Is your dog a 4-legged Spartan
able to scale 8 foot obstacles unassisted? Can your cat escape with an inch of door or window clearance? If your pet is a four legged Houdini, read on about important information that could someday prove life-saving.
First, and this may seem overly simple, but the purpose of having a collar on your pet at all times is to ensure your pet gets home safely should she or he get lost So what should go on a collar to ensure this occurs?
Phone numbers
(cell, home, work, veterinarian’s office) to ensure that no matter when or where my buddy’s found, someone will answer the call.
YOUR name, NOT your pet’s
Why? This will make sure the person calling has your name and can get the right person on the phone.
Many pets are stolen each year
A pet’s name on the tag makes it easier for the thief, does nothing for your pet, and it doesn’t help anyone find out where your pet belongs.
City and State
if you are traveling and your pet is lost far from home, the Good Samaritan knows where to start searching for his or her family
Street address
acceptable but being a parent this might not be something I want a random stranger to know. Anyways, most folks finding a lost pet will want to call you so an address, if space is limited, is not necessarily going to be much additional aid. Plus, most folks will want to make sure you are home to accept your pet and will call first. Addresses can be exchanged at that time.
Additional wording to encourage your pet’s return to you that can easily be added to your pet’s collar or ID tags is
Needs Daily Meds
statement adds urgency to reuniting the lost pet with his or her family.
Reward If Found
most folks won’t accept when offered; however, be prepared to make good on this promise.
Now what about cats you say?
As I am sure many experienced cat co-habitators out there reading this have seen, I have witnessed cats turn themselves inside out and sideways to get out of a situation they didn’t like. A collar is child’s play!!! So what to do about these wily little contortionists? Simple answer: microchip ‘em, and REGISTER the microchip!!!
Doubt the power of a microchip? In 2009, Ohio State University performed a study of 53 shelters in 23 states, all of whom agreed to maintain monthly records about microchipped animals brought to the facilities. Only shelters that automatically conduct scans for microchips on all animals were eligible to participate. Of information collected from August 2007 to March 2008, outcomes were reported for a total of 7,704 microchipped animals.
Study creator and lead author, Linda Lord, an assistant professor of veterinary preventive medicine at Ohio State University reported, “We were able to back track this data and determine that 12 percent of microchips would have been missed without multiple scans.” “We know from a prior study that there are good scanners on the market that can read all microchip frequencies out there. But like any technology, it’s not 100 percent. Many shelters now scan multiple times.”Take home point: In the OSU study, owners were found for 72.7 percent of microchipped animals, and among those found, 73.9 percent of the owners wanted the animals back in their homes.
LazyPaw Animal Hospitals regularly scan microchips and remind owners of the need to keep information up to date in the registry. Registration in multiple companies, not just the manufacturer is strongly recommended. A new website created by the American Animal Hospital Association can improve the chances of owners being united with their four legged family members.
In OSU’s 2009 study, the following reasons for why reunions did not occur are as follows:· 34% had incorrect or disconnected phone numbers
· 24.3% of owners failed to return phone calls or respond to letters sent
· 9.8% of microchips were unregistered
· 17.2 of microchips were registered in a database differing from the microchip’s manufacturer
At LazyPaw Animal Hospitals, we want to do everything we can to protect and to preserve the human animal bond. Ensuring that a companion animal is retained in the home, or returned to it following accidental separation, is our primary goal with pet identification. Collars can do a great deal; however, a microchip can do a great deal more, as the OSU study shows. Our advice to our clients : have your pet wear a collar and register his or her microchip.