What to do if you find a pet

• Dogs – Usually if you find a dog roaming the streets and it is friendly it is best to take them to the closest Veterinary Hospital as they have the equipment to check to see if the dog has a microchip. If you find that they’re aggressive its best to leave them alone and contact the local council as they have rangers who deal with these types of dogs. The rangers will take the dog to a local vet to check to see if they have a microchip.
• Cats – When dealing with cats often we find that the place they were picked up is where they live. It is best to leave them alone as they will make their way back home. However, there are some cases where if you are concerned of the cat’s welfare that it is appropriate to take the cat to your local Veterinary Hospital.

In general, if you find any lost pet taking them to your local Veterinary Clinic is the best option for them being able to find their home.

What to do when you lose a pet

For all pets, great and small if you happen to lose them you have multiple options to try and find them again.

• Calling all the Veterinary Hospitals in your area and leave them with your details
• Putting up lost posters around your area
• Social Media – There are groups where you can put up pictures of your lost pet and your contact details. We have found this to be very helpful and have reunited families often
• Lost and found websites
  • www.lostpetfinders.com.au
  • www.awlnsw.com.au
  • www.facebook.com/lostpetsinnsw

You could also recruit some of your family and friends to help search the area you think your animals have gone missing.

What we do if we have a lost pet handed in to us:

Firstly, we scan all pets to see if they have a microchip. If they don’t have one, we take a picture and put them up on our Facebook page www.facebook.com/southerncrossvetclinic/ so if you do have a lost pet you will be able to view what we have in our clinic

Organisations that can help:

• Your local vet
• Your local council
• Rescues

Why microchipping your pet is important:

Microchipping is important because all your details, if they’re registered and updated, will be attached to the serial number that is implanted in your pet.

The types of animals that can be microchipped are:

• Dogs
• Cats
• Rabbits
• Ferrets