Five Ways to Prevent Your Pet from Becoming Lost

Having a lost pet is a devastating situation. They are members of our families and when they are gone a huge hole is left in our lives. One can't help but let the worst of thoughts run through their minds. However, many cases of lost pets and pet escapes can be prevented with a little care and effort.

Listed here are just a few of the ways that can help with preventing a pet from becoming permanently lost. This mainly applies to dogs, cats and even birds but some can work for other pets as well.

1. Permanent Identification - Microchips are a great way of having permanent identification on your pet. When pets are lost and are found by animal shelters or veterinary clinics, these facilities can scan the pet with a special scanner to determine if he or she has a microchip implanted. If so, the number that is displayed is recorded and the national registry is contacted.

The national registry keeps all of the pet's information such as the description and name of the pet and the owner's name, location and contact information. Most veterinary clinics and animal shelters across the country are equipped with these scanners.

Microchips can be implanted in dogs and cats as well as birds and other animals but should be done so by a veterinarian.

2. Additional Identification - Even if your pet is implanted with a microchip, additional identification can go a long way. If a person driving down the street sees a dog that looks to be lost, they are able to get him back to his home quicker if he's got ID on him. This can be in the form of a collar with an ID tag or a collar with the information embroidered onto it.

Be sure to keep tags up to date when address of phone number changes occur. Also, make sure they remain legible. They do wear out and many need replaced over time.

3. Pet Containment - This is one of the most obvious ways to prevent a pet from becoming lost. Cats that remain indoors are less likely to leave home or get lost. Dogs that are contained properly when outside are also less likely to become lost.