Keep These Things Updated on Your Pet’s Microchip (and How to Do It)
If your pet gets lost, the microchip will help bring him back home. But some pet owners don’t realize — or once knew but forgot — that the chip itself doesn’t do anything. This simply allows the veterinarian or shelter to look up the number in the database. Therefore, you want to make sure that your contact information in this database is correct and up to date.
What does a pet microchip actually do?
While the idea of a “microchip” sounds futuristic, the technology is very simple. There is no GPS tracker or anything like that. The American Veterinary Medical Association describes this technology as follows:
The microchip itself does not have a battery – it is activated by a scanner that passes over the area, and the radio waves emitted by the scanner activate the chip. The chip transmits the identification number to the scanner, which displays the number on the screen.
The idea is similar to putting your address on a tag on a pet’s collar, but unlike a tag, the chip will work even if the pet gets out of the collar or leaves the house without it. You should also give your pet a collar and a tag because the neighbor who finds the pet can easily read your contact information from the tag. The only way to scan the microchip is to bring it to someone like a veterinarian who has a special scanner.
How to keep your pet’s microchip up to date
When you receive a pet microchip, or when you adopt a pet that has already been microchipped, you will be given several forms to fill out with your name, address and other information. This information is stored in a database. Then, when the veterinarian or shelter worker scans the chip, they can look up the relevant contact information in the database.
If you have moved since then, you must ensure that you have updated your information. It can be helpful to set a reminder to do this once a year, either at your pet’s annual checkup, on their birthday, or whenever it makes sense for you. (August 15th is National Chip Check Day , if you want to use that date.) You can also have your veterinarian scan the chip at the checkup to make sure it’s still readable.
Does it matter which database my information is in?
There are many databases of microchips, and, unfortunately, there is no single universal database that would have information about all of them. AVMA states that the most important database for storing information is the one maintained by your chip manufacturer. They also have a microchip search tool that finds the relevant database by chip serial number.
It is recommended to write down your pet’s number somewhere, as the only way to read the number from the chip is with a scanner. The chip probably came with a number on some paperwork, or you can ask your veterinarian to scan your pet and tell you the number. If you don’t know where to update your information, enter the number into the AVMA tool to find the appropriate database.