Vet Speak

vetspeak

Not lost, but missing!

There are few feelings worse than realising your dog has broken out somehow, or your cat hasn’t come home at its usual time, but what is the best course of action to get them back quickly?

Social media, in particular Facebook, has been really useful in getting the word out, especially if you are a member of your local community page, or www.petsonthenet.co.nz has a lost and found section. Door-knocking your neighbours and calling your local vet clinics are also important, especially as many people take found dogs or cats into a local clinic. Orewa and Millwater Vet Hospitals also sponsor Pet Patrol on More FM Rodney, which is another great forum for getting word out to the local community to keep an eye out.

Cats are very territorial, so, if you have moved house recently, check back at your old home to see if your cat has returned to familiar ground. If your dog has gone missing, it is also sensible to contact the local Council, as it may already have been caught and impounded. If it is microchipped, then you will be contacted as soon as it has been scanned. Inserting a microchip is a quick procedure, which is easily carried out in a routine consultation. Each microchip has a unique 15-figure number, similar to a bar code, which the clinic registers on the New Zealand Companion Animal Register. This microchip number remains unique to the animal into which it is implanted for its entire life, and the microchips inserted in New Zealand can be read in any country overseas.

Having a microchip that is registered means that, if your animal goes missing, once they have been scanned – and this can be done by any shelter, vet clinic or animal warden – then you can be contacted directly and have your pet home safely and quickly. This means that it is very important to keep your contact details on your pet’s registration up to date, as it is very frustrating to have a microchipped pet where the numbers are not working.

Anna Day