The Building Block of Natrona nonprofit is teaming up with Animal Protectors of Allegheny Valley to microchip residents’ pets for $25 each from noon to 2 p.m. Oct. 6 at Natrona Community Park on River Avenue.
Registration for the microchip clinic is not required but organizers request that pet owners check in on the Facebook event page or call the Building Block of Natrona at 724-257-1117. Payments must be made in cash, preferably exact change.
Microchips will identify your pet when it is lost, not locate it.
The average cost for a veterinarian to microchip a pet is about $45, which includes inserting the microchip and adding the pet’s information in a pet recovery registry, according to the Petfinder website.
Tricia Ritchie, president of The Building Block of Natrona, said the microchip clinic is being offered to bring important resources to the people of Natrona.
“With generous subsidy from Animal Protectors to help pay for the microchipping, we can help local residents afford an extra layer of protection if your furry family member gets lost,” Ritchie said.
Animal Protectors started to microchip its animals before adoption a few years ago, according to Phyllis Framel, treasurer of Animal Protectors.
“It is the best way for a lost animal to be returned to its owner,” she said. “We do clinics wherever we’re invited in our service area.”
A study published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association showed there is high rate of return of microchipped dogs and cats to their families.
According to the study involving 53 animal shelters:
• While about 22% of lost dogs that entered the animal shelters were reunited with their families, the return-to-owner rate for microchipped dogs was more than 52%.
• Less than 2% of lost cats that entered the animal shelters were reunited with their families, but the return-to-owner rate for microchipped cats was more than 38%.
• Only 58% of the microchipped animals’ microchips had been registered in a database with their owners’ contact information.
