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MICROCHIPS AND YOUR PET

First broadcast on www.provet.co.uk  


This information is provided by Provet for educational purposes only.

You should seek the advice of your veterinarian if your pet is ill as only he or she can correctly advise on the diagnosis and recommend the treatment that is most appropriate for your pet.

Injecting a small, sterile microchip in to your pet is one of the safest methods for tracking and identifying it.

The procedure of injecting a small microchip into animals is now well established and, although there are several different products on the market, some form of International standards are now being introduced. So, if your pet gets lost, or if it's movements have to be tracked, the chip can be quickly scanned and the pets identity and owner can be located.

Some people have expressed concern about possible problems that microchips might cause, but a recent report from the Federation of Companion Animal Veterinary Associations (FECAVA) which has been monitoring the situation since 1997, confirms that the procedure is very safe.

During the 2 year period 1997-1999 a total of only 61 adverse reactions were reported and this represents only one case per 19,869 microchipped animals (cats and dogs). The most common problem recorded (47/61) was migration of the chip from it's original site of injection. Other problems included 3 abscesses, 4 chip failures and 1 loss of the chip.

Microchipping is essential for pets wishing to travel between the UK and mainland Europe under the new Pet Travel Scheme. If you would like to have your pet microchipped contact your veterinarian for more information.

 

Updated October 2013