Blog: National Check the Chip Day – August 15th

August 15th is National Check the Chip Day!   Many people either adopt or purchase an animal with a microchip implanted or have it done at their local vet or shelter but then don’t give it another thought.  That would be like purchasing a car and then never checking the oil.  Microchips DO require some attention to make sure that they continue to provide the lifesaving work they were designed to do.

Keeping your microchip information up to date greatly increases the chance that you will be reunited with your pet if he is lost and scanned.  Many pets with out of date microchip information are adopted into new homes or sadly euthanized in animal shelters.

Be sure to login to your PetLink account and review your contact information, to ensure it is up to date.  Your pet should be registered to YOU with your current phone number and address.  A shelter, rescue or breeder may be the secondary contact, but you should be the main contact.  You want to be the first person called when your pet is found.

Your PetLink username is your email address.  If you have forgotten your password, click on “Forgot Password” in the login box and a temporary password will be sent to your email address.  Once you’re logged in to PetLink, click on the “Owner Info” icon to edit your information.

In addition, ask your veterinarian to check your dog’s microchip every year during your annual checkup.   Just like checking the oil in your car to keep it in tip-top running order, a yearly microchip check can give you the peace of mind that if your pet goes missing, he or she has a much better chance of being returned to you!