Pet
Microchipping
Here at Colonial Manor Animal Hospital, we can provide identification quickly, easily, and affordably — in the form of microchipping from your veterinarian in Homer Glen.
Pet Microchipping by Our Homer Glen Veterinarian
A life saving Procedure
The realization that your pet has gone missing is every loving owner’s nightmare. Your pet is a member of your family. When he wanders off, they could be spirited away by a thief or possibly may get separated from you in the chaotic environment of a disaster. Put simply, you’ve got to know he’s carrying a reliable, permanent form of identification. Microchips are tiny electronic devices about the size of a grain of rice that use radio waves to transmit identification information. Pet microchips store unique identification numbers that show once the chip is scanned.
A Smart, Simple Preventative Pet Care Procedure
Many of the most essential and valuable preventative pet care measures are also among the simplest and most straightforward. Microchipping belongs in this category. A microchip is nothing more than a tiny transceiver, approximately the same size as a grain of rice, which means that it can be implanted beneath your pet’s skin via injection through a syringe — no surgery necessary. Any practitioner on our three-vet team can easily add microchipping to other routine preventative procedures such as vaccinations or a wellness exam.
The microchip carries one piece of data, a unique ID number that connects your pet to a national animal registration network (where your contact information is contained). The device doesn’t even have its own power source, nor does it need one. Animal shelter employees and other animal care workers possess RFID (radio-frequency ID) scanners just in case they come across an unidentified pet. When they scan the pet’s body with the scanner, the scanner’s energy causes the microchip to send out its ID number to the scanner. This allows the workers to look up the number in the pet registry and obtain your contact information. They can then contact you to let you know that your pet has been recovered!
Why Your Pet Needs This Form of Backup ID
Some pet owners may think that there’s no reason to supply their pets with microchips when they’re already wearing collar ID tags, while others assume that a pet with a microchip may not need a collar tag at all. Actually, neither assumption is correct. Collar ID tags can come off during hectic activity, rendering your pet completely anonymous unless that second, non-removable form of ID is also present. By the same token, the traditional collar ID tag is still the type of identification most likely to help the average person who happens to see your lost pet wandering around. Ideally, your pet should have both forms of ID at all times.
Schedule Microchipping at Colonial Manor Animal Hospital
If you’ve been looking for a good excuse to take advantage of our free consultation for new patients, what better way to introduce your best friend to us than by scheduling microchipping and other preventative pet care measures? Take the step that could result in your missing pet finding its way home to you. Call Colonial Manor Animal Hospital today at 708-301-8200 to set up an appointment!
Microchipping FAQs
The following FAQs will give you greater insight into how microchipping can protect your beloved pet.
What Exactly Is Microchipping Your Pet?
A microchip is a tiny, electronic chip about the size of a grain of rice that’s implanted under your pet’s skin. The chip contains an I.D. number that can be picked up by a scanner when run over the area where the microchip is implanted. This I.D. number can be matched to a pet owner’s contact information registered on a pet database for the purpose of helping him recuperate a lost or stolen pet.
Microchipping is the first step in the protection process. The second step is registering your pet’s I.D. number in a pet database so you can be reached if your pet is found. If you change addresses or phone numbers, you need to update the database, so your contact details are always current and up to date. Lack of information will make it impossible for anyone to contact you if and when your pet is found.
How Are Microchips Implanted?
Can a Microchip Track My Pet?
No. Microchips are not tracking devices. They merely identify you as the pet’s true owner by allowing someone to match the I.D. number on the chip with your contact details as listed on the pet database you registered with to help find your pet.