How to Update Microchip Details: The First Step in Lost Pet Prevention

If you can’t stand the thought of your pet getting lost or stolen, one of the best things you can do for peace of mind is to make sure they’re microchipped – and to update microchip details whenever you move or get a new phone number.

“Microchips are a permanent form of identification,” says Paige Andersen, DVM, managing partner of AAHA-accredited TimberCreek Veterinary Hospital in Manhattan, Kansas, which was a 2023 finalist for AAHA-Accredited Practice of the Year. “Collars and tags are great, but they can fall off or be taken off. A microchip is going to dramatically increase your chances of your pet returning to you.”

But microchips are essentially useless if they aren’t linked to the pet and the pet owner’s current contact information. To learn about how easy – and vitally important – a pet microchip update can be, read on.

The harsh truth about missing pets

Realizing your pet is missing is a terrifying experience – one that roughly 1 in 3 pet parents will experience in their pet’s lifetime.

“Dogs get lost for a lot of reasons. Sometimes they just escape their yards. Sometimes there are natural disasters and they escape from their house,” Dr. Andersen says. “We see a lot of lost pets around Independence Day when there are a lot of fireworks and in thunderstorm season because dogs get scared, panic, and run off.”

Cats and dogs might dart out the front door when movers, workers, or children are going in and out or be stolen from a yard when left unattended – or sprint through the gate if a delivery person opens it.

The good news is that microchips greatly increase your chance of being reunited with your pet – one of the priceless benefits of microchipping. In fact, microchipped pets are three times more likely to be reunited with their families, according to research from the nonprofit Human Animal Support Services. That’s why a microchip is one of the most important tools in lost pet prevention.

“I highly recommend that even indoor pets get microchipped because guests come over and leave doors open,” Dr. Andersen advises. “Here in Kansas, we get a lot of tornadoes. Natural disasters happen, and animals that are always indoors end up outside and scared and run off, so we recommend all of your pets getting microchipped.”

Registering your microchip

One of the biggest misconceptions about microchips is that they provide GPS tracking of pets, which is not true. (It’s one of the Frequently Asked Questions about microchips.) A microchip is an electronic chip about the size of a grain of rice that veterinarians typically implant between an animal’s shoulder blades. The chip has a unique number that some veterinary practices register with a microchip registry, along with the pet’s name; it’s important to ask your veterinary team if they did, and if so, where, since there are dozens of microchip registries.

You’ll want to pay particularly close attention to necessary follow up if you have your pet microchipped at a reduced-cost vaccination and microchipping clinic hosted by an animal shelter or another nonprofit.

“It’s important to ask if there’s any action you have to take,” Dr. Andersen says. “With microchip clinics, the owner has to log on (to a microchip registry) to get all your information registered.”

Why updating microchip details is crucial

When a Good Samaritan finds a stray pet and brings it to an animal hospital or shelter, the first thing the veterinary team will do is scan for a microchip. But if that chip isn’t linked to your phone number and/or email address, they have no way to tell you that your pet has been found.

As Tom Sharp, President and CEO of the nonprofit microchip registry AKC Reunite once quipped to AAHA, “If the microchip is not enrolled, it’s like having a Social Security card with no name on it.”

That’s why a microchip information update is so vitally important when you first adopt or acquire a pet, move to a new home, or change your phone number or email address. It’s a simple task that only takes a few minutes but can mean the difference between a happy reunion with your pet, or never seeing them again.

Dr. Andersen says that, sadly, some lost pets brought to TimberCreek Animal Hospital have microchips that aren’t linked to their family’s contact information, or lead to a disconnected phone number.

It’s a stark contrast to the joy she and her team feel when an up-to-date microchip leads to successful reunions, like a kitty named Pixie who’d been lost for two months, or a dog named Tito who ran off when his owner slipped on ice during a walk.

“Probably once or twice a year, we get somebody bringing in a dog they found wandering about and are able to link it back to the owner through their microchip,” she says. “It feels good – and it’s why you should have your microchip and be registered. It’s the owner’s responsibility to make sure that information is up to date.”

How to verify and update your pet’s microchip information

Pet parents need to understand that a pet’s microchip is registered with an individual microchip company’s registry, not with their veterinarian or a single central database.

If you want to update microchip details but don’t know if or where your pet’s microchip is registered, AAHA offers a free digital tool: AAHA’s Microchip Registry Lookup Tool. To find the company your pet’s microchip is registered with, simply type in their microchip number, and the registry will pop up. (If you don’t have a record of your pet’s microchip number, you can take them to the nearest animal hospital and ask them to scan your pet for a microchip.)

Once you know the name of the microchip registry, you’ll be able to create an online account with that company for your pet’s microchip number and input data like your pet’s name, breed, gender, color, age, medical issues, and other notes, as well as your name, phone number, email address, home address, contact information for an alternate contact like a trusted family member and your veterinarian’s name and contact information.

Providing multiple ways to contact you helps ensure that if your missing pet is found, you can be reunited as quickly as possible. It also provides proof of ownership if your pet is stolen by a stranger or taken to a shelter by an angry neighbor or ex.

It’s typically free or a nominal one-time fee to enroll your pet with a microchip company, so it’s free to update microchip details like your contact information whenever you like for the lifetime of your pet.

Try to get in the habit of checking to make sure their information is up to date before traveling with your pet, as well as potentially frightening holidays like New Year’s Eve, Halloween, and the Fourth of July. You can also set a calendar reminder for AAHA’s Check the Chip Day each August 15 – both to update your microchip information and to see if your veterinary practice is doing anything fun to celebrate.

Lost pet prevention tips to keep your pet safe

Microchipping should “absolutely” be part of your overall pet safety plan, according to Dr. Andersen.

“Like I said, those are permanent IDs, so microchipping is one of the most important things you can do in case your pet does get lost,” she emphasizes.

Your pet should also wear a collar with an ID tag with your cell phone number. During thunderstorms or times when doors to your home will be frequently opening and closing – like during a move – consider keeping your cat or dog in a crate or a separate room of the house with food, water, toys, and a comfortable bed where they can feel and stay safe.

“That way they have a safe place to be where they can’t make a fast, unexpected exit,” she says, adding, “Talk to your veterinarian about what you can do to help keep them calm because a lot of scared pets run.”

Annual wellness exams are an ideal time to ask your veterinarian to scan your pet’s microchip to make sure it’s still functioning and hasn’t migrated to a different part of the body where it can no longer be read. There’s typically no charge.

Other ways to proactively keep your pet safe include leashing your pet on walks and making sure your home’s fencing is secure – whether that means 6-foot-high fences for jumpers or down-to-the-ground mesh for tiny escape artists like Chihuahuas – and keeping an eye out for holes they dig along the fence line. Pet insurance can also be a good idea in case your pet is injured while you are separated (and in general for unexpected accidents and illnesses).

Ultimately, microchipping your pet and making sure to update microchip details like your current phone number with a microchip registry is one of the most inexpensive and sure-fire ways to increase your odds of finding your pet if they go missing – and to find them more quickly.

Give your pet the best chance of returning home. Microchipping is a small investment that offers major security. Contact your AAHA-accredited veterinarian to learn more.