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PetSmart may be a great place to stop for your essential pet food and toys, but not many people consider them for veterinary services such as spaying, neutering, and microchipping. While microchipping didn’t use to be common practice, more and more people are having it done so that they can locate their pets if they were to ever run away or get lost. So, how much does it cost to microchip a dog at PetSmart? According to most sources, the average price for microchipping your dog at PetSmart ranges from $25 to $60 or more. Keep reading to find out what services this popular pet store has to offer.
Does PetSmart Microchip Cats & Dogs?
You may not be able to walk your dog into a PetSmart store and have them microchipped, but they do offer services through the Banfield Pet Clinics. This service has strived to provide pet owners with affordable services to ensure the safety of all pets. The only downside to this is that you might not have one located close to you. Either way, there are hundreds of locations across the country that you can take them to.
How Much Does Microchipping a Dog Through PetSmart Cost?
The price of getting your dog microchipped through PetSmart costs anywhere from $25 to $60, but it could be more. This depends mainly on your location, the type of clinic, and the type of microchip being used. Keep in mind that these prices are comparable to many other vet clinics, and you may have to call around to see if the cost of going through PetSmart and the Banfield clinics is cheaper than your nearest vet’s office.
The good thing about getting your dog microchipped through PetSmart is that the clinics they use are trusted with qualified professionals. They usually have extended hours as well to fit your busy schedule.
What Kind of Microchips Are Used?
Most Banfield clinics have been using HomeAgain’s brand of pet microchips. This is a trusted brand, and they have reunited millions of pets with their owners. The microchip number and the owner’s details are stored in HomeAgain’s national database to allow lost pets to be quickly identified and returned to their families.
How Does Microchipping Work?
Microchipping your dog through PetSmart works the same way as microchipping them at any other vet. The chip is a permanent form of identification and is about the size of a grain of rice. The chip gets inserted under your dog’s skin and has a unique code. The vet or shelter the dog is taken to will use a special scanner that can be placed over the microchip and let the vet know your pet’s identity as well as your contact information through a database. It’s essential to keep your information current and inform the database of any changes to your contact details.
Why Should I Microchip My Dog?
With millions of pets lost each year, microchipping your animals gives you the greatest odds of reuniting with them if you were to ever get separated. Dogs are curious animals and wander off all the time. Before they know it, they are completely lost with no idea of how to get home. By microchipping them, you increase your chances of bringing them back home.
Is Microchipping Painful for the Animals?
While we can’t guarantee that they won’t feel any pain at all, the procedure for inserting a microchip is no more painful than a typical injection, therefore, it’s considered relatively painless. It only takes a few seconds and once the chip is in place, the dog won’t even know it’s there.
Final Thoughts
Don’t hesitate to microchip your dog if you’ve been considering it. The benefits far outweigh the cons. Plus, the procedure is a worthwhile investment since it’s a one-time cost that greatly increases the chances of being reunited with your dog if they ever go missing. If you only have expensive veterinary clinics near you, try to search for a Banfield clinic through the PetSmart website to see what your options are.
Featured Image Credit: LightField Studios, Shutterstock
If a Rescue has its own microchips will PetSmart/Banfield use the rescue's chips?
Petsmart or any of their vet care providers, such as Banfield Pet Hospital will normally use their chosen microchips to implant their patients because there are different types of microchips with different frequencies on the market, and not all scanners read any type of microchip. For this reason, clinics will only implant microchips that are readable by their scanners. With this being said, you can contact their local PetSmart to confirm this information.
As an additional note, we recommend having only ISO-standard microchips implanted on pets so that any ISO-standard scanner can read it.