Is Your Pet's Microchip Number 992023052500280? Get Them Rescanned
Why so many pets seem to share one microchip number, and what to do if one of them is yours
992023052500280 is not a pet's microchip. It is a test number that ships in some scanners' history, and many owners have registered it by mistake.
If your pet's microchip number is 992023052500280, it almost certainly isn't. That number belongs to a test chip used by a popular microchip scanner manufacturer. It has ended up on the records of pets all over the country.
How one number ends up on many pets
Some handheld microchip scanners ship from the factory with 992023052500280 already saved in their scan history, left over from testing.
When someone scans a pet and the scanner doesn't get a fresh read, the screen can still show the last number in its history. To the person holding the scanner, that looks like a successful scan. They write the number down as the pet's microchip ID, and the pet's owner goes on to register it.
Because the same scanners are in use in many places, this has happened to many unrelated pets, in many different states.
What we see at mChip.org
992023052500280 is the only microchip number in our system that has had many separate registration attempts from different pet owners. Real microchip numbers are unique, so one number being claimed again and again for different pets is a clear sign that it isn't a real implant.
Registering it doesn't protect anyone's pet. If a lost pet is scanned at a shelter or vet, the scanner reads the chip actually implanted in that pet. That number won't match a record filed under 992023052500280, so the owner can't be found through it.
For that reason, mChip.org no longer accepts registrations for 992023052500280.
If you think this is your pet's number
Have your pet rescanned. Any veterinarian or animal shelter can do this, usually for free, in a minute or two.
When you go:
- Ask them to check that the scanner shows a new read, not an entry from its history. If you're scanning yourself, clear the history first or check the time of the scan.
- Make sure the scan covers the whole back, between the shoulder blades, and down the sides. Chips can move away from where they were implanted.
- Write the number down straight from the scanner screen, and check it digit by digit. Better yet, take a photo with your phone so you have an exact copy of what the scanner showed.
Once you have the real number, register it so your pet can be identified and returned to you if they're ever lost.
If the rescan finds no chip at all, your pet may never have been microchipped. Your veterinarian can implant one.