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Pet Calendar: National Check The Chip Day

As a pet owner, you want to do all you can to keep your pet safe from harm. For many pet parents that means microchipping their pets — cats and dogs. According to AVMA and the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA), microchips “greatly increase the chance that pets will be reunited with their families if they are lost or stolen.” It’s important to remember, though that this is only true if the registration information on your pet’s microchip is accurate and up-to-date.

What should pet owners do?

According to AVMA and AAHA:

Make an appointment with your veterinarian for microchipping if your pet isn’t already microchipped (then make sure that your pet’s chip is immediately registered).
Check your already-microchipped pet’s registration information in the microchip manufacturer’s database, and make sure it’s up-to-date.

How to update your pet’s microchip registration

You’ll need the pet’s microchip number
Log in and check that all information is accurate
Register your pet’s microchip with its manufacturer and with the AAHA’s Universal Pet Microchip Lookup Tool. Many microchip registries are also linked to the AAHA Universal Pet Microchip Lookup Tool to make it easier to find a microchip’s registration.

Microchipping can help bring your pet home if he or she escapes whether on a road trip, on vacation or by slipping out of the door at your home.

Check out the rest of our August Pet Calendar and pet holidays here.

Don’t forget to plan ahead with our Annual Pet Calendar at a Glance here.