Microchipping

Jacksonville veterinarian recommends pet microchips

Since your pet can get lost in a heartbeat, our veterinarians suggest microchipping for both cats and dogs. Did you know that studies show cats have a 5% chance of being returned to their owners once they are taken to an animal shelter? Pet microchips are easy and affordable at San Marco Animal Hospital in Jacksonville, FL.

What you need to know about microchipping

• Minimal pain – The device is about the size of a rice kernel. It is injected beneath the loose skin between the animal’s shoulder blades using a sterile, single-use applicator. Implantation is quick and no more painful than a routine vaccination.
• Safe – The chip is made of biocompatible materials. It is unlikely to cause health problems or side effects and will not degrade over time.
• Private – The microchip contains a single unique ID number that is only accessible by the manufacturer of the microchip, so you don’t have to worry about anyone with a scanner accessing your personal contact information. A veterinarian, animal control facility, or rescue scans it and calls the number into a national pet recovery database that notifies you. (It is essential to keep contact information updated.)
• Reliable – Collars and tags can be lost, intentionally removed, or unreadable. A microchip stays with your pet for life, providing permanent identification.
• Cost-effective – Microchipping is an affordable one-time fee.
• Cats, too! – Most cats do not wear collars with identification tags. The return rate for a microchipped cat is 20 times higher than for those without microchips.
• Microchips save pets – The unfortunate truth is that most lost pets are not always reunited with their owners. They suffer the perils of the highway or end up in shelters and pounds where they may be adopted by a new family or euthanized. Scanning for microchips is routine at most impounding facilities in Florida, and virtually every rescue and veterinary office has a universal scanner so that you can be reunited with your pet promptly.

We hope you never have the anxiety of losing a pet, but if you do, a microchip is likely to bring a happy ending. Don’t wait for your pet to get lost– Call us today at 904-516-9767 to get your pet microchipped.