Microchipping Your Pet - Unforeseen danger!

You just got a brand new dog/cat and you love the fluffy puppy to death. Wanting to make sure he never gets lost or runs away you look for ways of keeping your pet in reach regardless of the situation. What do you find? Microchips! Microchipping your pet is the best way to ensure that you are reunited with your loved one – so what is the problem? The problem is, there are some unforeseen errors with the process you must know about in order to ensure your pet is protected! Failure to read this or share it with others who have Microchipped pets is allowing them to stay in jeopardy! What you need to know…

Current shelters have microchipped dogs and cats, staggering numbers of them. Some, report that 40%, 50% even 80% of the animals might have someone who loves them out there who don’t have a clue how to find them. Wait a minute, didn’t you get a microchip? The same lifetime protection you got your pet could have been a false sense of hope and here are the problems why the shelters can’t find you.

Microchips, normally implanted into a dogs neck or a cats neck have been shifting in their bodies. Some chips have been found all the way down near the butt of the animal. These chips, even if they don’t move could be broken inside, or unreadable by the chip scanners.

"My first thought was that his micro-chip had moved. The object was in the muscle part above his left front leg. Sure enough, it was the chip." -scallahan; fourm.dog.com

I worked in shelters for many years now - and I have come across more than my fair share of strays. It's VERY common knowledge that chips can shift. We scan the entire dog/cat - with a universal scanner. Several times, by different people - just to be certain.

The BIGGEST struggle we run into is outdated information. I can't even begin to tell you the numbers that DON'T go home because someone never updated their phone number.
-erica1989; fourm.dog.com

This problem is more preventable, although leads to much outrage of pet owners. Just for the hell of it, take your chip’s number and enter it into the database to see your information. You might be surprised that it comes up blank. WHAT?! Some companies have been failing to enter your information into their databases. Say the chip works and your name is in the database correctly, what is the problem still? The problem is they try to call you just to get a dead phone line. How helpful is a chip that leads people who find your pet to no house nor contact of you whatsoever?

These are the steps to take to ensure your pet is as safe as possible, and to see that the link between the chip and you is still fully there:

1.Once or twice a year, have your veterinarian or a shelter use a chip scanner to make sure your pets chip is readable. Chips can break and many have been lost due to it. This is really the only safeguard you have about a defective chip.

2.Go to your chip providers database and check to see if all your information is on there. Name, phone, cell, e-mail, home address, and alternative address are often offered to everyone, and every field should be filled! Don’t risk even losing them for a second; make sure you can be as easy to reach as possible in case the time occurs.

3.Check the database 3-4 times a year. This will ensure your info will be online when it is needed and it will give you a sense of security.

4.Make sure you update your information every time you move! Get a new cell phone, a new phone provider, or move to a new house or state? Update the info! It seems simple but 7/10 people forget to update their status.

I hope this helps you protect Barky from getting disconnected from you. Shelters with animals unchipped or who can’t come in contact with are often put up for adoption, and if not adopted will be euthanized. So really think, those few times it takes to check your info, chip, and to be safe – hopefully there worth it!