A lost pet is a frightening situation with often devastating consequences. Studies have shown more than 10 million pets get lost each year and approximately 90 percent of those found would not have been returned to their owners without some form of permanent pet identification.

It is incredibly beneficial to have your pet microchipped. A microchip is an easily implanted chip about the size of a grain of rice that holds a code that can be referenced on the website of the manufacturer of the chip. That code will correspond with all of the pertinent information for your pet. The pet’s name, address, your phone number, etc will all be available to any vet or animal control officer who finds your pet. This makes getting your lost pet back much easier and much more likely.

This is why the team at Sunshine Animal Hospital considers pet microchip identification to be a fundamental way to protect your pet and an important part of responsible pet ownership.

We use the Home Again and Pet Link microchip systems. Each microchip registers the animal with a unique identification number, which is filed in a database with your contact information and your pet’s name. The contact information can be updated anytime, and it is important to remember to do so whenever your information changes.

If your pet is lost, the microchip can be scanned by animal control officers, at shelters and at veterinary hospitals in the U.S. and in many foreign countries as well. This makes getting your lost pet back much easier and much more likely.

This safe, reliable and permanent pet identification takes less than 10 seconds to implant and can save you and your pet days, weeks or more of fear and anguish.