Pet microchip company goes out of business, what you can do
Feb 20, 2025, 4:18 PM
FILE: Ruby, a two-year-old Yorkshire Terrier, has a micro-chip implanted by a vet in England. In the US, a major pet microchip company has shuttered, prompting the Humane Society of Utah to remind pet owners to re-register their pets, if needed.(Christopher Furlong, Getty Images)
(Christopher Furlong, Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY — One of the big microchip providers for pets has gone out of business. On Feb. 10, USA Today reported that the company, Save This Life, was inactive according to tax officials in Texas where the company is based.
According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, the Pet Recovery Service Registry removed Save This Life in mid-February after they received reports that searches for Save This Life chips had failed.
“They’re removing their system with all the information … stored animal microchip information,” said Guinn Shuster with the Humane Society of Utah.
“So if your pet is lost and it has one of these microchips, if they’re scanned, this information will no longer be available to the public,” Shuster said.
A pet microchip can be a lifesaver
Pet microchips can be a literal lifesaver for lost pets, Shuster said. Indeed, the American Veterinary Medical Association said that more than 52% of lost dogs with microchips, and 38% of lost cats with microchips are returned to their owners.
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Shuster said that’s why, if you bought your chip from Save This Life, you should have it replaced.
“Whether that’s animal control picking up your pet, or if your pet is taken to a veterinary hospital, there’ll be no way to contact you through the information that was registered to that chip,” she said.
How to find out if Save This Life manufactured your pet microchip
You can find who manufactured your pet’s microchip in the paperwork you received when the animal was chipped.
But if you don’t have or can’t find the paperwork, the American Animal Hospital Association recommends that you have your pet scanned at your vet or local shelter.
The AAHA said if your chip was registered through Save This Life, you can re-register with another organization without having to re-chip your pet.
Shuster said some of the other pet microchip companies available to pet owners include Petlink, Home Again or 24-hour Petwatch.
