Save This Life Pet Microchip Important Update
(updated 02-14-2025)
Many of you may have seen in the news that a major pet microchip company has unexpectedly gone out of business. Pets who have been microchipped with Save This Life microchips are impacted by this issue. After hearing about this, we have been working closely with our vendors to learn more. Here at the clinic we have used this brand of microchip, so if your pet has received a microchip at our clinic, you may be impacted.
If your pet has a microchip from Save This Life, there is no known risk to your pet's health. The impact centers around being able to look up your pet's information if they are ever lost. Based on what the vendors are telling us, if you are impacted, then you must re-register your pet's microchip with another company. There are several options, some are free and there are other options with minimal cost:
Free Pet Microchip Registry (Free)
Petlink (normally $29.99 onetime fee, but for pets impacted by the Save This Life closure it is only a $1.00 onetime fee with discount code STLDOLLAR valid through 03-31-2025)
AAHA (American Animal Hospital Association) This well respected veterinary organization has a general page dedicated to pet microchips. Toward the middle of the page there is a list of Participating Microchipping and Pet Recovery Services where you can browse for alternate microchip registration services.
Please be aware that you are not required to take any action at all. However, for impacted pets, if you do not re-register your pet's microchip then there is no way to look up the chip number in the event you pet is ever lost. To re-register, you must use the Free, Discounted, or other available registration services. This is the best information we have available at this time, as the details are still evolving. It is possible there could be new variables that may impact your decision to re-register.
Here is a quick review of how pet microchips work:
A microchip is implanted with a needle under your pet's skin. There is no GPS tracking or battery in the chip. If your pet is lost and then located, an animal control officer, police officer, pet rescue, or veterinary clinic would in most cases be able to use a microchip scanner to check for the presence of a microchip. If a chip is detected, then the chip number can be traced through the registry associated with that chip. Your personal data is protected and your contact information is only released to a law enforcement or veterinary professional.
If you have any questions or concerns please contact us anytime at 952-445-7956.
