The case of 'Bella', the lost retriever whose adoption from the Santa Clara shelter sparked a heated ownership struggle, has had one salutary effect - microchipping pets has become THE thing to do. And it's about time.
In the U.S. only 14% of pets find their way back to their original owners from shelters, and more pets die each year as a result of being lost than from all serious diseases combined. While traditional pet identification methods are still recommended, they have limitations. Tags can fade, rust, or get scratched, making them impossible to read. Collars can come off or, even worse, get caught on something while your pet is wandering about, causing him physical harm.
Fortunately, the relatively new technology of microchipping, or the microchip identification system, can improve your odds of being reunited with your lost pet.
With microchipping, a veterinarian uses a hypodermic needle to inject a tiny computer chip (about the size of a grain of rice) containing a unique identification number just under your pet's skin between the shoulder blades. The number on the computer chip is entered into a national database, along with your corresponding contact information. Microchips should be scanned before being placed in a pet to ensure that the unique identifying number is readable.
If your lost or stolen pet is found, any animal hospital, shelter, or humane society can use a microchip scanner to read the unique ID number contained on the chip. Once they identify the chip they call the national database, or access it on a computer relaying the number on the microchip. The database matches the identification number to your name and phone number so that you can be contacted with the location of your pet. The fee for national registration has gone up to $9 this year.
The price for microchip implantation can vary. The San Francisco SPCA charges $71.25 [as of 05/12/05]: $44 for the appointment and $27.25 for the procedure. If microchipping is performed in conjunction with spay/neuter surgery the cost of microchip implantation is still just $25. Call 415-554-3030 for an appointment.
In 2006, San Francisco Animal Care and Control will hold microchipping clinics February 12th, April 9th and June 11th. People should call the clinics' sponsor, the Friends of San Francisco Animal Care and Control, at (415) 822-5566 for more info (not ACC). The procedure is free to San Francisco residents but $15 for nonresidents. All dogs whose owners have San Francisco addresses must have a San Francisco dog license. There is no licensing requirement for dogs outside San Francisco or for cats. For those owners without dog licenses the shelter will be open to issue licenses before and during the clinic, which runs from 1 to 4 p.m.
There are other advantages to microchipping. Microchips are convenient, safe, and reliable. Implantation is simple and routine. The microchip can't be lost or damaged and it lasts for the pet's lifetime. However, the microchip won't work unless your pet is properly scanned by a microchip reader. There are some shelters and veterinarians in the U.S. that don't have readers yet. Until recently, each brand of microchip could only be read by its own brand of microchip scanner. Currently there are two brands of microchip on the market: AVID and Home Again. Not all shelters and veterinarians have the new universal reader that can be used to scan either brand of chip. However, despite these drawbacks, microchip technology can potentially increase your chances of finding, and claiming, your lost pet.
