It wasn’t long ago that the staff at Coxwell Animal Clinic received a call from a very stressed and scared client. Their lovely dog had gotten out of the backyard, and was nowhere to be found. The owner had driven around the neighbourhood, for hours looking for his beloved little dog. There were posters up everywhere, they had called every clinic in the area to inform them and ask for help, there were ads on multiple lost dog websites. Sadly, none of this seemed to help at all, and we were at a loss for what to do next. Weeks went by, and still no word from anywhere.
A lot of this stress could have been avoided if the owner had gotten the dog microchipped. We have heard a lot of stories of dogs and cats being lost from their owners, and never finding their way home. Also, we have had many people find “stray” animals, and bring them in to see if we can find their families, but without a microchip, that is incredibly difficult. Sometimes, this means that the animal is newly adopted into the family that found them (which is bittersweet), or it means that the animal ends up at a shelter, and that isn’t fun for anyone involved.
We know that the sound of microchipping may be a little intimidating. A lot of people think that it will hurt the animal, or that it is a large device sticking under the skin. In truth, the microchips are about the size of a grain of rice. The chip is placed under the skin, in the scruff of the neck, to minimize the feeling of the needle. It would be the same sort of feeling that they get when they get their annual vaccines with the added bonus of only being once in their lifetime! And the procedure can be done in conjunction with any other visit to the vet, as it takes only a few minutes to perform. That is amazing given the peace of mind that it gives to the family.
With all the pros for using the microchip, the low pain it causes and the relatively low cost of the procedure especially weighed against flyers and ads and gas should your pet go missing, there aren’t a lot of reasons to not have this done. If you have any questions about microchipping, please do not hesitate to call and one of our knowledgeable staff would be happy to go over things with you!
