You love your pet; that should be a given. You adore your precious little fur baby, and all you want to do is make sure that they can stay safe, happy, and healthy for as long as they are with you. One way to ensure that they are as safe as possible– especially if you plan on shipping them to a new location– is to make sure they are correctly microchipped. But this isn’t just a suggestion; in many cases, it’s actually required. Here are some important points to consider as you prepare to ship your pet.
Related: How Does Pet Shipping Work?
Proper ID Is Essential
When it comes to shipping your pet and traveling by air, ensuring they have the proper ID is essential. Several documents and forms will be needed for your pet to travel, including a health certificate, vaccine verifications for common diseases, and even country-specific paperwork for importing an animal if you are moving them internationally. All of that paperwork will need to include your pet’s unique microchip number so that it can be proved that the health documents are real and that the dog belongs to you.
What Does A Microchip Do?
Microchips are a type of tiny radio-frequency identification device (RFID) containing a pet’s unique ID number and the phone number of the owner registry associated with the chip. The microchips do not contain any personal or contact information of the dog’s owner, so you don’t have to be concerned about anyone having access to it by just scanning your pet. The info contained in the microchip can be accessed via a hand-held scanner. Microchips also come with a unique tag to put on your pet’s collar, showing their ID number and the associated registry phone number.
Many different microchip brands exist. Each brand has its own registry of data that can be accessed by veterinarians, customs officials, and pet shelters to find or verify the pet’s owner. Because of this, you must ensure that all of your personal information in the registry is up to date. Microchips can’t help much if you’ve moved to a new town, state, or country, but you don’t update your address or other necessary information.
Related: What You Need To Know When Shipping A Pet Internationally
Key Things You Should Know About Microchips
Microchips are necessary to help you keep track of your pet and keep them safe, especially during a move. But there are two critical bits of information that pet owners must remember regarding microchips and how they operate.
They make a huge difference
According to the American Humane Association, more than 10 million dogs and cats go missing every year in the United States. Out of all these pets, only those who have been properly microchipped stand any chance at being returned home.
They’re useless if not registered
It’s not enough to make sure that your pet is microchipped in the first place; you also have to register that microchip formally. If a microchip is not registered, vets, shelters, and other parties will not be able to match the pet’s ID number with their owner. In that situation, the pet may as well have no microchip at all for all the good it does at getting them back home.
Do you need to find out more about the best ways to help keep your pet safe during travel? Call +1 (800) 626-5023 toll-free or check out All Paws Express to see how they can help.
5 Benefits Of Microchipping
- Tags wear out and collars fall off, and many pets don’t have collars in the first place. This means that they are not enough to protect your precious pets should they go missing, especially during a shipping process. On the other hand, microchips are a permanent security measure that can’t end up accidentally separated from your pet.
- Sometimes cats and dogs can be stolen or found, and their ownership comes into question as a result. Microchips that are registered provide you with definitive evidence that the animal rightfully belongs to you. This is also another reason why microchips are superior to just using collars.
- If your pet becomes lost or runs away, a registered microchip significantly increases the likelihood that your pet could be returned to you. Studies have shown that microchipped pets are between 20 and 50% more likely to be returned to their owners than their non-microchipped counterparts.
- Newer and more advanced microchips can come equipped with several other capabilities. Some chips are able to unlock a dog door when your pet approaches it, which can keep other stray critters out of your home. Other chips also have the ability to send out a lost pet alert.
- The final benefit of microchipping your pet is that they last for a lifetime. Microchips don’t have to be a concern once they have been implanted and registered. However, it is a smart idea to have your vet scan the chip at least once per year to ensure that it isn’t malfunctioning.
Related: Relocating Your Pet: This is the Paperwork You Need
2-Step Microchipping Process
The process of microchipping your pet is straightforward and relatively affordable. It typically only requires two small steps and about $45, depending on your regular veterinarian rates. In short, the process is:
- Have your vet implant the microchip in your pet with a special syringe (microchips are usually around the size of a rice grain).
- Send your contact information to the manufacturer of the microchip to have it officially registered in their system.
Despite this being an easy list to follow, make sure you follow the second point to have the chip registered. Remember, they are useless if you don’t do this.
Conclusion
Having your pet microchipped is generally a very good idea in order to keep them safe and increase the odds of them being returned to you if they are lost or run away. However, microchipping your pet becomes essential if you are going to be shipping them anywhere. Not only do many countries have requirements that you chip your pet before you’re allowed to bring them, but some even have standards regarding the type of microchip your pet is supposed to have. If you move to one of these countries, you may need to have your pet’s original microchip replaced with one that meets their requirements. So make sure to protect your fuzzy friend by getting them microchipped, especially before any big trips or moves.
Would you like some expert assistance in how to relocate your pets safely? Reach out to All Paws Express or call them toll-free at +1 (800) 626-5023 to learn about their top-quality services.