Update Your Pet’s Microchip Information
Are your pets microchipped? If yes, good for you. However, microchips only work if the registration information is current. If you’ve moved or changed phone numbers (work and/or personal), you need to update your pet’s microchip registration. Even if you think the information is up-to-date, you should check it once a year to make sure.
How to Update Your Pet’s Microchip Information
Updating or checking is easy: Go to the microchip manufacturer’s database and make sure everything is current .You’ll need the chip’s registration number to do so. If you can’t find the number or remember which company made the microchip, you can have it scanned by your veterinarian.
You can also use the American Animal Hospital Association’s Pet Microchip LookUp Tool at www.petmicrochiplookup.org. The site is linked to the majority of microchip manufacturers’ databases.
Why You Should Microchip Your Pet
If you haven’t microchipped your dog or cat, consider doing so. More than 10 million dogs and cats are lost or stolen in the U.S. every year, according to the American Humane Society—that’s a frightening statistic. Knowing that approximately one in three pets will be lost at some point during their lifetime is even more so.
While collars and ID tags are extremely important—every dog and cat should wear them for ready identification—they can fall off or someone could remove them. If your pets are lost or stolen, microchips are one of the best ways to help ensure their safe return.
A typical lost dog who ends up in a shelter has only a 22 percent chance of being returned to his worried owners. Cats have it even worse; less than 2 percent of lost cats are reunited with their families.
If, however, one of those lost dogs has a microchip, his chances of going home jumps to nearly 53 percent. A microchipped cat’s chances increase to more than 38 percent. If these numbers seem low to you (and they are), it’s because only 58 percent of pet owners who microchip their pets remember to register said chips, as reported by HomeAgain. And those who do register their pets’ microchips don’t always remember to keep their information current.
That’s why Check Your Chip Day is so important. Microchips only work if they are: 1) implanted in a pet; 2) registered with the chip manufacturer’s database; and 3) kept up-to-date with valid addresses and phone numbers. Microchips provide secure and permanent identification. If your beloved pet is ever lost, they help ensure she will find her way home.
Still need convincing that microchipping is the way to go? Check out this video from the American Veterinary Medical Association, and the American Animal Hospital Association’s Microchipping webpage.