Come to Johnson Ranch Animal Clinic and “Check the Chip” on August 15
Thursday, August 15 is “National Check the Chip” Day, when pet owners are encouraged to check and update the contact information registered with their pet’s microchip.
Microchips are the reason “Lost Dog” and “Lost Cat” stories can have happy endings even if the pet has been missing for months or found a thousand miles from home.
Veterinarians and staff at Johnson Ranch Animal Clinic can scan any pet’s microchip; tell the owner what data is on the chip; and if needed, provide them with information on how to update their pet’s microchip registration if they have moved or changed phone numbers.
Sometimes, we find chips pet owners did not even know were there. How does this happen?
- When the current owner acquired the pet, the breeder, animal control unit, rescue group, pet shop or humane society failed to inform them that they had implanted a chip.
- The animal control unit, rescue group, humane society or pet shop never scanned the animal so did not know that the pet was already microchipped.
- When the pet was previously scanned, a Universal Scanner was not used so the chip was missed because it did not register.
- The person previously scanning the pet did not check for a migrated chip.
- The implanted chip may be bad and no longer working.
- The previous owner did not tell the new owner that the pet had a microchip.
Sometimes our staff does not find a microchip in a pet that is supposed to have one. This can happen if the chip was never implanted or implanted improperly and came out.
Even if you have paper work showing your pet was microchipped, someone could have made a mistake. Did you witness the chip being implanted? Did you see the chip scanned after it was implanted, to verify that it is indeed in your pet?
If you say your pet has a chip but our universal scanner does not pick it up, we can take an x-ray. If they are there, microchips will show up very clearly on x-rays.
So on August 15, bring your pet to Johnson Ranch Animal Clinic at 270 E. Hunt Hwy, Ste. 4 That’s in the plaza on the corner of Bella Vista and Hunt Highway. The staff will check for a microchip or help owners scan the pet themselves. There’s no charge and it just takes a few minutes. Pets will get treats while pet parents will get “chip” style refreshments.
To learn more about microchips and Check the Chip Day, call Johnson Ranch Animal Clinic at 480-987-4555 or visit the AVMA’s website at www.avma.org/CheckTheChip.
