These days, most dogs and cats that you adopt from shelters are microchipped. Staff members at the veterinary hospital in Bowie and at other vet hospitals know how important this technology is for both veterinarians and pet owners. One study even shows that about one-third of pets will go missing at one time or another. Unfortunately, many of these missing pets never get reunited with their owners. Through microchipping, pets can return home to their families.
What is Microchipping?
A microchip is a computer chip that is surrounded by glass. The chip gets implanted under your pet’s skin through a hypodermic needle. This procedure will not make your pet ill in any way. Microchips work through a radio frequency. As a result, they only get activated when they get scanned at a veterinary hospital in Bowie. When the chip gets scanned, the pet’s unique ID becomes apparent.
When a lost pet comes into the hospital, a staff member will scan the animal with a handheld scanner. If the animal has a microchip, the pet’s ID will show up on the screen of the scanner. The staff member will then contact the microchip company to locate the pet’s owner. If the owner completed paperwork at the time the microchip was implanted, reuniting the pet with their owner is easy.
Why You Should Always Get Your Pet Microchipped
One study showed that over 50 percent of microchipped pets got reunited with their owners. The same study also found that only one-fifth of pets that didn’t have a microchip got returned to their owners. Microchipping can also save the life of a pet. If a lost pet needs medical treatment, a microchip can allow veterinary hospital staff to contact the owner to get permission to begin treatment.
Gambrills Veterinary Center has taken care of the medical needs of animals in the Bowie, MD area for many years.
