Finding a microchip is an important first step, but it does not always lead straight to the owner. The chip number must still be traced to the correct registry, manufacturer or organisation.
Keep the animal safe, record the number carefully and follow the steps below. Even when no registration appears immediately, there may still be useful ways to continue the search.
First, make sure the animal is safe
Approach the animal calmly and carefully.
A lost or frightened pet may behave differently from normal. Do not chase, corner or grab an animal that appears scared, 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
Contact a vet, animal shelter, rescue organisation, animal-control service or local authority when professional help is needed.
AAHA’s guidance for found pets also recommends checking the animal’s condition before trying to move or handle them.
Check for visible identification
Before arranging a microchip scan, look for a collar or identification tag.
The tag may include:
- The owner’s telephone number
- The pet’s name
- An address
- A veterinary clinic
- A rescue or registration number
When a telephone number is available, try contacting the owner directly.
Do not remove the collar or tag unless it is unsafe for the animal.
Arrange a microchip scan
A normal mobile phone cannot scan an implanted pet 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
A careful scan should cover more than one small area. Microchips can sometimes move from the place where they were originally implanted.
A first scan may also miss a chip when the scan is too quick or the scanner is not compatible with that chip type.
Record the complete microchip number
Write down or photograph the complete number shown on the scanner.
Pet microchips may contain 9, 10 or 15 digits. Do not add digits or zeros to make a shorter number fit the modern 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
One incorrect digit can lead to 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 does not display an owner’s private contact details. It helps identify the registry or organisation that may be able to contact the registered owner.
What happens when a registry is found?
Contact the registry using the details shown in 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 normally check its records and try to contact the registered owner.
It may not give the owner’s personal details directly to you. This protects the owner’s privacy 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.
Start with the most recent or most relevant record. When that registry cannot help, continue with 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
Do not assume the first result is automatically the current record.
What if the owner’s details are out of date?
A registered chip may still contain an old telephone number, email address 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 may also be able to help with follow-up enquiries.
Outdated details make tracing harder, but they do not always end the search.
What if no registration is found?
A “not found” result does not 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
Review the databases checked by ChipTrace and note any searches 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
When no registry record is found, the manufacturer or supplier may still provide an important 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 complete microchip number when contacting the manufacturer.
ChipTrace may also provide an email template to make this enquiry easier.
Contact local vets, shelters and authorities
Tell nearby organisations that the animal has been found.
Contact:
- Local veterinary clinics
- Animal shelters
- Rescue organisations
- Municipal animal services
- Dog wardens or animal-control services
- Police, when required locally
The owner may already have 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 says that a found stray dog must be reported to the council when the owner cannot be contacted.
Post a found-pet notice carefully
Local social-media groups and missing-pet pages can help reach 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
Do not publish the complete microchip number.
You may also want to keep one or two identifying details private. A genuine owner should be able to describe them.
Check that anyone claiming the animal is the owner
Do not hand the animal to the first person who makes a claim.
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 may be able to help confirm the correct owner.
Keep the animal separate from your own pets
When you temporarily care for a found animal, keep them in a secure and quiet area.
Keep them separate from your own pets until their health and behaviour have been assessed.
This helps reduce:
- Fighting or fear
- Escape attempts
- The spread of parasites or illness
- Stress for all animals involved
Provide fresh water and a safe place to rest. Ask a vet or rescue for advice before offering food when the animal appears ill, injured or extremely weak.
Do not assume you can keep or rehome the animal
Finding an animal does not 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 vary, so ask the relevant authority or animal organisation what applies where the animal was found.
Found a microchipped cat?
Take extra care before assuming that a healthy cat outdoors is lost.
Some owned cats are allowed to roam and may 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 decide 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 makes it easier for vets, shelters, registries and authorities to continue the search without repeating the same work.
Check the microchip with ChipTrace
Enter the complete number in ChipTrace to search connected registries and lookup services.
When no registration is found, ChipTrace may still provide manufacturer information, number-range clues, databases requiring a manual search and the next suggested contact.