Are Your Pets' Microchips Registered?

[jcat]

A stray dog was brought to the shelter last night. He's microchipped, but he won't be going home within minutes or a few hours because the chip isn't registered. This happens more often than you'd think.

Please don't assume that the vet, shelter or breeder registered your pet's chip. Ask specifically whether that's the case; if so, get a website link, address or phone number so that you can update the pertinent information as needed. If not, please register your pet. If you're not sure which registry is best for you, ask your vet and call local shelters/rescues for recommendations.

 

[Kieka]

This is a such a huge thing.

I did that exact same thing of calling the shelters and vets around me to find out which system they used. I ended up with my guys registered in three different systems to make sure they would be registered with whoever found them in a five mile radius, luckily only one has an annual fee.

I would add to have your vet scan the chip at your annual exam to make sure it isn't migrating and if your pet is lost physically check the found pet area instead of just waiting for a call or calling in yourself to ask. When Link went missing last year the shelter staff would tell me there were no Siamese mixes in holding but when I went back there I found two scared ones (whose tagging wasn't changed even though I pointed it out to different people all four days I went). It isn't that the staff are purposefully misinforming but whoever did intake on those two didn't identify them as pointed and one was "tan" while the other was "brown". So when the desk searched the database they didn't get any "Siamese" because they were labeled different colors. I also saw obvious males identified as females and simple typo mistakes on tags like a "back" cat.

Edit: Just to clarify. I know shelter staff are overworked and doing the best they can. My point is more to not depend 100% on the accuracy of the information you are given by phone if your cat is missing.

 

[Margret]

Mistakes happen, and shelter personnel are incredibly overworked.

When we got Jasmine she was already chipped but had never been registered. We got the vet out immediately for her baseline wellness check, and I asked her who I should call to have her registered. It was a one-time fee, and I keep the chip company's tag on her collar so that anyone who finds her will know to look for the chip. And as I've changed cell phone numbers I've kept that information up-to-date with the chip company and have had new collar tags made with the new numbers on them. I also made sure that the company has our vet's information, and updated it when we got a new vet.

I keep all of Jasmine's information (DOB, chip number, phone number of the chip company, etc.) in the contacts app on my cell phone, as well as having it written down and stored in a secure place at home.

So, I asked myself, how is it that Jasmine came to be chipped but never registered? As far as we can work out her back-story, Jasmine's mother was rescued right around the time she gave birth, along with the litter, by the police in a small town in Wyoming. Mother and kittens (or else very pregnant mother) were all taken to the local veterinary hospital where they were de-wormed, vaccinated, and given routine care. And that vet. hospital apparently counts chipping as routine care. I've no idea how she came to Colorado, but we're fortunate that all her papers came with her, and her previous human (who had to give Jasmine up because her granddaughter had developed an allergy) sent them along with Jasmine when we adopted her. I wouldn't even have known that Jasmine was chipped if that hadn't been included in the papers. So always have a new cat checked for a chip. You need to know.

Margret

 

[kashmir64]

Not only are they registered, I recently updated Samai from DSH to DMH. I think I should have gone with DLH though. But I can still change that if I decide to.

 

[Katie M]

Yes, Charlie's is registered. He won't wear a collar, so it's vital that he have a chip. I'm going to see about getting one for Selene too.

 

[MeganLLB]

So if your pet's microchip is registered in only one registry does that mean that it could still be missed if that particular vet/shelter doesn't check that registry?

 

[kashmir64]

I know years ago, my Dalmatian was chipped with Avid. Then for some reason, no shelter or vet would scan for Avid. So if he was lost then found, the chip would not scan. I don't know how it is today though.

 

[Kieka]

So if your pet's microchip is registered in only one registry does that mean that it could still be missed if that particular vet/shelter doesn't check that registry?

Exactly. It can also be missed if it has migrated or if it is a brand the the shelter or vet doesn't have a compatible reader for (usually the same type will be used in an area so this is more an issue if you've moved or love in an area where money is really tight and prohibit the shelter or very from buying a universal scanner).

 

[Kieka]

I know years ago, my Dalmatian was chipped with Avid. Then for some reason, no shelter or vet would scan for Avid. So if he was lost then found, the chip would not scan. I don't know how it is today though.

It probably was when avid was newer. I think it's more common now and newer scanners are usually backwards compatible with any chip used in the specific country. I think most areas have switched to universal type scanners and manufactures have realized the error of trying to force shelters or vets to buy their specific scanners.

 

[LTS3]

A stray dog was brought to the shelter last night. He's microchipped, but he won't be going home within minutes or a few hours because the chip isn't registered. This happens more often than you'd think.

Paying the vet or whoever to put the microchip in IS NOT the same as registrating the microchip. I think that's what some people mistakenly assume. They pay for the microchip to be put in and somehow they think they are all set for life and nothing else needs to be done, that the microchip automatically has all of their contact info associated with it and somehow that information is updated as they move, change phone numbers, vets, etc.

One of my cats is adopted and the microchip was in the rescue's name. I had to transfer the microchip over to my name. That's something people adopting pets don't realize that they have to do, too. The same is true if you get a pet from a friend or relative or Craiglist or something.

Both cats wer tags on their collars with the name and phone number of the microchip company and their microchip number. I figured that since shetlers and rescues may only have scanners for certain brands of microchips, having the microchip company name right on the tag would be helpful in case the shelter or rescue doesn't have a scanner for that particular microchip.

 

[jcat]

They pay for the microchip to be put in and somehow they think they are all set for life and nothing else needs to be done, that the microchip automatically has all of their contact info associated with it and somehow that information is updated as they move, change phone numbers, vets, etc.

That's exactly what the dog's owner thought (he was claimed yesterday), although the vet gave her a booklet explaining how to register her dog and update info. She admitted she never read it.

Providing a current cell phone number is really important. We've gotten tourists' pets as well as ones that were being cared for by neighbors, friends, or relatives while the owners were away.

I like the European system a lot better than the U.S.'s. There's only one type of transponder (15-digit ISO; the first two digits are a country code) and scanner for the continent. Europetnet connects the national databases, so if, for example, a French or Hungarian dog is found in Germany, the police or a German vet or shelter can easily get the owner's contact info or have the national association get in touch with them. I don't know whether it holds for the entire state or country, but police stations in our county have scanners, and the cops will bring the pets to the shelter, but often contact the owners themselves.

We live in Germany, where there are two national databases which claim they cooperate, but I've still got Mowgli registered with both. Shelters, vets, and the police are really good about checking for microchips, but a lot of members of the general public aren't great about taking found pets to have them scanned, so Mowgli also has a collar and ID tag (the only thing he'll leave on is a Beastie Band with a slide-on Boomerang tag). If his skin weren't so dark, I'd have his ears tattooed, too

 

[Blakeney Green]

Yes, my microchips are registered.

I would add to have your vet scan the chip at your annual exam to make sure it isn't migrating and if your pet is lost physically check the found pet area instead of just waiting for a call or calling in yourself to ask. When Link went missing last year the shelter staff would tell me there were no Siamese mixes in holding but when I went back there I found two scared ones (whose tagging wasn't changed even though I pointed it out to different people all four days I went). It isn't that the staff are purposefully misinforming but whoever did intake on those two didn't identify them as pointed and one was "tan" while the other was "brown". So when the desk searched the database they didn't get any "Siamese" because they were labeled different colors. I also saw obvious males identified as females and simple typo mistakes on tags like a "back" cat.

Edit: Just to clarify. I know shelter staff are overworked and doing the best they can. My point is more to not depend 100% on the accuracy of the information you are given by phone if your cat is missing.

Just wanted to second this. It's incredibly difficult to determine over the phone or even via exchanging pictures whether a stray pet is the one you're missing. A lot of cats look similar, descriptions are really subjective, and your cat probably isn't showing its normal behavior while at a shelter on a stray hold.

You will significantly increase the chances of getting reconnected with your pet if you go to the shelter and look with your own eyes to see if your pet is there. You aren't being a bother - you're actually making everyone's lives easier, including the shelter staff.

 

[carebearbaby1]

Everyone's chipped and registered except the two babies. That might be their Christmas presents this year.

 

[Blakeney Green]

Toad isn't microchipped yet either because she's technically still in foster. She'll be chipped when I'm able to finalize her adoption.