly efficient way to keep pet animals from being stolen because these microchips can’t be tampered with.
- If your pet is microchipped, you can easily let it play outdoors and will be at ease and peace of mind. The best part about this is that there are some specific types of pet doors that will only work with your pet’s microchip. So, what you can do here is get a custom-made door for your pet, which prevents you from having to worry about stray animals entering your house.
Features of A Pet Microchip
Apart from all the benefits associated with a pet microchip, it also offers other features for your ease and convenience. These particularly have to do with the information stored or associated with the microchip. For instance:
Moving or Change your Information
If you were to move to a different address or that you want to change your name, you can be assured that your pet’s microchip won’t be defunct. All you need to do is contact the company that helped you register your microchip, and it will make the necessary adjustments. Oftentimes, some companies might ask you to pay a small fee but will happily update your information.
Adopting a Pet with an Existing Microchip
In the instance that you adopt a furry animal who already has a chip, you can easily register your contact information to be associated with the microchip. You can also find out the brand of chip that the pet has by contacting a local animal shelter or even your vet, who will be able to read it for you.
Key Takeaway
May is National Chip Your Pet Month, so if you haven’t already gotten your pet microchipped, now is the time to do it!
Microchipping provides the greatest possibility of reuniting with your pet if you were to ever get separated from it. The microchipping process itself is so simple, cheap, and hassle-free, so there really is no reason for you not to get your pet microchipped.
The best part is that it doesn’t even require any maintenance once you are done with the registration and providing all the necessary details and information.
Ultimately, knowing that your pet is microchipped will provide you with such endless peace of mind, and you will no longer find yourself worrying about letting your furry friend play outside for a while every evening.
