The British Veterinary Association (BVA) is urging pet owners to sit up and take notice of National Microchipping Month this year by actively checking that their pet is chipped and just as importantly check that 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. Although Microchipping of dogs is set to become compulsory in Wales from 1 March 2015 and in England from 6 April 2016, cats and other small animals such as rabbits can also be Microchipped .
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 the BVA website.