If you have not had your pet microchipped then you should strongly consider doing so. If you have had your pet microchipped then make certain the registration is up to date with your most current contact information.
Our animal clinic is located in the Dallas area and the majority of our residents are quite good about bringing in stray pets that are found wandering the road and having them scanned for a microchip. The shelters are all quite excellent about scanning as well. That makes a microchip an invaluable resource for getting your animal back if it ever escapes from your possession. Both my cats are entirely indoor, but both are microchipped because they do not wear collars and tags and if they ever hop out the door (as one is prone to try now and then) and get away from me, then I want a fighting chance that they might be found, scanned, and returned to me. The dog has his collar and tags on always, but collars and tags can be lost or removed whereas the chip is always with him.
It is shockingly easy to lose a pet if they do ever break out. A frightened or motivated animal can run miles away from your house in a very short period of time. Furthermore, it is frighteningly easy in the metroplex for a good samaritan to save your loose pet from death in the road only to then travel well beyond any area you may be concentrating your search in. Lost cats often do not even come out from hiding in fright until well after people have given up looking for them (they are most often found weeks after being lost rather than a few days like dogs). Microchips are always easy to read (unlike old tags which get worn), the ID number cannot be tampered with (like tattoos), cannot be easily removed (like collars and tags), and most everyone (in the Dallas area) knows to have a stray animal checked for a chip.
Please call to update your information with the chip registration company any time you move or change phone numbers. It does absolutely no good to have a chip if the contact information is outdated. All too often we get strays in and scan them to find a chip only to find that the information is old, outdated and leaves us with no way to find the actual owner. If you cannot recall who the company is that your chip is registered with, then bring your animal by and we will scan their chip and give you the company name and the chip number so that you can then contact them to update your information.
If you do not have a chip in your pet, then we can certainly take care of that for you in a few short minutes at our clinic serving the Richardson and surrounding areas! Give us a call or book an appointment.
