Microchipping is important for your dogs and cats, because losing your dogs and cats can be a traumatic and tragic experience. Pet owners may protect their pets by putting collars and ID tags over their pets, however, these tags are not 100% effective and safe proof and as a result, the pets can still get lost and risk not being to be recovered.
Collars can break, fall-off (especially when your dogs and cats are active bunch!), and once they are lost, you’d risk leaving your beloved pet among the countless, unidentified lost strays at animal shelters like PAWs or SPCA. These tragic incidents can be easily prevented with the use of microchips on your dogs and cats.
Compulsory microchipping has been in place in the United Kingdom and Ireland since April 2016. This means that, in theory, every dog in the two neighbouring countries has become uniquely identifiable. Unfortunately, the same is not seen closer to home; we hear that 90% of dogs and cats in Malaysia are not microchipped. Therefore, we like to take this opportunity to share with you why microchipping is important for your dogs and cats, and that we encourage you to do it soonest possible!
What is a microchip?
The microchip designed for pets is a passive electronic device, about the size of a grain of rice. In the case of dogs and cats, the chip is typically implanted between the shoulder blades at the base of pets’ neck. It stores this one piece of information – the pet’s 15-digit identity number, which can be read by a microchip scanner. It can be done to lots of different animals, including horses, ferrets, and most other mammals.
Is it a GPS-tracking device?
No, pet microchips are not any form of GPS-tracking devices. Essentially, they are radio-frequency identification (RFID) implants that provide permanent identification for your pet, just like our Malaysian NRIC we carry around with us, except well implants are more secured. Due to the reason that they use RFID technology, microchips do not require a power source like a GPS, and therefore the microchip can last throughout the lifetime of your pet. They will not “rust” inside of your pet, if that is one of your concerns.
So That Begs The Question – Why Microchipping is Important then?
A microchip is a permanent form of identification that, unlike tags and collars, cannot be removed, lost, broken or stolen.
If your pet happens to be lost and wanders its way to a vet or shelter, veterinarians, pet doctors and shelter personnel would routinely scan lost dogs and cats for microchips. Therefore, the chances of owners reuniting with a lost microchipped pet are high.
If the pet is injured or sick, the microchip will be extremely useful especially if certain surgical/medical procedures require owner authorization before they are to be performed.
Microchips are also vital in the recovery of stolen pets. Yes, we hear that this could be pretty rampant in Malaysia. Ownership disputes are immediately settled when a microchip is discovered and true identity is revealed.
Once veterinarians are alerted to lost or possibly stolen animals through fliers, the veterinarian will keep a look out for any found pet to ensure they match the flier’s description, and the next move would be to scan for a microchip and take appropriate action. These are reasons why microchipping is important for your dogs and cats!
Is it safe? Will my pet feel any pain?
The procedure of implanting microchip takes seconds, and it is inexpensive, safe, and essentially painless. No anaesthetic is required for a microchip implant. Petfinder states the process here: “First, your pet’s skin is desensitized by a simple pinch that pulls the skin upwards until taut. The animal-care professional inserts the needle. A final pinch ensures the microchip stays in place as the needle is withdrawn.”
When anything is injected into a dog or a cat, there may be a small risk of a reaction to the injection process, but this is only due to extraordinary reasons.
Where can I microchip my dogs and cats?
Now that you know why microchipping is important for your dogs and cats, it is time to take action! Most major veterinarian clinics in Malaysia offer microchip and implant services. In fact, our partner Ministre’ of Pets based in Selangor offers affordable microchipping services, starting from RM50.
Contact them to find out how easy it is to protect your dogs and cats!
Phone: 010-220 7387
Address: No 16-G, Jalan Putra Mahkota 7/7A, Putra Point Business Centre, Putra Heights, 47650, Selangor
We are in the midst of onboarding more vets to be our partners, so look out for them really soon!
Conclusion
Staying true to their core values of continuously serving the underinsured and bringing insurance awareness to Malaysian consumers with an innovative twist, we have announced a synergistic collaboration with their insurance partner MSIG Insurance (Malaysia) Berhad (MSIG) to distribute the one and only online “Pet Insurance” in Malaysia.
Get Pet Insurance from PolicyStreet TODAY!
This insurance is an annual premium cover and starting from RM18/month (including GST), it covers veterinary and surgical bills, prescribed drugs and injections (subject to policy terms and conditions) to help dogs and cats in Malaysia get the best chance at recovery from sickness and accidental injuries. Other notable benefits include owners being reimbursed the purchase price or adoption fee if their pets pass away due to illness or accidental injury, and burial or cremation costs for these pets. And the wonderful part is this insurance can be purchased instantly online with no hassle.
This product is only available for microchipped cats and dogs between the age of 12 weeks to 9 years. Therefore, in our mission to get all cats and dogs microchipped and protected with pet insurance, we are giving away complimentary microchipping for every Pet Insurance purchase from PolicyStreet website. This goodie is a part of “Sokong Kami, Undi PolicyStreet” campaign running until 30th April 2018, so do not miss out!
The Pet Insurances available on our website, Pet Insurances is designed to give your pets the protection you need for total peace of mind. Check it and Subscribe!
