Seven Steps To A Happier Pet

[Purr]

:arrow: Make sure your pet wears an identification tag to enable him to be returned to you if lost.

:arrow: To prevent animal behaviorial problems, make sure you enroll your new puppy or dog in behaviorial traning classes and visit www.petsforlife.org.

:arrow: Animal behavioral probems can be health related. Make sure your pet has a complete medical exam by a vet at least once a year.

:arrow: Prepare for disasters. Make sure you have a plan for your pet in the event of a hurricane, tornade, fire or flood.

:arrow: Plan for your pet's future in case something happens to you.

:arrow: Lean how to avoid dog bites, and how to prevent your dog from biting by going to www.NoDogBites.org.

:arrow: Have a heart, be smart, and make sure your pet is spayed or neutered. Definately! :wink:

These suggestions were from The Humane Society of the United States; I thought they were good. With identification, one thing to look into is microchipping. My cat Purr won't tolerate wearing a collar of any kind, (basically, she goes ballistic), so she has a microchip id tag instead. The vet inserted the microchip around the scruff of her neck, just like getting a shot. Purr hasn't suffered any ill effects from the microchip.

[Sammy's Mom]

Purr, may I ask how much this microchip costs? Did your cat try to scratch at it or anything? It doesn't bother her at all?

[Purr]

It's been a while, so I don't remember the exact cost. I think it was nominal. Purr has had no reaction to the microchip whatsoever, at least that I can tell.

The microchip was manufactured by AVID (www.avidmicrochip.com). AVID stands for American Veterinary Identification Devices. Basically, it is a small computer chip, with a unique identification number. Once an animal is injected with the chip through a hypodermic needle, the animal can be identified throughout its life by the unique number. The microchip is generally injected between the shoulder blades deep under the skin. A scanner is used to send a radio signal through the skin of the animal to read the chip. The animal feels nothing as the scanner is passed over him. Animals can be injected with the chip as early as two months of age.