Appointments offered during National Microchip Your Pet Month

In honor of National Microchip Your Pet Month, the McHenry County Department of Health-Animal Control is offering McHenry County residents $10 microchipping appointments from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays through the end of June. Call (815) 459-6222 to schedule an appointment.

According to www.petfinder.com, cats and dogs have a one of three chance of becoming lost in their lifetime. One of five shelter dogs and one of 50 shelter cats are reunited with their owners. Microchipping increases the odds of returning home to 52 percent for dogs and 38 percent for cats.

Microchipping is quick and painless. The procedure is as simple as getting your pet vaccinated. Microchips are about the size of a grain of rice and inserted between the shoulders. Chips are viable for your pet's lifetime. Collars and tags are key in identifying lost pets but can easily fall off or be removed. A microchip doesn't going anywhere - and these days most shelters and veterinarians have microchip scanners.

Back in 2012, a microchipped Siberian husky named Shakira was found by a rescue in McHenry County. The owner was notified in Chatsworth, Georgia. Shakira had gone missing five years earlier! This story had a happy ending. She's back with her family in Georgia because of her microchip.

Both the American Veterinary Medical Association and the Humane Society recommend microchipping. The ASPCA supports microchip identification paired with a collar and personalized ID tag for companion animals as the best way to increase odds of a pet being returned home.

You can find more information about microchipping by clicking on Veterinary Public Health at www.mcdh.info.