What to update in your pet’s profile before moving or traveling

Quick answer: Two weeks before a move or trip, update six things: your phone number, your account address (used for billing and shipping, never shown on the public scan page), the city and state toggles on the profile, your two emergency contacts, a current photo, and the vet phone you want a finder to call. Then log into the microchip registry separately and update there too.

There is no scary statistic here, just a quiet pattern. A pet in unfamiliar surroundings is more likely to slip out a door, jump a fence, or bolt at a strange sound. Most lost pets are found within hours by neighbors — if the contact information they see is correct. Updating the small things before the move or trip removes one ordinary reason recoveries fail.

Two weeks before: the foundation

These items take a few minutes each and form the core of any reliable profile:

• Phone number. The number you actually answer. If you are switching carriers around the move, use the number that will be live during the trip itself.
• Account address. Your home street address is never shown on the public scan page — that is a product invariant, not a toggle. Update it in your account for billing and shipping when you move so anything that mails to you reaches the new place.
• City and state. These each have their own toggle and can appear on the public page — useful for shelters and finders trying to confirm they have the right pet without needing your street.
• Emergency contacts. Two people who can pick up the pet if you cannot. Make sure both know they are listed and that their numbers are current.
• Current photo. Less than 12 months old, taken in daylight, showing the pet clearly. If the photo on the profile shows a puppy version of a now-grown dog, replace it.
• Vet phone. The vet you want a finder to be able to call. If you are moving and changing vets, decide which vet should be listed during the transition.

The microchip registry — the most-missed step

A microchip is only useful if the registry record points to the right phone number. The microchip itself is the hardware; the registry record is what actually gets a shelter to call you. Owners regularly update their tag profile and forget the registry, which means a shelter scans a chip and dials a number that has not been in service for two years. For the full picture, see microchip registration vs. the chip itself. Take five minutes to log into the registry and update phone, email, and address there too.

For travel specifically: add the trip-only items

If you are going somewhere temporarily, a few extras help:

• A temporary contact. If a relative or pet sitter is the daytime contact during the trip, add their number alongside yours.
• A trip note. A short line like “visiting Portland through May 28” in the public notes can help a finder confirm they have the right pet.
• A vet at the destination. If you know the closest 24-hour vet at your destination, having that number written down before you arrive saves panic later.
• Rabies certificate. A digital copy in your profile plus a paper original in your travel folder. Airlines and crossings request the paper.

For a longer travel checklist, see traveling with pets: the records and ID checklist most owners forget.

For a move specifically: the address chain

A move has its own list because address shows up in multiple places. Update each one:

• Microchip registry — phone and address.
• Digital pet profile — account address (private, used for billing and shipping) and the city / state toggles that appear on the public scan page.
• Vet records — new clinic if you are switching.
• Pet insurance — mailing address and account contact.
• Local licensing — many cities require updating dog licenses with the new address.
• Emergency contacts — if any of them are people in the old city, decide whether they stay on the list or are replaced.

For the broader picture on the move itself, see moving with pets: how to update your pet’s ID, microchip, and records.

A five-minute sanity check the morning of

Even if you did the careful version two weeks ago, take five minutes the morning of the move or trip to confirm:

• Open the public profile yourself. Does the phone number ring your phone?
• Is the photo a current one?
• Are both emergency contacts still reachable?
• Is the trip or move date reflected in any temporary note?
• Is the tag physically still on the collar?

Where Driyu fits, honestly

A Driyu profile keeps your photo, contacts, and care notes in one editable place — one app open, six fields checked, done. It does not replace the microchip registry, which is a separate account most owners forget to update. Make a habit of doing both in the same sitting: open the registry website in one tab, open your Driyu profile in another, and update them together. Two windows, ten minutes, one calm trip.