Get your pet microchipped for only $5 this week

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- BARC is offering $5 pet microchipping between Sunday, July 24 and Friday, July 29 in recognition of National Lost Pet Prevention Month.

The procedure, which usually costs $25, is available at the BARC pet adoption and wellness center at 3300 Carr Street between noon and 5pm. Appointments are not necessary.

Microchipping technology is recommended for all pet dogs and cats, BARC says. During the procedure, a computer chip the size of a grain of rice is injected underneath of a pet's skin.

When a lost pet is found, a special scanner reads the microchip's unique ID, which is then cross-referenced with a national database of microchipped pets to reunite the lost animal with its owner.

"Microchips can be the difference between being reunited with a lost pet or not," Ashtyn Rivet, BARC Marketing and Outreach Manager, said in a news release. "It's very quick, simple and safe to insert a microchip into a pet and it serves as a permanent form of identification. Best of all, it provides a sense of peace to pet owners."