Imagine it’s July 4th and you and your family decides to go watch fireworks. You look at the front door and see that Rover wants to go for a ride, so you take your best friend with you. You have a great time playing around before the “big show.” Then it starts – bang…bang…boom…bang – you look around to see the excitement on your family member’s faces and realize that Rover is gone…missing…lost. What would you do?

Every year 10 million pets get lost and without ID 90% don’t make it home.

Microchipping saves lives and HomeAgain is designed to increase the chance of reuniting you with your lost pet.

What is a microchip?

A microchip is a permanent form of identification. A microchip contains a number that can be registered to your pet. The number is read using a special “reader” that can be used to identify your pet. It is about the size of a grain of rice, and is injected by a veterinarian underneath a pet’s skin, usually between the shoulder blades. The insertion process is similar to administering a vaccination and only takes a few seconds. Typically pets do not react to this process any more than they would to a vaccine.

How does a microchip work?

The microchip will last a pet’s entire life and is read by passing a scanner over the pet’s shoulder blades. The scanner will emit a radio frequency that provides the necessary power to transmit a unique code. It is this unique code that absolutely identifies the pet in the case that it gets separated from its owner. Most microchips come with a tag that includes the pet’s code, or microchip number, and should be placed on the pet’s collar. Shelters and veterinary offices have the necessary scanners that enable them to retrieve any applicable microchip number of lost pets turned into them. Once the pet’s microchip number is revealed, the microchip company can be contacted to retrieve the pet owner’s information. Once the owner has been notified of their pet’s whereabouts, the two can be reunited.

Are microchips harmful to pets?

Veterinarians have been placing microchips in their patients for years. Over these years, microchipping has been proven to be very safe. Most microchips are made out of inert, biocompatible substances. This means there will be no degeneration of the microchip and no allergic reactions exhibited by the pet. Microchips can migrate outside of the implantation area, but this does not cause harm to the pet. In fact, most veterinary offices and shelters run the microchip scanner over the pet’s entire body as migration is common.

Benefits Offered By HomeAgain

• Advance Anti-Migration Microchip

• Lost Pet Recovery Network

  • 24/7 Recovery Specialists that take down vital information and issue immediate lost pet alerts to local vets, shelters and pet rescuers.

  • A list of local shelters to start your look.

  • Personalized Lost Pet posters complete with a picture ID and contact information.

• 24/7 Emergency Medical Hotline

  • Connected to a licensed veterinarian who works with the ASPCA allowing for the best possible management of your pet’s case.

  • You are advised on what specific actions to take. If necessary you may be directed to see your veterinarian’s preferred emergency clinic.

• Travel Assistance for Found Pets

  • HomeAgain will pay to fly a found pet home to be reunited with family.

  • Pets must be found at least 500 miles or more from home.

  • Pets must be an active member (active by paying annual membership fees).

  • There is a $500 limit on travel related expenses and applies to dogs and cats only.

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