May is National Chip Your Pet Month

With warmer temperatures in our future, we are heading into the seasons with more time spent outside with our four legged family members. Warmer weather and increased outdoor activities unfortunately come with an increased rate of pets who escape or get lost. This makes it the perfect time of year to remind everyone of the importance of having your pets microchipped!

A microchip is a relatively cheap and easy way to link your personal information to your pet. Unlike a collar, it is placed inside of your pet, just under the skin between the shoulder blades, so it travels with your pet wherever it goes! 

The microchip is just a bit bigger than a grain of rice and holds a unique number sequence that links your name, phone number and address to that chip and your pet through a national database. If your pet is ever lost and taken in by a good samaritan, you can be found and reunited with your pet through this unique number sequence in your pet’s microchip.

It is important to know that this is NOT a tracking device and cannot be used to locate your lost pet.

It only helps reunite you and your pet if someone finds your pet and takes it in to be scanned by a vet or shelter.

Once your pet is microchipped, it is very important to make sure that it is registered, if not already done. Some vet clinics will register the microchip through their clinic. This means that you need to ensure your contact information (phone number, email and physical address) are kept up-to-date through your vet clinic. If your clinic doesn’t automatically register the microchip, or if you prefer to transfer the registration to you personally, you just need to contact the microchip manufacturer. 

It is VERY important to update your information anytime you move or change your phone number or email address.

Keeping your personal information up-to-date is the best way to guarantee that your four legged family member will make their way back to you!