It's every pet owner's nightmare. Your dog or cat bolts out the door and is gone in a flash. Or even worse, you are traveling with your pet in a strange city and they get lost. Your pet won't recognize anything about his surroundings and it's unlikely he'll find his way back to the hotel.
For these reasons I've always like the idea of micro chipping to help recover a lost pet. It's easy enough to do. A veterinarian inserts a small chip under your pet's skin in a really simple procedure. Your pet will never know it's there and it can be a real life saver. And now that there is one universal chip reader that can identify the various micro chip products out there, there is even less reason to put this procedure off. It should be part of every new puppy and kitten visit.
Based on the results of a new survey published The AVMA Journal I'm even more convinced micro chipping is a good idea. The study looked at results from fifty-three shelters in 23 states and found that three out of four micro chipped pets were reunited with their owners. That's got to be better than driving around stapling "Lost Cat" posters on telephone poles.
This is the first really big study to document the efficacy of micro chipping. The study had other interesting information, too. Micro chipped cats were twenty times more likely to be reunited with their owners than non micro chipped cats and micro chipped dogs were two and a half times more likely to be found. That's pretty good.
The most common reason for failure was bad registration information.
When you have your pet micro chipped it is up to you to make sure the registry information is kept up to date. You need to update if you move or change phone numbers. Updating is easy and can be done online.
When you combine a micro chip with a good collar and tag your chances of finding a lost pet increase dramatically. If your vet suggests this procedure for you dog I'd heartily recommend it.
And yes, micro chipping is covered under your PurinaCare® Plus Preventive Care policy. See this page on the website for details.
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