MORECAMBE and Lancaster pet owners are being offered the chance to have their animals microchipped at reduced cost throughout RSPCA Week 2000.

Following the massive success of the first national Microchipping Day, the animal charity has decided to make microchipping the theme of this year's RSPCA Week.

During that time pet owners will be able to take their animals to special sessions or make arrangements with participating local veterinary surgeons.

The usual cost of microchipping is around £20 but during RSPCA Week, the Lancashire North branch of the RSPCA will be offering the procedure at a reduced cost of £12.50 to encourage as many pet owners as possible to take part.

A microchip is a method of permanently identifying an animal by implanting a chip the size of a grain of rice below the skin in a painless procedure similar to an injection. The microchip contains a unique identification code that can be read by a scanner, similar to a supermarket barcode reader. The code number is entered onto the national PetLog computer database, along with the owner's name, address and contact details.

The RSPCA, as well as many other animal welfare organisations, vets and local authority dog wardens, have scanners that can read the microchip's details and access to the Pet-Log database. Lost, injured or sick animals picked up by those organisations are easily returned to their owners if they are microchipped. More than 750,000 animals have already been microchipped in the UK and the RSPCA microchips every dog and cat it rehomes.

The RSPCA Lancashire North and Borders branch will be offering low-cost microchipping at Morrisons supermarket from Monday, May 8, to Wednesday, May 10, at the Asda store on Thursday, May 11 and Friday, May 12, and in the Arndale car park by Morecambe library on Saturday, May 13, between 9.30am and 4.00pm.

Appointments can also be made at the following veterinary surgeries: DJ Longley (720002), Alison Lee (735249), Lancaster Veterinary Centre (840033), Dimples Veterinary Practice (67777) and Pearson, Thompson & Callery (1995 603349).