Ask a veterinarian

How to recover a lost pet

By BRUCE KAPLAN, D.V.M.

© St. Petersburg Times, published May 19, 2001

Question: We are still heartsick. We lost our beloved mixed-breed dog more than a year ago. He just disappeared.

We drove all over the neighborhood trying to find him and went to the pound for weeks to see if he would turn up. Was there anything else we could have done?

Answer: I recently lost a family pet under similar circumstances, so I understand your distress and sympathize with you on the loss of your dog. Unfortunately, at this time the chances of finding your little friend are small.

A pet getting separated from its family is a common problem. Start your search within your house and immediate neighborhood, as you did. Enlist the help of as many friends and family members as possible.

Remember that your pet will probably be frightened when you find it so you should have a collar and a leash or a crate with you to transport it back home. It may also be beneficial to have a treat to help you catch and calm your pet.

If you are not immediately successful, you can distribute fliers throughout your neighborhood at homes, businesses and veterinary clinics. The fliers should have a description of your pet and a picture, if possible. Your local newspaper may have a lost-and-found column, where you could place an advertisement.

Contact and visit government animal control facilities as well as private animal shelters such as the SPCA or Friends of Strays, then visit them several times a week over an extended period of time.

There are several methods available to identify a pet and help it find its way back home if it gets lost in the future. A name tag with your address and home phone number placed on a collar or harness is the first step every pet owner should take. The county license tag should also be attached to the collar.

The latest technology available is a microchip, which is injected under the pet's skin. Animal shelters and veterinary clinics or hospitals have scanners, which read the information on the microchips and identify the pet's owner.

You could also have your veterinarian place a tattoo on the pet's inner thigh and keep this tattoo information on record.

One or more of these methods would help anyone who found your lost pet return it safely to you.

-- Raymond Raines, D.V.M., Tyrone Veterinary Hospital, St. Petersburg

- Dr. Bruce Kaplan is a veterinarian editor/writer. Please send questions to Ask a Veterinarian, Pinellas Animal Foundation, P.O. Box 47771, St. Petersburg, FL 33743-7771. Because of the volume of mail, personal replies are not possible. Questions of general interest will be answered in the column.

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