Identify Any Pet Microchip by Its Number

There Are Fewer Microchip Manufacturers Than Distributors

There are fewer actual microchip manufacturers than there are companies that distribute them. For all intents and purposes, when someone refers to a "microchip company," they're really talking about a Pet Recovery Service provider — an organization that:

• Distributes microchips to veterinary hospitals, shelters, rescue organizations, and breeders, and
• Maintains a registration database where pet owners can register their pet for a nominal fee, backed by a team of telephone support reps available around the clock to facilitate the prompt return of any found animal in their registry.

A Microchip Should Be Enrolled With the Recovery Service That Distributed It

Microchip identification numbers today are numeric only. In a perfect world, microchip IDs would have stayed alphanumeric, with an abbreviation of the distributor in front of the trailing numbers — for example:

• Peeva would read PVA-991XXXXXXXXXXXX
• AKC Reunite would read AKC-956XXXXXXXXX
• AVID would read AVD-977XXXXXXXXXXXX
• Bayer would read BYR-981XXXXXXXXXXXX

Because the industry moved to numeric-only formats, identifying which registry a chip belongs to means knowing its prefix — which is exactly what the table below is for.

Microchip Number Lookup: Find the Registry by Prefix

Match the first digits of your pet's chip number to a row below to identify the brand, registry, and contact number.

Range Matches Do Not Mean Enrollment

A range match only tells you the likely manufacturer or distributor of a chip, based on its number prefix — not whether the pet is actually registered.

Microchip Numbers That Begin With 981

Microfindr, Datamars, Bayer ResQ, Crystal Tag, and Banfield chips all begin with the prefix 981, which makes them hard to track since several legitimate companies share it. Each one is searched individually and offers 24/7 telephone support.

Why the AAHA Lookup Tool Exists — and Where It Falls Short

The AAHA Lookup Tool gives busy veterinary professionals and shelter workers a way to avoid searching multiple registries one at a time. When a company participates, a chip registered in their database can be found through the tool: searching a number triggers a simultaneous API call to every participating registry and returns the phone number of any registry where a match is found.

Two of the largest microchip companies and registries in the U.S. — AVID (prefix 977) and Banfield (prefix 981) — don't participate in the AAHA Lookup. Peeva selected the prefix 991 and has become the default registry for it.

Lesser-Known Prefixes Add to the Confusion

Beyond 981 and 991, some newer entrants to the microchip market buy chips at a lower cost per unit under prefixes such as 900. Because these newcomers all purchase from the same manufacturer without a unique prefix assigned per company, tracking them individually is effectively impossible.

A Few Exceptions to Watch For

As with any industry, some companies cut corners. A handful of newer entrants to the pet microchip market resell low-cost chips under their own brand without a properly assigned manufacturer-level prefix. That makes it nearly impossible to identify the correct registry without trial and error — which is exactly why a comprehensive, publicly maintained reference like this one matters for veterinary professionals and shelter workers.

Why Register With Peeva?

• Works With Any Brand

  Whether it's Peeva, HomeAgain, AVID, AKC Reunite, or any other brand — if it's a microchip, Peeva reads it. Period.

• Instant Notifications

  Get notified the second your pet is scanned, with a map of the exact location, address, and phone number.

• 24/7/365 Support

  Our support team works around the clock to reunite you with your pet as quickly as possible.

• Medical Records

  One scan gives any vet in our network instant access to your pet's complete medical history.

• Lifetime Protection

  Register once and your pet is covered for life. Update your contact info anytime, free, in seconds.

• SOS Pet Alerts

  Blast alerts with your pet's photo, microchip ID, and contact info to every pet professional within 50 miles.

Frequently Asked Questions