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Email Reminders Increase the Frequency That Pet Owners Update Their Microchip Information
Katie Goodwin1, Jacquie Rand2,3, John Morton4,5
1School of Veterinary Science, University of Queensland, Gatton, QLD 4343, Australia. katie.goodwin@uqconnect.edu.au.
Animals : an Open Access Journal From MDPI
|February 1, 2018
Summary
Annual email reminders prompt pet owners to update microchip information, increasing the likelihood of reuniting lost pets and reducing euthanasia rates for stray animals.
Area of Science:
- Veterinary Medicine
- Animal Welfare
- Data Science
Background:
- Incorrect microchip details hinder the reunification of stray animals with owners.
- Unclaimed stray animals face a higher risk of euthanasia.
- Accurate microchip data is crucial for animal identification and owner contact.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze characteristics of microchipped cats and dogs in Australia.
- To evaluate the effectiveness of annual email reminders in prompting owner updates.
- To compare microchip information update frequencies based on pet and owner demographics.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective cohort study of 394,474 cats and 904,909 dogs.
- Analysis of data from Australia's largest microchip database.
- Statistical comparison of owner update behaviors before and after email reminders.
Main Results:
- Dogs (70%) were more frequently registered than cats (30%).
- Owners were significantly more likely to update details after receiving an email reminder (p < 0.001).
- Update frequencies varied significantly by geographic location, species, age, and owner socioeconomic status.
Conclusions:
- Annual email reminders effectively increase owner microchip data updates.
- Improved microchip data accuracy can reduce the number of unclaimed stray animals.
- This intervention has the potential to decrease euthanasia rates for lost pets.
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