Lost Pets
We all hope our pet never becomes lost, but each day hundreds of pets either slip out of a backyard or opened door. What can you do if your pet is lost?
First, if your pet is microchipped contact the database center to report your pet is missing. Make sure your databse company has your most current address and contact information on file. Then call your local veterinarians and alert them, describing your pet, the area where you live, and leaving contact information. Also contact your local animal shelters and provide the same information. Then, post flyers in the area so if someone has found your pet they know who to call.
How can you improve your chances of your pet returning home safely?
Identification tags with the pet's name and your telephone number are very helpful. Another option is a micorchip, a very small device with a unique numerical code. The microchip is implanted by your veterinarian and lasts for your pet's lifetime. How's it work? Veterinarians and shelters are equipped with scanners that can read the unique numbers. If a lost animal is brought in and has a microchip, the staff members can contact the database and find out who the owner is and how to contact them, reuniting you with your pet. Microchips are very effective at bringing lost pets home IF the pets are registered with the recovery database. Too many times, a microchipped pet cannot be returned to it's owner because the owner has never registered their pet in the database.
If you're interesting in learning more about microchipping your pet please review the section on microchipping in the video files section on the homepage under Community Topics or visit the links below. You may also call our office for additonal information. We offer pet microchipping at Crabapple Knoll Veterinary Clinic.
The American Animal Hospital Association has a universal microchip lookup website, so if you're unsure of which database to call you can type in the microchip number and all registries with that chip number will come up:
Websites for individual microchip registries are listed here:
www.avidid.com www.homeagain.com www.akccar.org
For information on Merial's "Get Me Home" Tag Program please visit www.getmehome.com
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