Our Veterinarian in San Diego Explains the Importance of Microchipping Your Pet

According to ASPCA, around 7.6 million stray animals enter animal shelters annually, with 2.7 million of those being euthanized. Avoiding becoming a part of those statistics by microchipping your pet. Here at Tierrasanta Veterinary Hospital in San Diego, we can help with that.

What’s Microchipping?

The procedure of microchipping a pet involves inserting a microchip beneath the skin between their shoulder blades. This chip is embedded with an exclusive identification number that is linked to your personal contact information. Animal control, veterinary centers, and humane societies can read that info with a special scanner to help your furry friend find their way home.

How are Microchips Installed?

Insertion of the microchip is quick and simple. A skilled veterinarian can easily insert the microchip with a needle similar to those used for vaccinations. It takes so little time to complete that often clients spend more time completing the paperwork.

Is Microchipping Safe?

WebMD for Pets reports that the majority of veterinarians indicate little to no reaction by pets when the microchip is installed. This demonstrates that the process is relatively painless.

However, in some rare instances, complications due to incorrect implantation have been reported. That is why it is so essential that a well-trained professional – like ours – do the procedure.

Furthermore, a minute sampling of animals has experienced the growth of cancerous tumors around the location. The risk for this is negligible though.

Why is Microchipping Important?

Only 22 percent of lost dogs and less than 2 percent of lost cats return home according to the ASPCA. However, microchipped pets change those figures to 53 percent and 39 percent respectively. It is obvious that microchipping is beneficial.

In the event that a friendly bystander finds your roaming friend, they can take them to a local veterinarian office, humane society, or animal shelter. A sizable percentage of these organizations has a scanner that allows them to read your pet’s microchip to retrieve your contact info.

Contact Tierrasanta Veterinary Hospital to Schedule an Appointment Today

For more information, call our thoughtful caring staff at 858-224-9459, stop by the Tierrasanta Veterinary Hospital offices in San Diego, or schedule an appointment online today.