Animal owners worry about pet welfare after microchip company closes
Microchips in your dog or cat can be a lifesaver because they can reunite a lost pet with an owner. But the closure of one national pet microchip company has left many pet lovers worried after the company shut down without notice.
Texas-based microchip and registration company Save This Life was listed as inactive Tuesday, according to Texas' comptroller franchise tax records. The closure sent pet owners scrambling for options on what to do so their animals are safe in an emergency.
Microchips are small, rice-sized radio frequency identification devices (RFID) that are implanted in dogs and cats, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association. Owners register their personal information on the chip by using a registration database.
The chips don't have batteries and are activated only when scanned. If a pet is found, veterinarian offices and shelters can scan the pet for a chip, which will provide information about owners and their contact information.
"When will Save This Life make a statement addressing the fact that they have been unresponsive to pet owners, shelters and rescues trying to reunite pets?" Laura Engert wrote on Save This Life's Instagram post. "The website still states support is available 24/7 yet there is no way to speak to anyone or report a pet found through your website."
Nationwide, there are more than 40 microchip companies, including Avid Identification Systems, Inc., BuddyID, HomeAgain, National Microchip Registration and others. No data exists on how many pets are microchipped. The American Veterinary Medical Association said six out 10 pet microchip devices are registered.
Calls to Save This Life's number lead to an out-of-service message. Emails to the company were automatically replied to with a message from support, saying a new ticket would be created from the inquiry.
CEO Christian White didn't immediately respond to Paste BN's requests for comment. State records indicated White started Save This Life in 2012.
The business's tax status is listed as "Franchise Tax Involuntarily Ended." According to the Texas Comptroller's Office, Save This Life's "registration or certificate was ended as a result of a tax forfeiture or an administrative forfeiture by Texas Secretary of State."
If your pet's microchip number starts with either 991 or 900164, then you could have one of Save This Life’s microchips, according to Save This Life’s website. Microchip numbers aren’t always specific to one company. California-based microchip company 911PetChip also uses devices that start with 991, CEO Jon Dyer said.
But “pet parents don’t need to over worry — chips can be registered with a new company using the same chip,” Brian Lippai, chief of administrative services with the Ocean County Health Department, wrote in an email to the Asbury Park Press, part of the Paste BN NETWORK.
How does a microchip work?
Microchips are implanted in an animal by a long, thin needle and aren't any more painful than a regular injection. The process doesn't require surgery or anesthesia.
The procedure typically costs between $25 and $50, the American Animal Hospital Association reports.
"When an animal is found and taken to a shelter or veterinary clinic, one of the first things the staff does is scan the animal for a microchip," the AVMA said. "If they find a microchip, and if the microchip registry has accurate information, they can quickly find the animal's owner."
The microchip "is not a GPS device and cannot track your animal if it gets lost," according to the AVMA.
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How to update a microchip
Pet owners can check with their veterinarians, many of whom have scanners and records of the pet’s microchip. Lippai wrote that pet owners can also check the shelter or breeder from which their pet was adopted.
“You can also try your local animal control officer in the township you live in,” Lippai wrote.
While Save This Life has gone dark, the microchip should still work. Lippai wrote that microchips are radio-frequency identification transponders that carry a unique ID. That number can be registered in more than one database, such as a database kept by a different company.
One of Save This Life's distributors, Covetrus, stopped selling the microchips until "Save This Life resolves certain customer issues," a Covetrus spokesperson said in an email to Paste BN. The company is working with veterinarians and pet owners on alternate options.
Save This Life was removed from the American Animal Hospital Association's lookup tool after it was notified about search issues with the microchip company, Chief Value Officer Keith Chamberlain said.
The tool is used by veterinarians and the public as a one-stop shop to search a found pet's microchip number and identify what company the device is registered with. AAHA was unsuccessful in reaching the company and received automated emails about staff being aware of the search issues.
“After continued search failures, we made the decision to disconnect them from the AAHA search tool, and we are encouraging pet owners to contact their veterinarian to determine if they need to re-register their microchip with another registry,” Chamberlain said.
If pet owners have a microchip linked to Save This Life, they can have their veterinarians scan for the chip number, and reregister it with any of AAHA's member organizations. Various microchip companies have free registration or are offering affected owners discounts.
Lippai shared the American Animal Hospital Association AAHA’s Universal Pet Microchip Lookout Tool, which has a list of microchip registration companies.
“The OCHD encourages all cat and dog owners to have your pet microchipped or to make sure you renew your agreement with the company you signed up with,” Lippai said. “Additionally, if you change your address or move, to make sure you update your contact information. This includes if you get a pet already chipped from a previous owner — you will have to contact the company and have your information switched over.”
This story has been updated to include new information.
Olivia Liu is a reporter covering transportation, Red Bank and western Monmouth County. She can be reached at oliu@gannett.com.