What microchip companies do you recommend? I got a year free from 24petwatch when I adopted my "girls" and now they are up for renewal. I asked our vet and they said any company is fine to use. Are the free sites as good as they pay ones?
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Microchip monitoring
- Thread starter sarah78
- Start Date
Bumping up. Any recommendations on microchip companies?
I have personally used PetLink and HomeAgain. The pro with PetLink is there is only a one time fee. The pro with HomeAgain is that it is the most widely used and if your pet goes missing, an email is automatically sent to other users in your area with your pet's info. PetLink has a missing pet forum, but you have to sign into the site and enter information to specifically search your area. Most people simply aren't going to do this on a regular basis.
There is a new to me company called GoTags. One rescue in my area is currently using these and I'm looking into it myself. The company boasts being able to search the chip # on google.
You can register your let's current chip # with them.
You can register your let's current chip # with them.
I did some research on this subject before we got Casper chipped.
The main thing to look for is compatibility between the chip and the scanner used to read/detect it. Without getting technical, there are three or four types of chips available worldwide which support different standards and which may or may not be detectable by different types of readers.
In the U.S., the chip that has the widest compatibility is the kind used by HomeAgain and by PetWatch24. With these two brands, you have the greatest chance of your cat's microchip being detected by any shelter or veterinarian where your cat is likely to turn up.
There is another brand of chip, AVID FriendChip, which can only be read by certain types of readers because the information on the chip is encrypted. That means that most places can detect the chip but they might not be able to read the number because the information is encrypted.
If you are not in the U.S. or if you plan to travel to other countries with your cat, you should think about getting a chip that supports the ISO (international) standard. You can get an ISO compliant chip from HomeAgain by special request but, if you aren't planning to travel, it's not necessary.
After I did my homework, we decided to go with HomeAgain because Casper will have the greatest chance of being found and brought home, virtually anywhere he might happen to go in the US or Canada.
If you want to do a little bit of reading, you can check out Wikipedia...
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microchip_implant_(animal)
The basic service, which is just to have the microchip registered with all of your contact information, is typically free but do read the fine print as each company may be diffeent. Some companies offer yearly paid membership if you wish to have additional services.
From the 24PetWatch FAQ page, it looks like you can use any microchip company and not only register your pet with that company but also with 24PetWatch:
Your local shelter or vet can microchip your pet. Ask for a 24PetWatch Microchip ID microchip by name. In the event that they use a different brand of microchip, you should still register your pet's microchip with 24PetWatch Microchip ID - the only full service lost pet recovery network that provides free registration for all brands of microchips in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.
https://www.24petwatch.com/US/Lost_pet/Faqs.aspx
One of my cats has a HomeAgain microchip. I just have the basic free service. I can't say if HomeAgain is a good company or not as my cat has never been lost and I've never had to contact the comany for anything. Keeping your contact information up to date is easy. You just log onto the HomeAagin web site to access your account.
Here's a fairly new high tech pet recovery company (not a microchip): http://petq.me/ Your pet wears a ID tag that has a QR tag on it. If your pet is found outside, the person can scan the QR code with his / her smartphone and you automatically get a notification on yoru own phone about your lost pet and where it has been found and then you can make arrangements (via text or phone I guess) to be reunited with your pet.
Having multiple forms of pet ID might be a good thing. Collars and their ID tags may fall off so a microchip is another way for your pet to be returned.
From the 24PetWatch FAQ page, it looks like you can use any microchip company and not only register your pet with that company but also with 24PetWatch:
Your local shelter or vet can microchip your pet. Ask for a 24PetWatch Microchip ID microchip by name. In the event that they use a different brand of microchip, you should still register your pet's microchip with 24PetWatch Microchip ID - the only full service lost pet recovery network that provides free registration for all brands of microchips in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.
https://www.24petwatch.com/US/Lost_pet/Faqs.aspx
One of my cats has a HomeAgain microchip. I just have the basic free service. I can't say if HomeAgain is a good company or not as my cat has never been lost and I've never had to contact the comany for anything. Keeping your contact information up to date is easy. You just log onto the HomeAagin web site to access your account.
Here's a fairly new high tech pet recovery company (not a microchip): http://petq.me/ Your pet wears a ID tag that has a QR tag on it. If your pet is found outside, the person can scan the QR code with his / her smartphone and you automatically get a notification on yoru own phone about your lost pet and where it has been found and then you can make arrangements (via text or phone I guess) to be reunited with your pet.
Having multiple forms of pet ID might be a good thing. Collars and their ID tags may fall off so a microchip is another way for your pet to be returned.
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My cats have 911PetChips and are registered through https://freepetchipregistry.com. Anyone have an opinion on these?
