In past years the Aiken SPCA has tattooed all adopted animals as a means of providing permanent identification in case they go missing. However, tattoos fade and become hard to read. Therefore, in March of 2004, the Aiken SPCA started microchipping ALL of their adopted dogs and cats.
Smaller than a grain of rice, a microchip is inserted under the skin between the shoulders blades using a sterile needle. Microchips can not be removed or altered and they last for the lifetime of the pet. They are administered in seconds by a veterinarian and are no more painful than a vaccination. The microchip is encased in a bio compatible glass tube and is encoded with a unique number. Once implanted, the chip number and owner/pet information is
registered with a national database.
Stray dogs or cats that are handled by animal control officers, shelters or vet clinics are automatically scanned. If the scanner detects a microchip, its number is called in to the database where the owner’s name, address and contact numbers are stored. The phone call to the worried owner can be completed within minutes of finding a lost animal.
Nationally only 12% of stray dogs and 2% of stray cats are reunited with their original owners. Improving pet identification is the only way to increase the number of happy reunions between owners and pets.
Collars with rabies tags, city license tags or ID tags (imprinted with a phone number), help reunite pets with owners every day. Tags are the best “visible” and easily recognizable id for a pet. However, collars and tags can come off. And in the case of theft, thieves will immediately discard collars and tags.
Microchips provide a secondary, permanent form of id. They greatly assist in the return of lost pets and prove ownership in cases of theft. Microchipping services are also available through local veterinarians.
