While Aug. 15 might be the day your monthly car payment is due or the day you have marked on the calendar for back-to-school shopping for the two-legged kids, it is also National Check the Chip Day for our microchipped pets. National Check the Chip Day was established by veterinarians to remind pet parents that microchip data needs to be annually updated in case there have been changes to your location or contact information. We understand that life happens, and amidst major changes such as a full-family move, remembering to update your pet’s microchip contact information may not even make your checklist.
A good rule of thumb to follow is anytime you move or go on an extended trip with your pet, update your contact information with the microchip registry.
A bonus of National Check the Chip Day is that it provides another opportunity to outfit your pet with a microchip if he doesn’t yet have one. A microchip is a second layer of defense in the event of separation between yourself and your pet. Traditional ID tags can become scratched or detached from your pet’s collar, but a microchip cannot be easily removed or lost once implanted into your pet in the area between his shoulder blades. It is implanted in much the same fashion as a vaccination is given, using a needle with the entire process taking just a few seconds.
Reasons to have your pet chipped include:
– More than 10 million pets are lost or stolen each year in the United States
– Dogs are 52 percent more likely to be reunited with you after a separation if they have a microchip
– A cat can lose her collar with ID tags if the safety collar breaks off. A microchip provides a means of permanent internal identification.
If you are unsure of the last time you updated the contact information with your pet’s microchip or would like us to scan it to ensure that it is still working correctly, give us a call to set up an appointment to make checking the chip one more thing to mark off your to-do list.