Check Your Pet’s Microchip and how to register

#BonnieHays

August 15 is National Check the Chip Day! The “chip” to check is your pet’s microchip. When placed under your pet’s skin by a veterinarian or their staff, this microchip is a permanent form of identification. When detected by a scanner, the microchip provides a series of numbers that can be used to look up who a pet belongs to. But for a microchip to help a lost pet make it back home, it must be registered, and the contact information connected to it needs to be up to date.

How to register a microchip or verify the contact information associated with it:

Get your pet’s microchip number. This number may be in your vet records or your adoption paperwork. If you can’t find the number, your veterinarian’s office can scan your pet for the chip and give you the number. You can also stop by Animal Services with your pet, and we’ll scan it for you!

Look up the microchip brand. Go to PetMicrochipLookup.org and enter the microchip number. This database from the American Animal Hospital Association will tell you which company manufactured the chip.

Call or go to the microchip company’s website to verify or update your information. There may be a small fee to register the chip.

Create a secondary registration for the chip at FoundAnimals.org for free! We can also add your pet’s microchip information to our records at Animal Services.

In addition to checking to make sure your pet’s microchip is up to date, be sure they are also wearing a collar with an ID tag. Microchips can help an animal make it back home once the pet arrives at an animal shelter or veterinarian’s office. But your neighbors will first look for a collar and tag if they find your furry friend!

For more information on this topic and more, please visit The Bonnie Hays Animal Shelter located in downtown Hillsboro at 1901 SE 24th Ave or visit our website: www.WashingtonCountyPets.com. If you have a question for the animal shelter, email Stacy_Beckley@co.washington.or.us.