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Ελληνικά Have your pets identified and sterilised
Dogs, cats, ferrets: all these pets must be identified, i.e. registered in the national identification file for domestic carnivores in France. This file is managed by I-cadunder delegation from the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty. Find out all about this legal obligation.
Pet identification is the only way to establish an official link between the animal and its owner. It will follow the animal throughout its life. It is therefore vital to keep the information in the national database up to date.
Sterilisation is a tool for combating and preventing abandonment and attacks on animal welfare.
Identifying your pet
Why is this?
Identification is essential for an animal because it gives it its own identity, enables it to be reported lost or stolen to the relevant authorities, makes the link with its owner official, complies with current regulations, enables it to be found and recovered more quickly in the event of loss, allows it to travel abroad, facilitates all administrative procedures and avoids disputes, and therefore protects it.
Identification also enables the State to monitor the behaviour of 'biting' or 'dangerous' dogs, to monitor imports, to combat trafficking and theft, to monitor the location and traceability of animals on French territory and to take targeted action in the event of a health crisis.
How do we do it?
Your pet can be identified by microchip or by tattooing. Both procedures are carried out by vets or approved tattooists only.
The chip, about the size of a large rice paddy, is inserted under your pet's skin, in the neck or between the shoulder blades. It is totally painless, waterproof and biocompatible, and contains no magnetic or electrical systems that could harm your pet's health. It contains a unique 15-digit code that can be read when a specific reader is passed near the chip. The veterinarian is the only professional authorised to insert a microchip under your pet's skin. Before identification, a health check is carried out, sometimes accompanied by vaccination. The vet then fills in the identification file in the Fichier National I-CAD (identification of domestic carnivores), giving details of your pet (name, age, characteristics, breed, etc.) and your contact details (owner's name, postal address, telephone number). Make sure you regularly update this informationThis is particularly important when moving house or going on holiday.
When?
The identification of a dog or cat is often carried out at the time of his first visit at the vet's. Only identification of the animal can prove that it has been vaccinated. If your pet gives birth to a litter, you must have the puppies identified before giving them away or selling them. If you keep them, you must have them identified before the age of 4 months for a puppy and 7 months for a kitten.
Sterilising your pet
Why is this?
There are more and more cats and dogs running loose in urban areas. A overcrowding which unfortunately leads to numerous accidents on the public highway, bites, mistreatment, abandonment, health problems and biodiversity problems. In 1 year, a pair of cats can produce up to 36 kittens and a pair of dogs up to 16 puppies. While some will be given away or sold, others will not be so lucky and will be killed at birth or abandoned. Sterilisation therefore makes it possible to birth control.
How do we do it?
Animal sterilisation is the removal of an animal's reproductive organs, either in their entirety or in a significant part. Procedure light and fastSterilisation is carried out under general anaesthetic by a vet.
When?
For sterilisation to go as smoothly as possible, cats and dogs should be sterilised before puberty, i.e. between 6 and 12 months. Although pets can be spayed or neutered throughout their lives, there are far fewer complications and risks if the operation is carried out at a young age.
5 good reasons to sterilise your pet
- Extending your pet's life expectancy
- Reduce the risk of disease (mammary tumours, uterine infection, testicular cancer...) or injury (cat fights, dog bites...)
- Avoiding euthanasia of unwanted litters
- Avoid the inconveniences of heat (meowing or barking, running away, blood loss, marking territory, aggression, etc.).
- Some treatments only work on sterilised animals (diabetes, hypothyroidism, Cushing's disease, etc.).