Combined with a collar and current name tag, a microchip increases the likelihood of a lost pet being safely reunited with its owner. However, even with a microchip scanner, identifying the correct pet recovery registry to contact can be challenging.

To alleviate the guesswork for veterinary hospitals, animal control facilities and shelter staff members, the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) has created the AAHA Universal Pet Microchip Lookup Tool, a free, internet-based resource that assists with microchip identification; helping reunite pets and owners by checking participating pet recovery services’ registries to determine which registry should be contacted. The AAHA Universal Pet Microchip Lookup Tool can be accessed online at www.petmicrochiplookup.org.