Microchipping

Every pet parent should have a plan in place for their pets in case of an emergency. In the event of a natural disaster or a fire, things can get hectic, chaos happens, and sometimes our pets get lost or left behind. Even when life is normal, something as ordinary as leaving the gate to your yard open can result in a missing pet.

Microchipping is a method of providing permanent identification for your four-legged friend that can’t get lost, stolen, or damaged. It is a safe, simple form of identification that can significantly increase the chance for a happy reunion between you and your lost pet. A microchip is about the size and shape of a grain of rice. It is injected beneath the surface of your pet's skin between the shoulder blades in a process similar to a vaccination. The procedure takes only a few minutes and can be completed during any visit to Smithers Animal Hospital.

Each microchip has a unique registration number that is linked with your pet’s name, owner’s name, and contact information in a national recovery database. It is standard practice at all animal shelters and veterinary offices to scan stray pets for a microchip as soon as they are found. The scanner will read the microchip’s unique dog or cat ID code that will be used to identify the pet and retrieve your contact information. The appropriate pet recovery center will then contact you to arrange for a reunion with your pet.

At Smithers Animal Hospital we use PetLink microchips. We will register your pet following the procedure; however, you will need to keep your contact information updated when changes occur.

We highly recommend microchipping your indoor and outdoor pets because we love happy endings to stories about lost pets. Please consider microchipping your pet today.