Why is Microchipping of Pets so Important?

Microchipping has always been important for pets other than the usual sterilisation and vaccination procedures. The main importance would be that the chip can be scanned at any veterinary clinic and that the owner’s contact details are matched to the pet. 

Microchipping is a painless procedure for the pet as a chip is inserted under the animal’s skin between the shoulder blades. Each embedded chip comes with a unique serial number for identification and the owner’s contact details. It only takes a few seconds for the chip to be injected underneath the skin of the pet. 

Also, there are instances where Noah’s Ark volunteers remind owners on many occasions to microchip their pets. However, they did not do so which resulted in their pets going missing and causing unnecessary anxiety to the owner. Especially for dogs that are cross-breed, once they go missing and the authorities happen to not find a microchip on the dog, they will be classified as strays due to their breed and might be subjected to euthanasia. These are some of the few scenarios that might happen to pets without a microchip as there is no way to identify them.

Maud went missing for almost over a year.

Jane Perry is a lucky cat owner who discovered that microchipping of her pet cat, Maud helped in reuniting the both of them together. Maud went missing shortly after her family moved into a new home which was probably due to a change in environment. Jane went to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) Singapore to enquire about her missing cat and was referred by them to the Pet-Call website.  

Pet-Call provides comprehensive services in postings about pets that are lost or found with their microchip numbers. Owners who lost their pet just need to submit their pet’s microchip number and the recovery process takes place immediately in locating their beloved pet/s. The recovery process is extended to all veterinary clinics, pet shops, pet groomers, SPCA, Singapore Kennel Club, Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) and other organisations islandwide. Jane quickly registered Maud’s microchip details with Pet-Call and made missing pet flyers to be handed out. Her family waited patiently for news regarding Maud whereabouts for months.

As months passed, Jane and her family grew less and less hopeful that Maud would ever find her way back into their lives. However, after over a year, Jane received a call that a family had been taking care of Maud. She was actually living a few streets away from her family in an abandoned house. Fortunately, the kind-hearted family who had been caring for Maud had her scanned for a microchip and found that her chip was registered to Pet-Call. Jane and her family are thrilled and happy to finally be reunited with their pet cat Maud.  

Jane said: “Miracles do happen and we are so grateful to Pet-Call for their service.” 

Through this sharing, it shows that microchipping can speed up the process of locate missing pets .By registering your pets with Pet-Call, it will increase the chances and likelihood of a happy reunion with your lost pet.  Jane and her family were also very pleased with Pet-Call for their support and service in looking for Maud.

Therefore owners should follow the three important procedures for their pets which are: 

1. Sterilisation
2. Microchipping 
3. Regular medical checkup to ensure that their pet is healthy 

Microchipping also helps to identify pets if they are brought to an animal shelter as they will be most likely be scanned first. Besides microchipping, it is strongly recommended that pets be kept indoors so as to minimise their chances of them going missing. Owners should also supervise their pets when they go outdoors as their safety should be the top priority.

Written By: Darren Chan