A Keighley vet who sees stray animals every week has called on pet owners to identichip their animals and prevent the heartache of lost cats and dogs.

Peter Eccles, who owns the Airedale Veterinary Group, says the strays are becoming an increasing problem.

He says: "We scan all the stray animals which are brought in to see if they have been microchipped, but we cannot identify them without a chip. The Cats' Protection League take the cats and try to rehome them, and the dog warden takes dogs to various pounds, but it is very sad to think that somewhere there is probably a worried owner looking desperately for their pet.

"At the surgery, we use a microchip with an anti-migration collar, which means it can never move, giving added security. It would cut our work down considerably if we could identify lost pets, as well as save a lot of heartache."

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