Microchips-HELP ME!

[Another_Poster]

Ok, found a stray dog last week and took him to TSC for shots and microchip. Not sure if we are keeping the little booger so trying to keep costs down. The microchip is registered with found animals.

All my other animals are registered with AKC Reunite program. In researching this, I find out that only the company who manufactured the chip shows up when scanned.

Is this true? I am almost positive that my 2 dogs and 4 cats all have home again chips. Home again has a ~$20 per year per animal fee to keep registration up to date. Did I throw money away on them and not increase their chances of getting found? My regular vet was the one who told me to register with AKC, I think. Hard to remember and need to get home to check which company their chips are with.

Calm me down, Cothers!

[Over_the_Hill]

I dunno…several years ago I rehomed a little dog who spends half the year in Ft. Lauderdale,FL, and half in Long Island, NY. I had transferred her chip to the new owners, they had verified through Home Again that it was done, and have been paying the yearly fee, but several years later when she escaped in NY and was found, Home Again notified ME here in Florida.

[BuddyRoo]

If it’s an ISO chip, most of the current universal readers are able to capture that and along with the chip num comes the 800num of the chip registration org.

When chipping first started, it was problematic in that there weren’t universal readers. But most shelters and clinics now have universal readers.

If you want to test this theory, simply walk in to a vet clinic of your choosing and ask if they can check your pet for a chip due to your concerns. It takes two seconds.

When I have found dogs, I pack them up in my car and drive straight to the nearest clinic to get them scanned. It’s never been an issue for me as a “client” and we’ve never turned someone away for a scan at any clinic I’ve worked for.

[Horsegal984]

Ok, so when a chip is scanned all it shows is the number. We then usually plug the number into the Pet Microchip lookup website. That will either tell us who the chip is registered to if enrolled or the manufacturer. Then we call the manufacturer, who either has the owners information or the clinic it was sold to. If the clinic is open we call them who can look up who the chip was implanted into (assuming your clinic keeps appropriate records). So yes, it’s faster if the chip is registered to you, in an easily searchable way, but it doesn’t mean that you cannot be found if it’s not.

If you want to test the theory, plug in your microchip number into the lookup (searches several databases) and see what turns up. **Be careful if your pet’s chip has the rescue group info on it, I tested mine because we were having problems with the clinic and they called the rescue. Thankfully I have a great relationship with the group so it was all ok, but I did give the poor founder a heart attack for a minute!

[BuddyRoo]

[QUOTE=Horsegal984;8385071]
Ok, so when a chip is scanned all it shows is the number. We then usually plug the number into the Pet Microchip lookup website. That will either tell us who the chip is registered to if enrolled or the manufacturer. Then we call the manufacturer, who either has the owners information or the clinic it was sold to. If the clinic is open we call them who can look up who the chip was implanted into (assuming your clinic keeps appropriate records). So yes, it’s faster if the chip is registered to you, in an easily searchable way, but it doesn’t mean that you cannot be found if it’s not.

If you want to test the theory, plug in your microchip number into the lookup (searches several databases) and see what turns up. **Be careful if your pet’s chip has the rescue group info on it, I tested mine because we were having problems with the clinic and they called the rescue. Thankfully I have a great relationship with the group so it was all ok, but I did give the poor founder a heart attack for a minute![/QUOTE]

That’s interesting because the the last time I’ve used a reader (within the last year), it always came up with the chip num and the toll free num of the chip registry. It was a universal reader though. So maybe YMMV?

[Another_Poster]

This is the frustrating thing to me. I wish there was a universal system where all chips/scanners worked and there was one database.

I wonder if this system will ever get their. I am definitely going to try searching when I get home.

[BuddyRoo]

[QUOTE=Another Poster;8385243]
This is the frustrating thing to me. I wish there was a universal system where all chips/scanners worked and there was one database.

I wonder if this system will ever get their. I am definitely going to try searching when I get home.[/QUOTE]

There will likely never be one database, but the scanners should be able to read all at this point in time. FWIW, I use HomeAgain.

[Another_Poster]

Do you have them registered with Home Again, Buddy Roo? All the chips are universal, I’m just concerned they will not link to my info if home again is called since that is the manufacturer and I have them registered with AKC.

Is there any benefit to register the chips with multiple places?

[BuddyRoo]

[QUOTE=Another Poster;8385568]
Do you have them registered with Home Again, Buddy Roo? All the chips are universal, I’m just concerned they will not link to my info if home again is called since that is the manufacturer and I have them registered with AKC.

Is there any benefit to register the chips with multiple places?[/QUOTE]

My (second!) chips are with Home Again. But my first were the old style and I had to get the ISO for overseas travel. So now I’m with Home Again. But I’m telling you, the universal readers get the right 800 num to call. Ive seen it first hand at the clinics. It really should not matter what brand you get now. As long as the the chip is ISO and registered, you SHOULD be okay. Go test it!

[Horsegal984]

But the chip reader will only give you the company who manufactured/sold the chip. So no, I doubt your information would come up. But. It would give them your vet’s contact info and then your vet should be able to tell them who has that chip implanted.

[hosspuller]

http://www.petmicrochiplookup.org/

This web site will tell anyone where any microchip is enrolled. The key is “ENROLLED” If you enroll the chip with a “participating company” The site will tell anyone inputing a chip number where the chip is enrolled. The pet finder then calls the “participating company” for the owner info. If the chip was never enrolled, you and your pet are out of luck

The current “participating company” 's are :

•24PetWatch Pet Protection Services
•911PetChip
•AKC Reunite
•EIDAP
•Found Animals
•Free Pet Chip Registry
•HomeAgain
•Homeward Bound Pet
•InfoPET
•Microchip I.D. Solutions
•Microchip ID Systems, Inc.
•Nanochip ID Inc.
•National Animal Identification Center
•PetKey
•PetLink
•Petstablished
•Save This Life
•SmartTag Microchip

I’ve used Home Again for almost 20 years.

As Buddyroo said … Get your chip number and test the system …

[hosspuller]

[QUOTE=Another Poster;8385568]

Is there any benefit to register the chips with multiple places?[/QUOTE]

IMHO … No … actually multi registration is a hazard. One has to keep your information current for the chip to be useful. If you move or change phones, then you have multiple data bases to update. AND the pet finder has to choose which enrolled company to call. Better to keep it simple for whom ever finds your pet.