Microchip your pet to avoid heartbreak of separation, urges BVA
The British Veterinary Association (BVA) is urging cat and dog owners to mark National Microchipping Month this year by checking that their pet is chipped and all of their details are up to date.
Microchipping is a safe and effective way to permanently identify a pet and, through registration on a database, the animal can be linked to its owner and quickly reunited if it goes missing.
Microchipping of dogs is set to become compulsory in Wales from 1 March 2015 and in England from 6 April 2016. Compulsory microchipping will significantly reduce the number of lost and stray animals being kept by local authorities and charities at enormous cost.
Vets also recommend that cats are microchipped to ensure that they can be swiftly reunited with owners if they become lost or injured away from the home.
BVA President and vet Robin Hargreaves said:
“The ability to reunite stray animals with their grateful owners is a highlight of working in veterinary practice. We’ve had lots of animals brought into the surgery without owners and people are always so relieved to get a call saying their pet has been found.
“If the animal is injured it’s even more important that we can locate the owner quickly so we can make decisions about treatment.
“Microchipping is an essential part of responsible ownership and the cost is relatively small. The introduction of compulsory microchipping is a giant leap for dogs and their owners and is something that vets have long campaigned for.
“But microchips are only as useful as the information on the database and so it’s essential that owners realise that they must keep their details up to date.”
For more about the introduction of compulsory microchipping of dogs in England and Wales visit: http://www.bva.co.uk/activity_and_advice/Compulsorymicrochippingofdogs.aspx
