Electronic Identification for Pets

Frequently, vet clinics are presented with animals that have been found (usually injured), and who are wearing no identification.

Often, these animals are euthanased as they are not claimed, and there is nowhere for them to go. There is also the problem of wandering cats being tragically turned into the rangers by neighbours who claim that they are "strays". These are also usually put to sleep as there has been no way to prove who owns them.

So, as a pet owner, how can you ensure that your animal makes its way safely home to you should it wander off?

Of course, the traditional way to identify your pet is with a collar and tag. This is satisfactory for many dogs and some cats but many cat owners, in particular, have a problem keeping a collar on their pet. Both cats and dogs can lose collars. They can also be intentionally removed should someone maliciously want to dispose of a neighbour's animal. This is also a potential problem for owners of valuable show animals who may be stolen.

The solution to these problems is identification by way of an electronic microchip; an option now available from McGregor Veterinary Clinic.

So, what exactly is a microchip and how does it work?

A microchip is a very small (a little bigger than a grain of rice) electronic computer chip encoded with an unique number. The chip is inserted (by injection) under the skin over the shoulder blades. No form of anaesthesia is required. The cost of the procedure includes lifetime registration of the animal with the Australian Animal Registry.

Once inserted, the chip is invisible, immovable and unalterable. The animal doesn't even know it's there! The identifying number is read by passing a scanner over the back of the animal - its number appearing on the scanner's LCD display. The number can then be traced by a quick phone call to the animal registry, and the animal can be returned to its owners.

All the vet clinics in the Bunbury area, as well as the City Rangers Department, own scanners that read the most popular brands of Microchips. As a result, any animal taken as a stray to a vet clinic, or to the City Pound, will be scanned for the presence of a microchip. The chips cannot be lost by a wandering animal, nor can they be removed by spiteful neighbours.

We at McGregor Veterinary Clinic consider microchips to be the solution to many problems. We are happy to discuss the procedure with you, and we encourage you to consider microchipping for all of your pets.