Microchipping for Dogs and Cats

Because love deserves protection.

Microchipping for Dogs and Cats

Because love deserves protection.

Has your pet already escaped from your house or yard at least once? Are you worried they might try? Approximately 1 in 3 pets go missing at least once during their lifetime, and many never return. Regardless of how your pet gets lost, a cat or dog microchip greatly increases the odds of them being reunited with you. At Columbia Pike Animal Hospital in Annandale, we believe the best way to keep your pet connected to you is to have them microchipped. Pet microchipping is a quick, easy, painless procedure, and it lasts a lifetime. Call us today at (703) 256-8414.

Has your pet already escaped from your house or yard at least once? Are you worried they might try? Approximately 1 in 3 pets go missing at least once during their lifetime, and many never return. Regardless of how your pet gets lost, a cat or dog microchip greatly increases the odds of them being reunited with you. At Columbia Pike Animal Hospital in Annandale, we believe the best way to keep your pet connected to you is to have them microchipped. Pet microchipping is a quick, easy, painless procedure, and it lasts a lifetime. Call us today at (703) 256-8414

We use the HomeAgain microchip here at Columbia Pike Animal Hospital for cats and dogs. It is a tiny transponder no bigger than a grain of rice. A microchip is not a GPS device, but a permanent form of identification that your pet will have for life. To place the microchip, your veterinarian simply has to inject it under your pet’s skin between their shoulder blades. This microchip also has an anti-migration feature that prevents it from shifting under your pet’s skin and migrating to another part of their body.

Each microchip has its own individual ID number that must be registered with your contact information into the HomeAgain National Pet Recovery Database. An unregistered microchip is essentially useless, so make sure you register as soon as your pet has received their chip. If you are traveling internationally, the HomeAgain chip is ISO complaint for international travel.

Timeline for Treatment

You can either register your pet’s microchip online, or by calling the manufacturer. You need to submit your contact information to the database, and make sure to change it if you end up moving to a new location. This is extremely important to ensure you can be contacted if your pet ever goes missing. Once your pet’s microchip is officially registered, their ID number can be scanned and traced directly to you. If you happen to come across a lost pet in your neighborhood, take it to the nearest pet shelter or animal hospital-these facilities have universal microchip scanners that can help you track down the pet’s owner.

To have your pet microchipped here at our animal hospital in Annandale, simply call and set up an appointment. To learn more about pet microchipping, give us a call at (703) 256-8414 or visit www.homeagain.com.