By Alan Green and Jessica Schavone

We love our pets and want to keep them safe. This month’s contributor is Jessica Schavone, CVRC’s outreach coordinator and recently certified veterinary technician specialist (VTS – ECC). We are very proud of Jessica for this outstanding accomplishment. She discusses a very important topic that all pet owners need to appreciate. After all, proper pet identification is easy and affordable.

Throughout the years, there have been many movies starring pets that get lost far from home, yet through a series of comical and heartwarming events, they find the way back to their loving families. Unfortunately, our real-life indoor pets that escape do not have the tools to get out of these situations as seamlessly as animals in the movies. Open access to the neighborhood or city poses a number of hazards to pets, especially those who are not accustomed to roaming or having unsupervised interactions with unfamiliar animals. Pets frequently present to veterinary hospitals having been found lost, scared or injured after encountering the hazards of the open road. Professionals who care for them are then charged with multiple tasks that include providing medical care and locating their owners.

Dogs and cats commonly wear identification collars intended to prompt people to reach out to owners in the event that they have escaped or wondered away. Some collars, however, are equipped with quick release buckles designed to free the pet if the collar gets stuck on a tree limb or fence. This is likely to happen during escape efforts or an unsupervised run around the neighborhood. Once found by a good Samaritan, the unidentified pet will likely be transported to a veterinary facility or shelter miles from home. As a more reliable form of identification, pet microchips have become increasingly popular during the last decade.

If you acquired your pet from a shelter environment, chances are that they have a microchip in place. This chip is small (roughly the size of a grain of rice) and is not visible once it has been implanted under the skin. After the microchip has been placed, a pet will have it for the rest of its life. These chips are coded with an ID number that is registered to the animal’s owner at the time of implantation or adoption. Shelters, veterinary hospitals, animal control officers and rescue groups commonly use microchip scanners to identify misplaced pets. When provided this ID number, the microchip company will instantly be able to access the phone number and address of the owner, as well as the animal’s name and any pertinent medical information that was provided to them. Many of these hotlines function 24 hours per day and will contact the owner on behalf of the party caring for the pet.

If you encounter an animal in need of assistance, contact a veterinary facility or animal control immediately, as these professionals have the resources to provide shelter overnight and check for microchip identification. If you should come across an unsupervised pet, be sure to take your personal safety into account. Be careful when handling these animals, as they are more likely to bite when they are scared or injured. Assume that unidentified pets have not been vaccinated. Limit handling by other family members and keep these animals separated your pets.

Should you wish to microchip your family pet, contact your veterinarian. Chip placement is inexpensive and takes less than 10 minutes to complete. The procedure is atraumatic and does not require that the pet be sedated. After placement, be sure to register your information with the microchip company. Dogs and cats resume normal activity the same day and keep your information with them for a lifetime.