Found a Microchipped Pet? What to Do Next

Last updated: 14 August 2026

Finding out that a found pet is microchipped is a helpful first step, but it might not lead straight to the owner. You’ll need to track the chip number through the correct registry, manufacturer, or organisation.

This guide explains what to do after a pet is scanned, how to use the microchip number safely, and which organisations may be able to contact the owner.

In this guide:

First, make sure the animal is safe

Go up to the animal slowly and gently.

A lost or scared pet may behave in unusual ways. Don’t chase, corner, or grab an animal if it looks frightened, aggressive, or injured.

Look for signs that urgent help is needed, such as:

• Heavy bleeding
• Difficulty breathing
• Severe limping or inability to stand
• Obvious pain
• Extreme weakness
• Dangerous or highly defensive behaviour

If the animal needs urgent help, reach out to a vet, animal shelter, rescue group, animal-control service, or your local authority.

AAHA’s guidance for found pets also suggests checking the animal’s condition before you try to move or handle them.

Check for visible identification

Look for a collar or ID tag before you arrange a microchip scan.

The tag may include:

• The owner’s phone number
• The pet’s name
• An address
• A veterinary clinic
• A rescue or registration number

If there’s a phone number, call the owner directly.

Take off the collar or tag only if it’s unsafe for the animal.

Arrange a microchip scan

A regular mobile phone can’t scan a pet’s microchip.

The animal must be checked with a compatible microchip scanner. You can usually ask:

• A veterinary clinic
• An animal shelter
• A rescue organisation
• An animal-control service
• A dog warden or similar local service

Scan several areas because microchips can shift from where they were first placed.

A fast scan or the wrong scanner might not find the chip right away.

Record the complete microchip number

Write down or snap a photo of the full number from the scanner.

Pet microchips may have 9, 10, or 15 digits. Don’t add extra digits or zeros to make a short number fit the 15-digit format.

Check that:

• Every digit is visible
• The number has been copied in the correct order
• No digit is missing
• Spaces and dashes are not treated as part of the number

Just one wrong digit can give you a completely different search result.

Check the number with ChipTrace

Enter the complete microchip number in ChipTrace.

Depending on the number and available connections, ChipTrace may:

• Find a registry holding the record
• Identify a likely country
• Identify the manufacturer or supplier
• Search connected lookup services
• Show which databases were checked
• Show databases that could not be searched automatically
• Suggest the next organisation to contact

ChipTrace will not show the owner’s private contact details. Instead, it helps you find the registry or organisation that can contact the owner.

Check a Microchip

What happens when a registry is found?

Get in touch with the registry using the details from the search result.

Explain that you have found an animal and provide:

• The complete microchip number
• The type of animal
• The general area where the animal was found
• Your safe contact details
• The name of the vet, shelter or rescue involved, when relevant

The registry will usually check its records and try to contact the owner.

They might not share the owner’s personal details. This keeps the owner’s privacy safe while still allowing the registry to help arrange contact.

AAHA’s Microchip Registry Lookup follows the same principle: it identifies registries to contact rather than displaying owner information.

What if more than one registry appears?

A chip can appear in more than one registry or lookup service.

Begin with the most recent or relevant record. If that registry can’t help, try the others.

More than one result can occur after:

• A change of owner
• A move to another country
• Registration with an additional recovery service
• A transfer that left an older record behind

Don’t assume the first result is always the current record.

What if the owner’s details are out of date?

A registered chip may still have an old phone number, email, or home address.

The registry may try other available contacts, such as:

• An emergency contact
• The implanting veterinary clinic
• A breeder
• A shelter or rescue organisation
• A previous address

The vet, shelter, or rescue that scanned the chip might also be able to help with follow-up questions.

Old details can make tracing harder, but they do not always stop the search.

What if no registration is found?

If you get a “not found” result, it doesn’t always mean the chip was never registered.

Possible reasons include:

• The registry is not publicly searchable
• The registry does not share data with that lookup service
• The record is held in another country
• The registration is very recent
• The number was copied incorrectly
• The registry is temporarily unavailable
• The chip was implanted but never registered

Check the databases ChipTrace searched and note any that are marked as unavailable or incomplete.

Our guide Why Can’t I Find a Microchip in Any Database? explains these possibilities in more detail.

Use the manufacturer information

If no registry record is found, the manufacturer or supplier might still offer a useful lead.

Depending on the chip and the records available, the manufacturer may be able to identify:

• The distributor that received the chip
• The country or region that received the batch
• The clinic, shelter, or rescue that purchased it
• The registry normally used with that number range

Provide the full microchip number when contacting the manufacturer.

ChipTrace provides an email template when it finds manufacturer contact information to make this inquiry easier.

Contact local vets, shelters and authorities

Let nearby organisations know you’ve found the animal.

Contact:

• Local veterinary clinics
• Animal shelters
• Rescue organisations
• Municipal animal services
• Dog wardens or animal-control services
• Police, when required locally

The owner might have already reported the pet missing.

Rules for found animals differ between countries and regions. In some places, found dogs must be reported to the local authority even when they are microchipped.

For example, official UK guidance states that a stray dog found must be reported to the council if the owner cannot be contacted.

Post a found-pet notice carefully

Local social media groups and missing-pet pages can help you find the owner.

You can include:

• A clear photograph
• The general area where the animal was found
• The date the animal was found
• A short description
• A safe way to contact you or the organisation holding the animal

Don’t publish the complete microchip number. You should also keep one or two identifying details private. A real owner should be able to describe them.

Check that anyone claiming the animal is the owner

Don’t give the animal to the first person who claims it.

Ask for reasonable proof, such as:

• Photographs taken before the animal went missing
• Veterinary records
• Adoption or purchase papers
• The microchip number
• Details of unusual markings
• Information about the pet’s behaviour or medical needs

A vet, registry, shelter, or local authority might help confirm the correct owner.

Keep the animal separate from your own pets

If you’re caring for a found animal, keep them in a safe and quiet area.

Keep them apart from your own pets until their health and behaviour have been checked.

This helps reduce:

• Fighting or fear
• Escape attempts
• The spread of parasites or illness
• Stress for all animals involved

Give fresh water and a safe place to rest. If the animal seems ill, injured, or very weak, ask a vet or rescue for advice before offering food.

Do not assume you can keep or rehome the animal

Finding an animal doesn’t automatically make you the legal owner.

Do not sell, give away, adopt or permanently rehome the animal until:

• The required local reports have been made
• The registered owner has been contacted or properly searched for
• Any legal holding period has passed
• A responsible authority or rescue confirms the next step

Local laws and procedures differ, so check with the relevant authority or animal organisation to see what applies where the animal was found.

Found a microchipped cat?

Be extra careful before assuming a healthy cat outdoors is lost.

Some owned cats are allowed to roam and might be close to home.

Signs that a cat may need help include:

• Injury or illness
• Extreme hunger or poor condition
• Repeatedly trying to enter homes
• Remaining in the same unfamiliar place for a long time
• A collar stating that the cat is missing or needs help
• Information from neighbours that the cat is unknown locally

A vet or rescue can scan the cat and help you choose the safest next step.

Keep a record of what you have done

Write down:

• The date and place where the animal was found
• The microchip number
• Who scanned the animal
• Registries and manufacturers contacted
• Reference numbers from reports
• Messages and calls received

This helps vets, shelters, registries, and authorities keep searching without repeating the same work.

Check the microchip with ChipTrace

Type the full number into ChipTrace to search connected registries and lookup services.

If no registration is found, ChipTrace might still give manufacturer information, number-range clues, databases needing a manual search, and the next suggested contact.

Check a Microchip