A Complete Guide to Registering Your Pet's Microchip

Content Sponsored by 24Petwatch

Every pet parent's worst fear is that their beloved pet will go missing. Sadly, this scenario has become a reality for approximately 10 million pets in the United States annually. While taking precautions like leashing your dog on walks and keeping your cat indoors can help prevent your pet from running off, accidents can happen. Collars can break, doors can be left ajar, and fences can be no match for a determined dog or cat that wants to follow a squirrel.

One of the best ways to help ensure you are reunited with your pet, should they ever get lost, is with a microchip — but it's vital you register your pet's chip and keep it up to date. Here's a guide to registering your microchip.

How Microchips Work

First, let's cover the basics of microchips and how they work. As small as a grain of rice, microchips are tiny radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags that can be implanted under an animal's skin (typically in between the shoulder blades). Though it's not a GPS, each microchip carries a unique identification code that can be read by a specialized scanner and matched to a pet parent via a microchip registry. Animal shelters, veterinary clinics, and animal control officers routinely keep pet microchip scanners. It's a standard procedure for found pets to be scanned for a microchip.

Once a pet has been identified through their microchip, the pet parent will be contacted to pick them up from the vet clinic, shelter, or animal control office where they are housed. Locating a pet's parent can be challenging without a microchip (or if the information on file is not current). Though ID tags are helpful, pets can wriggle their way out of collars or ID tags can break off. Since it’s a permanent form of identification, a microchip is the only reliable way to identify a lost pet accurately.

Getting your pet microchipped is easy. Your veterinarian, local animal shelter, or humane society can do it, often during other routine visits or procedures. However, it can be done on its own and is not painful for your pet. If you've recently adopted a pet from a shelter or rescue, it's likely they already have a chip, and you'll just need to register it.

Registering Your Pet's Microchip

Registering your pet's microchip is easier than ever with 24Petwatch. Follow these simple steps:

Gather Your Pet's Microchip Information

Fortunately, finding your pet's microchip information isn't difficult. If you recently adopted your pet and they were microchipped by a shelter, vet, or breeder, this information should be in the paperwork you were given. It may be combined with any medical history or adoption certificates. However, you can also contact the person or agency where you adopted your pet if you weren't given any paperwork or if no microchip information was included.

Register Your Pet's Microchip Online

Once you have your pet's microchip code, you can easily register their chip for free online through the 24Petwatch Customer Portal. You can also register a microchip by phone at 1-866-597-2424 to work directly with a Pet Registry Specialist who will walk you through the process and answer any questions.

Enjoy Peace of Mind

When registered with 24Petwatch, you can enjoy peace of mind knowing that your pet's information is secure in North America's largest pet microchip registry.

Hopefully, your pet will never go missing, but their microchip can help reunite them with you. Pets with microchips are three times more likely to be reunited with their parents if they get lost than pets without microchips.

Keeping Your Pet's Microchip Updated

Keeping your pet's microchip updated is just as important as registering it in the first place. Unfortunately, it's common for pets to be found with microchips linked to out-of-service phone numbers or old family addresses.

Remember to contact 24Petwatch to update your information if you move, change your phone number or email address, or need to add or remove a family contact from your file. If you're taking parental ownership of a pet from a friend or family member or transferring ownership of your pet to another person, it's critical that this information is reflected in the pet's microchip.

Other Ways to Protect Your Pet

While microchipping your pet is one of the best ways to ensure they make it home if they get lost, there are other ways pet parents can help keep their four-legged family members safe.

Ensure your pets are properly leashed or contained when leaving the house. Always have them wear up-to-date ID tags. Routinely practicing recall cues and rewarding your pet with their favorite treats is also a good idea. If they slip out of the front door while you're retrieving a package or break away on a walk, they'll be much more likely to return when called if they've practiced recall training before.

Pet insurance is another great way to protect your pet against the unexpected. From injuries to illnesses, pets can face many potential health risks, whether at home or away. Learn more about the benefits of pet insurance here.

Lastly, consider a Lifetime Protection Membership from 24Petwatch for added protection and special perks. You'll have access to vet telehealth, discounts on dog walking and pet sitting services, and lost pet recovery specialists standing by 24/7 in case the unthinkable happens. Over 730,000 lost pets have been reunited with 24Petwatch, and they'll be there for yours, too!