Fact sheet: Microchip basics

Download the fact sheet.

What are microchips?

• A microchip is a tiny device implanted just under your pet’s skin (no anesthesia needed), usually between the shoulder blades.
• Each microchip has a unique number (your pet’s special number that they carry permanently).
• Microchips aren’t GPS devices; they can’t be used to track you or your pet’s location. You need a special scanner to detect the chip and read the number.

Tips for your pets

• Use collars and chips. A collar and tag are your pet’s quickest way back home, but in case these get lost, a microchip is a vital backup method for getting your pet back to you. Most veterinarians and animal shelters can insert a microchip in your pet for a small fee (typically less than $60).
• Register your chip. To link your pet’s microchip number to your contact information, you must register the chip. You can register any brand of microchip for free at freepetchipregistry.com.
• Keep up to date. If your address, phone number or email address changes, be sure to update your information in the online chip registry. You should also alert the registry if your pet is lost.

Microchipped pets are three times more likely to be reunited with their owners.

—Human Animal Support Services 2022 study

Tips for found pets

• Most animal shelters and veterinary offices will scan a found pet for free. Your local police and fire departments may also have microchip scanners. (Some communities even have microchip scanning stations where you can scan a pet yourself.)
• Enter the chip number in the American Animal Hospital Association’s microchip registry lookup tool at aaha.org/microchip-search. Contact any registry where the chip has been registered and let them know you’re trying to reunite a lost pet with their owner. The registry will then alert the owner that their pet has been found.
• If the chip isn’t registered, or the owner’s contact information is out of date, check out humanepro.org/deadendchips for guidance on next steps.

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