June is National Microchip Month where the benefits of microchipping your pet are promoted nationwide.
Microchipping has been around for over twenty years now but has gained increasing popularity in the last few years as new manufacturing processes have brought the price right down to only a few pounds.
A silicone coated electronic device not much bigger than a grain of rice is inserted underneath the skin at the base of the neck in a quick and easy injection. This ‘microchip’ has a unique fifteen digit number encoded into it.
A handheld scanner can be used to interrogate the microchip and read the unique code. This code is then matched up to the particular pet’s details on a secure central database.
Should a pet be lost and brought in to any veterinary surgery, rescue shelter, police station or dog warden, they can be checked for a microchip and the owners notified immediately, twenty-four hours a day.
The microchip doesn’t have any batteries to run out and so lasts the life of the animal. The system is also global which means that an animal that was ‘chipped’ in the UK and subsequently moves abroad can still be traced back to the UK database.
As well as being an excellent means of permanent identification for your pet, microchips are also being used for other applications such as the PetPorte microchip cat flap.
During National Microchip Month, Best Friends are offering a FREE microchip to all dogs, cats and rabbits who are neutered or vaccinated in June (usual cost £21.50). For more information or to book an appointment please telephone the surgery on 01684 57 33 33.
If your pet is already microchipped, please ensure that your details are kept up to date. Particularly important if your mobile phone number has changed or you have moved house. If you aren’t sure of your current details drop in and speak to a member of staff with your pet or microchip number and we can check for you. If your details are incorrect we can update them for you free of charge in June (usual cost is £6).
We can also offer pre-purchase advice for those of you thinking of adding a rabbit to your family. If you are thinking of getting a rabbit please think about a rescue rabbit. 
When you next visit the surgery please pick up one of our Best Friends car stickers. Not only will you be showing your support for Malvern’s premier veterinary practice but also you will automatically be entered into our monthly competition to win a hamper for your pet.
number of unwanted cats needing the charity’s help.
“I fear this could push the charity to breaking point if it continues and leave us unable to help the many thousands of unwanted cats out there so we are urgently asking for help. For example, just £16 could enable us to care for one extra cat – providing them with food, veterinary care and a warm place to sleep.”
Transmitted by slugs and snails, lungworm has been rife in Wales for a number of years now where it is well suited to the damp conditions that favour its vector. The change in our climate leading to more prolonged episodes of heavy rain and saturated ground have proved ideal breeding grounds for slugs and snails. Their exponential increase in the wet summer months of 2007 saw a massive jump in numbers of pets being infected with lungworm.
for a number of weeks whilst it interferes with blood clotting and lung function. Often the first an owner knows of an infection is when their pet comes in bleeding from the nose, mouth or eyes with no obvious cause. Prompt aggressive treatment is required but even so there is about a 50% mortality rate. Prevention is the best option by dosing with a wormer known to cover lungworm every eight weeks during the wetter months, particularly if it is warm as well.
Beware of the dangers of heat stroke during the warm summer weather. Dogs can get heat stroke whilst just out for a walk or lying quietly in the home. For more information on heat stroke click