We hope that our clients never experience the grief and panic of finding their fur baby lost, but it is a grim reality we have faced over and over.

We will provide tips to follow if your family finds themselves in this situation, but perhaps the best way to ensure your pets get returned back to you is getting them microchipped.

At Abshier-Meuth Animal Hospital, and our associate offices, we utilize the HomeAgain Microchip Package. The procedure is nearly painless and takes no longer than getting a regular injection. It can be done at any time during the pet's lifetime, with vaccines or on its own. The small microchip implant is nearly the size of a grain of rice and is injected under the skin. It is then scanned to ensure the microchip is working and readable by the microchip scanner.

Once your pet is microchipped, we will register it in the office with the information provided. It is also very important to update this information if it ever changes, which can be done by contacting the HomeAgain offices. The microchip is very reliable, and a more permanent solution when compared to collar or tag because they do not fall off or become lost. A common misconception is that these microchips have the ability for GPS tracking. Unfortunately, the microchips we utilize can only report the provided information through HomeAgain offices when scanned. As technology advances, more features will become available. HomeAgain is working on the ability to get pet vitals, like temperature, delivered by simply scanning the chip.

HomeAgain prides itself on the ability to get pets home to their owners. HomeAgain sadly reports that 90% of lost pets are never returned home and that 8-10 million pets go missing annually. But, HomeAgain is proud to say they have gotten over 1 MILLION pets back home thanks to the services they provide and good people helping them get to their families again! We have experienced many happy endings here at Abshier-Meuth thanks to microchipping! Feel free to give us a call to discuss getting your pet microchipped. Also, check out the HomeAgain website for their membership benefits.

We want to provide some tips just in case you find yourself in this unfortunate situation:

• Immediately report your lost pet to your veterinarian!
• Contact other local veterinarian offices, shelters, and rescues to let them know as well. *Remember to provide a description of your pet, the area/date/time the pet was lost, collar/ID tag information, any health concerns, and your contact information. Providing your pet's name may help a good samaritan coax your baby to them for help!*
• Search for services in the area that send out alerts or notifications to local offices which may come into contact with your pet (HomeAgain Pet Alerts, LostMyDoggie.com, other Lost Dog "Amber Alert" services).
• Keep updated information on your pet's microchip account and ID tags.
• Keep up-to-date photos of your pet to use on flyers and post around town.
• Do not leave your pets unsupervised for long periods of time - especially during holidays or bad weather where they can become spooked by loud noises.
• Spay and neuter your pets! Pets can wander off and follow other pets away from home due to changes in hormone levels.

We hope this gives pet owners a new perspective and shows the importance of varying aspects of responsible pet ownership and important pet health topics. Remember, we are always here to answer your questions and help in away way we can!