Microchipping

Microchipping your pet is recommended by the American Veterinary Medical Association, the American Animal Hospital Association, and the Humane Society of the United States.

Many people have misunderstandings about microchips, so here’s what you need to know:

• A microchip doesn’t store your information. It only holds a unique ID number, like your pet’s “social security number.” For it to work, it must be registered online. Without registration, it’s just a useless tag. Remember to update the registration if you move or change your contact info.
• Just because a shelter microchipped your pet doesn’t mean it’s registered to you. The chip may still be registered to the shelter or previous owner, or even left unregistered.
• Microchips are not GPS trackers. They don’t emit signals and can only be read by a scanner. If you want GPS tracking, you’ll need a collar tag.
• You can register any microchip with any registry and even with multiple ones. For example, if your pet has an AVID chip, it can be registered with HomeAgain, AKC, and Found Animals.
• Microchips can be implanted at any age.

                                       For more info, visit www.petlink.net/ 

Please note: Save This Life Microchip, used by our hospital and many others, has abruptly shut down without notice in early 2025. As a result, "Save This Life" microchips are no longer helpful in reuniting you with your pet if they go missing until you re-register your microchip with a new company.

                                                             **Please note: the physical chip itself is a universal chip and is still safe and functional**

HERE ARE THE STEPS TO TAKE:

Step 1: Locate your pet's microchip number
Step 2: Copy it into the AAHA national microchip lookup database to see if it is registered:  www.aaha.org/for-veterinary-professionals/microchip-search/ 
                                                                                       (Save This Life Microchips will not be registered)
Step 3: If the chip is registered, it will display the company information and you do NOT need to re-register (However, we do recommend contacting them at some point soon just to ensure that your information is up-to-date, as addresses and phone numbers may change over time.) If it shows "no results" however, you'll need to re-register the microchip.
Step 4: To re-register a microchip, visit Free Pet Chip Registry www.freepetchipregistry.com/ or any other company of your choosing. You typically need to set up an account with your information, your veterinarian's information and your pet's basic information. If you want to confirm that your microchip has been re-registered. After giving it a few moments you may re-check it in the AAHA database to confirm. It should indicate that it is registered with the company you chose to re-register with.