<p>Your pet is a part of the family. It is important to do all you can to make sure they are taken care of. You may have tags on your pet, but is that enough? Consider getting a microchip for your pet.<br />
A microchip can help bring Fluffy and Fido back home when they are found. Thousands of pets end up in shelters every year. A microchip could save your pet&#8217;s life in a world with euthanasia.<br />
A microchip is a little chip that is put under your pet&#8217;s skin. It is inserted much like an injection. Your veterinarian would use a large needle and insert it in their skin.<br />
It is considered about as painful as an injection, though a lot of people choose to get the microchip during their pet&#8217;s neuter procedure. This microchip will stay in the same spot under their skin for the rest of their life.<br />
The microchip has a unique number tied to it. Whenever a special scanner is used on your pet, it will pick up the number. The number is then used when the person who found your pet calls the company that made the chip.<br />
Your information will be tied to the unique microchip number. This means if your pet lost their collar and got loose, they will be able to come home!<br />
Most animal shelters have universal microchip scanners these days. This means that if your pet ends up in the pound, you can be called because your pet was microchipped. Your pet could be lost for days before being picked up by the pound.<br />
You might not check the shelter in time before they are adopted out or even worse, euthanized. Feel better knowing your pet has a greater chance of coming back home with a microchip. Most vets also have microchip scanners.<br />
This means if your pet was injured and brought to the vet by a neighbor, your pet can get their treatment and you can be contacted.<br />
It will cost around $50 to get your pet microchipped. It is a small price to pay to help get your pet home. Consider getting a microchip for your pet during one of your next vet visits.<br />
Be sure to keep all of your information up to date with the microchip company. Outdated information makes the microchip useless. With the proper upkeep of information and a microchip, your pet will have a much higher chance of coming back home for snuggles.<br />
<em>About the Author: Andrea Booth is a blogger for Smith Monitoring, a security company that has the best home alarm systems Houston has to offer. She enjoys spending time with her two lively cats and tending to her garden.</em></p>

Should You Microchip Your Pet?
