Thousands of animals enter shelters in BC every year and sadly many are not reunited with their families simply because they do not have identification. This is why the Nelson branch of the BC SPCA is offering a free microchip clinic for dogs and cats of Nelson and area residents on Saturday, March 26 at Selkirk Veterinary Hospital.
“Pet owners do their best to make sure their animals are safe — but accidents do happen to even the most dedicated guardians,” says Nelson branch manager Rob Andrew. “We are holding this clinic to make sure that these pets find their way home more often and quicker.”
Having a collar with an ID tag is important, but permanent ID is also important as collars can come off, Andrew notes. With permanent ID, dogs are two and half times as likely and cats nearly 20 times as likely to be returned to their owners, according to American Veterinary Medical Association statistics. Andrew recalls one instance where aNelson family was reunited with their cat after six years due to permanent ID.
According to Dr. Chris Chart, a Nelson veterinarian, the microchips are an easy and effective way to provide permanent ID to your pets: “The microchips are about the size of a grain of rice. They are quick and largely painless to inject below the pet’s skin. Veterinary clinics and shelters across North America are equipped with hand scanners which can read the chip instantly.”
The clinic will be held between 9:30 and 2:30 at Selkirk Vet. The microchips and registration with the BC PetRegistry are free or by donation. For those without the ability to transport their pets, carriers can be borrowed from the Nelson SPCA and volunteers may be available to provide transport. To book an appointment or for more information, call the Nelson SPCA at 250-352-7178.