Microchipping takes pet identification collars a step further. With microchipping, a veterinarian or technician injects a tiny microchip (about the size of a grain of rice) under the skin in a select location on your pet’s body for a cost of around £15-£30. The microchip remains there permanently, and if your pet should become lost and someone finds it, it can be easily scanned to see if it has a microchip. If it does, information on how to return your pet to you can be read from the microchip. Lost pets with microchips are far more likely to be reunited with their owners than those without them.

If you are considering buying pet cover, when you compare pet insurance, check to see if the policy pays anything toward the cost of microchipping. Many of the best pet insurance policies do!

A pet can become lost in many situations: when you move house, on a walk, when a gate is left open, or if you take it somewhere unfamiliar. A huge number of shelters and pets today immediately scan animals that are found so they can see if they are microchipped. It saves a lot of vet and shelter resources if an animal can be scanned and quickly reunited with its family. When you consider all the money you spend keeping your pet healthy and happy, microchipping is not a big investment money-wise, but it can make a huge difference should your pet ever go missing.