What You Need to Know About Microchipping Your Pet
What is Microchipping for?
From April 2016, it has been a legal requirement for all dogs over the age of 8 weeks to be microchipped. If a dog is found not to be microchipped, then owners can face a fine up to £500.
The microchip is a small electronic chip which is implanted underneath the animal’s skin between the two shoulder blades. It is a quick procedure which can be carried out at Cara Veterinary Clinic.
We have a sample microchip on display for owners to see, if you would like to see what a microchip looks like call into the clinic.
Does microchipping your pet hurt?
It can cause a slight discomfort to the animal which may cause them to give a small yelp, but does not hurt any more than the standard vaccination. The benefits of microchipping far outweigh the slight discomfort that may be caused.
We have carefully selected our supplier to ensure that we have the smallest gauge needle for implanting the microchip to minimise this discomfort.
How does a microchip work?
Each microchip is allocated a specific number. The microchip can then be identified by scanning the area on the dog in which the microchip has been placed. The owner assigns their contact details to this number which are then stored on a database which can be accessed should the pet go missing. The databases can only be accessed by vets or local authorities so your pet’s details are safe.
What to do if my microchip details are out of date?
It is very important that the owners contact details are kept up to date. The Dogs Trust charity carried out a survey that found up to 12 dogs a day may be put to sleep due to the owners contact details being out of date when the dog was scanned for a microchip. You only need to have the microchip of your dog and the contact details of the database to change the details.
At Cara Veterinary Clinic we can quickly scan any animal to check for a microchip and read its number.
Need some help?
Is your pet in need of some professional care? Speed up the process by filling out our new client form online, and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.
Dealing with pet bereavement
Sometimes there are no words….Recently a pet bereavement was really tough on me. Don’t get me wrong all of the pets that we either put down or are reported to have died affect me. We love all our little pet patients and always will the best for them. When people ask...
Leptospirosis
Recently at Cara Veterinary Clinic we have had a patient very ill with Leptospirosis. This case highlighted to us that Leptospirosis is prevalent in our area and we want to ensure that information is passed on to others so that they can protect their dogs through...