Microchips
A lost pet can be a terrifying experience. Chances of recovering your pet are greatly increased if they have identification. Name tags with your name and phone number and/or a rabies tag with the veterinarian's phone number are a very good idea, but a pet may lose its collar. Injured pets are sometimes brought to a veterinarian by a Good Samaritan; finding the owner as quickly as possible is essential.
The HomeAgain Microchip is an option available for permanent identification of your pet. A small microchip, about the size of a grain of rice, can easily be injected between the shoulder blades of your pet. This microchip is encoded with a unique identification number. The American Kennel Club maintains a national database in which you can enroll your pet's information.
Many veterinarians and animal shelters have a hand-held scanner which can look for and identify this microchip leading to a happy reunion of a lost pet with his/her owner.
