The California Veterinary Medical Association recommends that dog and puppy owners microchip their pets, since the implants increase the likelihood of lost canines being reunited with their owners.

A lost pet can sit in the shelter for days without proper identification, and in all too many cases is never reunited with its family. When the pet receives a microchip, its owner is providing a ticket back home, says Eric Weigand, president of the California Veterinary Medical Association.

The procedure can be especially helpful since some dogs lose their collars and tags after escaping and before arriving at an animal shelter.

The procedure will not affect your dog physically or behaviorally. During a clinic visit, a veterinarian injects the microchip about the size of a grain of rice between the dogs shoulder blades.

The chip is permanently embedded with a unique identifier that contains information which can be read when scanned with an electronic reader.

Before selecting the brand of chip for your dog, consult with area shelters to find out what scanner brands are in use. Not all chips can be read by all scanners.

Microchips provide a permanent form of identification for dogs, as long as owners keep their veterinarians updated with contact information changes.

Posted: April 12, 2006, 5 a.m. EST