Home Again? Microchips
Over 10 million pets are lost each year. 50% of dogs and 75% of cats are without collars by the time they arrive at shelters. Without any good way to identify these pets and reunite them with their owners, many shelters are forced to put these pets up for adoption. A few of these pets are adopted by new families, but the harsh reality is that the majority of them are destroyed. Even for those pets who do have collars and tags, many times the phone numbers on them are unreadable or are no longer accurate. With a lifelong pet identification that is safe, unalterable, and independent of wearing a collar, more animals could be safely reunited with their families. The HomeAgain Microchip Identification System? from Intervet involves injecting a small microchip--about the size of a grain of rice-- under the skin between the shoulder blades of a dog or cat, in much the same way a vaccine is administered. Each chip has a unique 10 digit code that, when registered, goes into a database with your address and phone number associated with it.
When a lost pet arrives at a shelter, a hand-held scanner (most shelters currently have them) is passed over the animal's shoulder blades. The scanner reads the identification code of the microchip below the skin's surface. and displays the number on the scanner's digital readout. The shelter can then contact HomeAgain's Nation Lost Pet Database, which immediately contacts the pet's owner or, if necessary, the owner's veterinarian, relative, or other people previously designated by the owner. Nearly all animal shelters, veterinarians' offices, and animal control agencies use scanners routinely, including Gladstone Animal Clinic. The central database is maintained 24 hours a day, 365 days a year across all of North America to ensure your pet is reunited back with you.
Since the creation of the Companion Animal Recovery program, over 6.5 million pets have been enrolled with the HomeAgain Microchip System?, and most importantly, over 600,000 pets have been recovered worldwide!
The chip is passive--it's activated only when read by a compatible scanner--and it's completely safe for puppies, adult dogs, and cats and kittens (even ferrets, birds, and reptiles have been microchipped).
Paw Points
- Permanent, Safe Identification
- Implanted in the Office
- 24/7 Monitoring
- Can Implant at Any Age
- No Annual/Monthly Fees for Monitoring
- First Year of "Full Services" Paid for by GAC
- "Lost Pet" Signs Faxed to Shelters and Vets
- Injury Insurance While Lost
- Allows Quick Recovery if Pet Ever Lost
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Quick and Easy!
Here at the Gladstone Animal Clinic, we are more than happy to implant your dog or cat with a HomeAgain microchip. The procedure is quick, easy, and done in the office. No surgery or sedation is required. The chip is "implanted" much like a vaccine is given and has no side effects.
Now Even More Benefits!
- To help ensure your pet is reunited with you if ever lost, Gladstone Animal Clinic will enroll your pet and register it with the National Lost Dog Database, so you don't have to. One less thing for you to do, is always a good thing!
- We will also cover the cost of the first year of Complete HomeAgain Services. Besides reuniting you with your pet if ever lost, you will receive access to issue Rapid Lost Pet Alerts if your pet is ever lost. Just log in, upload a picture of your pet, and a Lost Dog poster will be faxed to Vet Clinics and shelters within 25 miles of where the pet was lost. ON top of that, your dog will receive Pet Health Insurance if injured while lost (up to $3,000, with a $50 deductible). And if your pet found a way to get FAR from home, HomeAgain will even pay up to $500 to fly your pet back home. Finally, with the Complete HomeAgain Services package you will have free, unlimited access to the ASPCA Emergency Pet Hotline (normally $60 a call!). All of this will be covered for a full year after being microchipped at Gladstone Animal Clinic (if you choose to not re-enroll after one year, your pet will still be in the Pet Database, and HomeAgain will still reunite you will your pet--you just don't benefit from the fancy 'bells and whistles' as listed above.)
- Check out http://www.homeagain.com/ for more information.
- Our pets are very important to us, and we at Gladstone Animal Clinic want to ensure that you and your pets are never separated from each other. We urge you to consider using the HomeAgain? microchip identification system. Let's keep the family together.