More than 70 pets received identifcation microchips during the Greenwich Animal Control's recent microchip clinic.
The clinic, held Nov. 9, was Greenwich Animal Control's inaugural low-cost pet microchip clinic at the town animal shelter on North Street. Veterinarian Shelley Skopit of Park Animal Hospital in Norwalk/Darien volunteered her time to administer the chips, according to a statement from Greenwich Police. Larry Feldstein of Merck Animal Health was on site to explain the process and benefits to pet owners.
Microchips enable lost pets to be reunited with their owners. This is an important step in emergency preparedness for your pets. Most veterinary offices and shelters routinely scan found pets using a handheld scanner. If an animal has a microchip, the scanner will display a unique ID number which is used to identify the pet. The pet’s information is maintained by a registry service.
Approximately 72 dogs and cats received microchips at the Greenwich shelter. In a simple process, a chip about the size of a grain of rice is inserted into a pet’s back using a syringe. The procedure is similar to a vaccine, and the animals do not experience pain or require anesthetic.
The Town of Greenwich charged $10 per pet for the microchip, which covered the cost of the chips and registration. Many people brought multiple pets to the clinic, and all were very pleased with the savings.
Greenwich Animal Control plans to hold the clinic again next year.
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