3 reasons pet owners say "no" to microchips

When I worked at a practice in Wilmington, N.C., we found a dog named Gator who had somehow made his way all the way up from Florida. When we called the owners, they said they hadn't seen the dog in two years. They were ecstatic about his safe return home. He was identified by a microchip his owner had placed when Gator was a puppy. This is only one of the amazing reunions I've witnessed. But sometimes clients resist microchips. Here are some common concerns and how I respond:

1 Pet owners think they are too costly. Many times, pet owners believe pets are being implanted with GPS devices or other advanced forms of tracking and they think it will cost hundreds of dollars. I remind pet owners many microchips cost between $25 to $50 per pet.

2 Owners believe microchips require a full surgical procedure to implant them. I explain a microchip can be placed in a few seconds, and many pets don't even react when they are placed.

3 Pet owners believe they will never need a microchip. When clients resist microchips, I tell them my own pet has one. Working in an emergency setting, we constantly encounter stray pets with microchips. All we need to do is call the company that made the chip, get the owner's information and reunite the pet and owner. It makes the guessing game much easier and helps prevent some pets from going to the shelter and not finding their owner for many weeks or months, if ever.

Adam Oliver is a technician at Veterinary Specialty Care in Mt. Pleasant, S.C.