Losing a pet can lead to anxiety and possible depression especially if no microchip is implanted under the pet’s skin that can help you find your pet faster.
Their whereabouts will be unknown and the chances of reuniting will be slim as the day goes by without a microchip.
Hence, it is advised to implant a microchip in your pet as well as other means of identification such as collars, ear tags, clamps, etc.
Microchips do not provide real-time tracking data but when scanned at shelter homes or veterinarian clinics provide valuable information that can help locate the owners of a lost pet.
However, as a pet owner, if you have a microchip with updated contact information, tracking your pet will be much easier and the probability of reuniting with your lost pet will be higher.
Here is how a microchip works to help you track and recover your pet in due time.
Understanding Microchips:
A microchip is a permanent and small radio frequency identification tag ( RDIT) implanted under a pet’s skin usually under their shoulder blades.
It is used to provide the contact information of the pet owner or manufacturer in a registry database when scanned by a microchip reader in a shelter or veterinarian clinic.
The Registry database has the contact information of the manufacturer where the pet was registered after implanting the chip and also the contact information of the owner.
As soon as your pet is missing, you should report to the microchip registry to inform them of the missing status of your pet.
They can also help to flag your pet as missing or they can help you to update your contact information in the registry to ensure you are contacted when the microchip is scanned.
The manufacturer of the microchip has their registry and it is advised to have yours with a universal registry where you can choose your universal tracking site such as https://www.aaha.org/for-veterinary-professionals/microchip-search/
How To Recover Your Pet Using A Microchip:
When a lost pet is found and taken to a shelter home or veterinarian, the microchip can be scanned revealing the unique pet identification number that has your updated contact information as well as the manufacturers.
The shelter home or the vet will be able to notify you when the microchip is scanned for you to be reunited with your pet.
What If I did Not Install A Microchip:
There is still a chance your pet can have a microchip implanted by the shelter home where you made the adoption.
Many shelters, microchip pets when they are 8 weeks old or before they are given out for adoption.
Ensure you contact the shelter home to know if your lost pet was microchipped.
If microchipped, report the missing status of your pet and let them be aware you should be contacted if they are reached out to after scanning.
Can I Rely Fully On Microchips To Recover My Lost Pet:
Microchips are a safe, secure, and reliable way to recover and be reunited with your pet but they work with other methods such as GPS, collars, active searching, neighbors, and community involvement.
The possibility of finding your cat with total dependence on a microchip alone is low and not advisable.
With a microchip, you will need the help of a stranger or rescue group to rescue your pet and take it to a shelter or a vet for scanning before you can be contacted.
Other Methods Of Finding a Lost Pet:
The process of looking for a lost pet involves a combination of several conventional and non-conventional means.
This process can take several weeks, months and sometimes years. In some worse case scenarios, some pet owners never get to find their lost pets.
The use of several methods discussed below not only increases the chances of finding a lost pet but also reduces the time.
Use Of Social Media:
There are billions of people on various social media platforms, with millions of daily active users.
With social media, you can reach a larger audience in a short time increasing the possibilities of finding your lost pet in a short time.
Social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Whatsapp, Wechat, Tiktok, etc allows you to upload a picture and description of your lost pet.
You can create a an account if you do not have one and continuously make post about your missing pet.
You can also visit local pet fan pages and make post about your missing pet.
Ask Questions:
There’s a high chance your lost pet might still be lurking around finding it hard to trace the way back home .
That might likely be the case if your pet was missing recently, and there is also a high chance someone might have seen your lost pet in the neighborhood.
You should proceed to ask your neighbors, visit local vet stores, local parks, shelter homes, etc.
While asking around, print out a picture of your pet with a description and leave the print with anyone that might have seen your pet.