Dr. Doug Mader's - "To Your Pet's Health"
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Pet Identification Is of the Utmost Importance

By Dr. Doug Mader

Dear Readers:

I was approached by Stand Up For Animals today regarding a series of missing dogs on Big Pine Key. There is some speculation that these may be related, and may have some sort of sinister connection. One of the big concerns of the hard workers at SUFA was that several of these missing pets had no proper identification -- thus making it nearly impossible for them to connect the owners to the pets should be pets be found.

There are a number of excellent ways to identify your pets, not just microchipping as most would assume. An important first step is to have your pet properly vaccinated and licensed in Monroe County. This way your pet's license number can be on record should it ever get lost. This works, of course, only if your pet has a collar and wears it at all times.

I think one of the most important things that any pet owner can do is to have a set of good quality, reproducible photographs. These should be portrait type photos showing any distinguishing features or color patterns that your pet might have. If your pet is ever lost, you can use these photos to put up flyers and take out advertisements in the local papers. Although color photos are nice for posters, a set of quality black and white photos is a good idea. Black and white photos will reproduce better in newsprint or via fax.

Tattooing is an excellent method to permanently identify your pets. The tattoos are placed in an inconspicuous place on the pet's body, such as the inner ear or inside of the thigh. Most shelters routinely check these spots when a stray or abandonned animal is turned in. The problem comes when deciding what to tattoo on your pet for ID. Your Social Security Number is permanent but it is hard to track a person using their SSN as the personal data is difficult to access. Your driver's license number is good but people move and numbers change. You can use your name, phone number, etc. All have advantages and disadvantages. If your pet is microchipped, I recommend tattooing the type of chip and the chip number on the skin.

Many veterinarians and shelters are now implanting microchips under the skin of dogs and cats before they are adopted. These relatively inexpensive little chips can provide valuable information should your pet ever wander off. The chips are small enough that they can be used in most species, such as birds, turtles, rabbits, etc. There is a slight discomfort when the injection of the microchip is given but it is not much more than the pain associated with a standard vaccination.

In birds and other small animals I recommend sedating the pet before implanting the chip to avoid the discomfort.

The biggest disadvantage of the microchip is that not all veterinarians have the proper scanning equipment to detect the presence of a microchip and, without it, the chips will go unnoticed. Hence, if the pet is tattooed with the microchip type and number, a scanner would not be needed. The major microchip companies offer free scanners to shelters, so most shelters across the country do have them. The shelters in the Keys all have scanners.

The three most common chips are the Avid, the Trovan and the Home Again. Many of the scanners will read the competitor's chips and in most cases your pet will be identified regardless of the chip make.

Regarding the costs, they vary depending on the source, but you can figure that the microchips are around $25 to 35 each. In addition, there is a fee if you want to be registered with an international network (for instance, if you are on vacation and your dog gets lost in California, they can still locate the owner); this one-time fee is around $35 and covers all the pets you own. If you move and need to update your records, there is a small administrative fee that is paid directly to the chip company.

Hopefully you will never have to utilize any of these simple techniques. However, if your beloved pet ever wanders off you'll be glad you did.

Dr. Mader is an ABVP board certified veterinary specialist practicing in the Keys. Send your questions to Mvh525@aol.com.