Microchips

This one is going to be a short post but SO important.  Are your pets microchipped?  Do you know if they are registered?  Have you updated your contact information from when your puppy got microchipped 8 or 10 years ago?

Microchips can be amazing at reuniting lost pets and their loving families.  It can happen to any of us, no matter how careful and loving a pet owner.  They slip out when your back is turned, get frightened when traveling and bolt away into the woods or fields, or just wander off when your child leaves the door/gate open!

Humane societies, rescue organizations, animal control officers and veterinarians almost all have microchip scanners and often more than one type of scanner!  They will check your pet for a chip and call the company that has that chip registered.  But here is where they may hit a dead end.  If the information that company has for you is not up to date they don't have anyway to track you down!  They can call the shelter or vet that implanted the chip and hope that there is more information there.  But that may not be accurate either.  The only way to find you is if you provide the information and update it regularly.  This is especially critical in an emergency situation.  There is chaos enough during these types of crises and rescuers do not have time to spend hours trying to track you down.  Make sure they only have to make one phone call.

To register your pet's chip you will need the chip number.  Many companies will allow you to register any chip your pet has, however, I would encourage you to at least register it with the manufacturer as this will be the most likely place a rescuer will call when the chip is found.

Here are the contacts for some of the most common chip manufacturers.

• Home Again http://public.homeagain.com/index.html  1-888-HOMEAGAIN
• AVID  1-800-336-2843
• ResQ (Bayer)  www.petlink.net  1-877-PETLINK (1-877-738-5465)
• 24PetWatch 1-866-597-2424  www.24petwatch.com
• AKC Companion Animal Recovery https://www.akccar.org  1-800-252-7894

You can also check to see if the chip is registered anywhere with this website.

• http://www.petmicrochiplookup.org/

Many companies will charge you a one time fee to register your chip.  Your chip may already have been registered by your veterinarian in which case you may just pay a smaller, update fee.  I know we are all trying to save money these days but this one time lifetime registration fee is worth it if your beloved dog or cat gets away from you.

Don't know if you pet has a chip?  Ask your vet to scan your pet for you and write down the manufacturer and chip number.  Then you can use one of the above sites to confirm and update your pet's registration.