A lost pet is every pet parent’s worst nightmare. Even with all the right precautions and steps to protect your pet, they can still become lost. Without proper ID, they may never return home. The best way to ensure your cat or dog returns home is a microchip. At New Berlin Veterinary Clinic we use top of the line microchip technology from HomeAgain© to help you 
protect your cat or dog and ensure they come back home.
Pet microchips are not tracking devices. They are radio-frequency identification (RFID) implants that provide permanent ID for your pet. They are read with scanners.
Microchip Implants Do Not Hurt Your PetImplants to not require anesthetic. The procedure is completed in our office and is as simple as a routine vaccine or shot. There is a simple pinch and it is done.
Pet Microchips Are AffordableCommonly pets adopted from a shelter or breeder are already microchipped. A chip costs costs $65 – including implantation and lifetime registration.
Your Pet Should Always Wear An ID TagEven if your cat or dog is microchipped, we recommend that your pet always wear a collar and tags imprinted with your name and phone number. Extra precautions never hurt!
A Pet Microchip Works For Cats And DogsUnlike dogs, cats are often without a collar and tag, leaving them without any form of ID. Studies have shown that less than 2% of cats without microchips were returned home. However, if a cat is microchipped, the return-to-owner rate is 20 times higher than if the cat was not microchipped.
A Microchip Will Last Your Pet’s LifetimeA microchip will normally last the lifetime of your pet and will not degrade over time. Microchips have features to help ensure the chip stays where it’s implanted, do not require a power source and have no moving parts. You can also check your pet’s microchip during exams.
If your pet is lost, start by filing a lost pet report with every shelter within a 60-mile radius of your home and if possible, visit the shelters in your area on a daily basis. If your community does not have an animal shelter, contact your local police agency. Provide these agencies with an accurate description and a recent photograph of your pet.
If you believe your pet may have been stolen, contact your local police first thing.
Walk or drive through your neighborhood several times each day. Ask your neighbors, letter carriers and delivery people if they have seen your pet and provide them with a recent photograph of your pet and your contact information if your pet is found. Encourage your neighbors to search for your pet with you or check places where your cat or dog may hide around their homes.
Create missing posters and place them at grocery stores, community centers, veterinary offices, traffic intersections, pet supply stores and any locations that will allow you to place a poster. If you have the funds, consider placing advertisements in newspapers and with radio stations. Provide your pet’s gender, age, weight, breed, color and any special markings or traits that can identify your pet.
Visit these useful pet finding websites:
If you are contacted by someone who claims to have found your pet ask them to describe your pet thoroughly before you offer any information. If they do not include the identifying characteristic you left out of the advertisements, it is possible that they may not really have your pet.
Be cautious of people who request that you give or wire them money for the return of your pet. If you think your pet may have been stolen, contact your local police as soon as possible.
In many cases, pets who have been lost for months and even years have been reunited with their owners.
Every type of pet has a better chance of being returning home if they always wears a collar and an ID tag with your name, town, and direct phone number, In addition, pets with a microchip have a higher success rate in returning home. If your pet does not have a microchip, give us a call to discuss protecting your pet even further.
