Page 29 - Sonoma County Gazette April 2018

FREE Microchip Your Pet
By Pip Marquez de la Plata, Forgottem Felines
Sonoma and Marin animal organizations are coming together to promote
microchips for pets during the month of April. They are offering free microchips at over 25 VIP Petcare clinic locations throughout Sonoma and Marin counties. The lack of widespread adoption of microchips was magnified by the Sonoma/Napa fires. Thousands of animals were displaced by the fires and many of them did not have a microchip which made reunification with their families difficult at best.
After the fires, 74% of microchipped animals that came to Forgotten Felines of Sonoma County, for instance, were reunited with their families while only 1% of non- microchipped animals made it back to their original home.
While identification tags can become lost easily, and tattoos may not always be legible, microchips are permanent identification chips that are about the size of a grain of rice. They are injected between the shoulder blades with a needle, and the process is about as quick as a vaccination. Most pets go through the one-time process without so much as a squeak.
When a lost pet is taken to an animal shelter or veterinary clinic, they will scan the pet for a microchip and read its unique code. This code is stored with the pet’s profile and linked to the owners contact information.
National averages show that only about 15% of dogs and 2% of cats without permanent identification return home to their owners. Approximately 9 million companion animals are admitted to shelters in the U.S. every year. Many of these are euthanized because their owners cannot be found. And, microchipped pets are 2.5 times more likely to be returned to their owners.
The estimated cost to implant and register a microchip ranges from about $25 to $75. However, from April 2 through April 30, the organizations are offering this service for free, which includes free lifetime registration. The free microchips are available for both dogs and cats. No appointments are necessary, but a valid voucher must be presented at the time of service.
Vouchers can be downloaded along with clinic locations and
The organizations involved in the microchip campaign are: Forgotten Felines of Sonoma County, The Humane Society of Sonoma County, The Marin Humane Society, Petaluma Animal Services Foundation, Pets Lifeline, Rohnert Park Animal Services and Sonoma County Animal Services.
times at www.freemicrochip.com.
4/18 - www.sonomacountygazette.com - 29