Another day, another stray

This afternoon we had yet another stray brought to us.  This time it was a dog.  A good samaritan found him running around on Quivira at 75th Street.  Anyone who is familiar with that intersection will be amazed that he was not hit by a car.  Unfortunately, he had no collar.  Shawnee Animal Control came and picked him up and took him to Animal Haven where hopefully he will quickly be found by his family.  Fortunately, dogs have a 75% chance of being reunited with the owner so treatment for an injured dog may be authorized by Animal Control in the city where the dog is found.  The bad news is that cats only have a 10% chance of being reclaimed by the owner.  What this means for cats who are found injured and with no ID is that they are often euthanized without any treatment being authorized or done by Animal Control.  Any animal that is severely, or even in some cases moderately, injured and without ID may be given the chance to be held and stabilized for 24 hours but without an owner to consent to and accept responsibility for payment for treatment that animal may be euthanized.  If your pet is lost, immediately report your pet's status to Animal Control in your city and in surrounding cities so Animal Control will have the pet on their list to check if a stray is found.  Find out what shelter(s) cities use for strays and also contact those facilities.  And above all else, make sure your pet has ID at all times.  With a collar with ID a pet can often be returned to you directly but, because collars can be lost or removed, having your pet microchipped provides permanent ID (but only if you keep your contact info current at all times).
Jan Hueben, RVT