LAS VEGAS, March 16, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Las Vegas veterinarian Dr. Drake, of St. Francis Animal Hospital, urges pet owners to microchip pets at the earliest possible moment, saying, "The number of pets separated from owners is staggering. Even more alarming is the fact that only around 22 percent of lost, stolen, or missing dogs are ever reunited with their owners. Families could often avoid this situation, for themselves and their pets, by simply microchipping these pets."
The statistics back up Dr. Drake's claims, with the American Humane Association estimating that more than 10 million pets are either lost or stolen each year in the United States alone. They go on to say that roughly one third of all pets are lost at some point during their lives. The Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association reports that only a fraction of lost pets return home; successful reunions for dogs with microchips, though, is 52 percent.
Dr. Drake hopes this will encourage pet owners to microchip pets that are, so often, part of the family. He also warns that the statistics for cats are even grimmer. According to Dr. Drake, "Less than two percent of cats that go into shelters are ever reunited with their owners without microchipping. Among those that are electronically tagged, those numbers are impressively higher -- more than 2,000 percent higher, as a matter of fact."
The other statistic pet owners may be interested in is the percentage of animals in shelters that are euthanized – in short, more than half of all shelter animals are unable to find a home. Dr. Drake believes these numbers will decrease significantly as more pet owners microchip their pets, explaining, "The number of microchipped dogs returned to their owners is almost 240 percent higher than those that are not. Unfortunately, so few of the five million pets entering shelters are tagged. Just imagine how much higher those numbers will be when more people begin using microchips appropriately."
Pet owners interested in microchipping their pets can contact the Las Vegas veterinarian, Dr. Drake, to schedule an appointment. St. Francis Animal Hospital is a full service clinic offering wellness appointments, dental services, surgical procedures, spaying and neutering, pet microchipping, and other wellness services. They can often make same-day appointments.
Not all Las Vegas veterinarian hospitals and clinics provide a microchipping service. Pet owners interested in the simple procedure are urged to call Carolann at St. Francis Animal Hospital for an appointment to have their pet microchipped soon.