SAN ANTONIO, Aug. 09, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Family Pet Hospital of Stone Oak calls attention to the upcoming National Check the Chip Day, which comes on August 15th, and has been set up to promote the updating of pet microchip database information. These chips make it possible for otherwise-unidentified pets to be reunited with their owners even if external ID tags and collars have been lost. In order to work, they must have up-to-date information connected with them in a database. National Check the Chip Day reminds people to update any obsolete information.
Pet microchipping makes it easier to reunite lost or stolen pets with their owners. Since the chips are internal, they aren't subject to being lost like collar ID tags. They also leave no marks on the pet, which makes them superior to the tattoo method. However, there is one thing many people forget about: A chip is only as good as the data in its associated registry.
"While we do hope to increase microchipping in general and hope to see some new pets get chipped, our main goal for National Check the Chip Day is that those who already have chipped pets will be reminded to update their records. We can't effectively reunite pets with their owners unless databases have up-to-date records," said Dr. Michael O. Woolley of Family Pet Hospital of Stone Oak.
Updating the information associated with a chip requires informing the database associated with that chip. Since each manufacturer has its own files, this can require a trip to the vet to have the animal scanned. The scan will reveal which database is being used. Then, the office can help get it updated.
Those looking to get a new chip and registration for their currently-unrecorded pet should make sure that the manufacturer of the proposed microchip is hooked into the Universal Pet Microchip Lookup Tool. This tool isn't a database itself, but instead, lets animal shelters and veterinarians check it to find information from any database that is attached to it. This makes it more likely that chip checks will find a match.
Family Pet Hospital of Stone Oak offers the HomeAgain 15-digit microchip for both dogs and cats. These microchips can be easily and quickly inserted in pets at their office, as the process is much like administering a vaccine. Pet owners can benefit from microchip enrollment assistance and peace of mind knowing that their pet will be more easily traced back to them if they get lost.
About Family Pet Hospital of Stone Oak
This pet hospital serves the area of San Antonio, Texas and provides a variety of veterinary treatments and associated services. Its veterinarians are Dr. Woolley and Dr. Carolyn Stewart. More information can be found by visiting http://familypethospitalofstoneoak.net/.