Microchipping your pet is a safe, easy, effective way to permanently link your pet to you and provide you with peace of mind. At DeKalb Animal Hospital, we recommend microchipping your pets even if they stay indoors.
Separation from your dog or cat can happen within seconds. Microchipping is the most reliable way to reunite pets with their owners. Collars and tags can fall off and get lost, and tattoos will eventually fade or can be removed.
Microchips are electronic devices that are about the size of a grain of rice. They are not tracking devices, they do not have a battery, and they do not need to be charged; microchips are designed to last the lifetime of your pet. They are injected under the skin between the shoulder blades. At DeKalb Animal Hospital, we can implant a microchip during any visit as the procedure is similar to a routine vaccination.
Each microchip has a unique identification number that is registered in a national directory and can be read by a portable scanner. Animal hospitals, shelters, and humane societies in Fort Payne, and other communities in DeKalb and Jackson Counties and across the country are equipped with scanners that they can use to identify lost pets immediately. What happens is that these universally compatible scanners are used to read the identification code on the microchip. The microchip registry is called, and the registry company uses the ID number to retrieve the pet parent’s contact information from the pet recovery database, and then you are notified of your pet’s whereabouts.
We use the Avid microchip for our patients. All you have to do is create an account to register your pet, answer the questions, and make sure to keep your contact information updated with the database should you have any changes.
Whether your pet is young or an adult, an inside pet or outside pet, get your pet microchipped today and give yourself peace of mind knowing that your pet is permanently linked with you.