If your pet has gone missing, marking them as lost in the app turns their QR tag into an active search tool: the finder page changes, scan alerts switch on, and you get a link you can share with anyone. Here's how to do it.
Before you start
Your pet needs an active QR tag — either a tag you've activated in the app, or an Ask A Vet GPS tracker paired to that pet. If there isn't one, the app shows "Your pet doesn't have a QR Tag yet — If your pet ever gets lost, a QR Tag helps anyone instantly contact you and bring them home faster.", with a Buy Now button.
Report your pet as lost
- Open your pet's profile and tap Lost Mode.
- Fill in the report. These are the same details a finder can see on the tag page when the matching toggles are on: your pet's behaviour, language, microchip number, where they were last located, vital information (allergies, medical alerts, medications, food), your vet clinic, and any additional information.
- Tap Report Now.
- You'll land on a preview of exactly what a finder sees. Reviewing it here does not count as a scan and sends no alerts.
- Tap Share to send the link with the message "Help me find {Pet name}! {link}", or Continue without sharing.
Tip: Share that link anywhere it helps — neighbourhood groups, local shelters, lost-pet pages, a printed poster. Anyone who opens it sees the same information a finder gets when they scan the tag. The shared link is a view-only version, so opening it doesn't record a scan or send you an alert — only scanning the physical tag does that.
What changes once your pet is lost
- The finder page swaps the green Hi there! badge for a red I'm lost badge.
- Every scan of the tag now sends you an alert, with the location the finder shared. Outside Lost Mode, scans are only recorded silently in the timeline.
Turn on Last located
Switch on the Last located toggle for the tag so finders can see where your pet was last seen. It shows whichever is newer: the last-located address you entered in the report, or the address of the most recent scan of that tag. If no location is known, the row is simply hidden.
When your pet is home
- Open your pet's profile and tap Lost Mode again.
- The app asks "Have you found {Pet name}?" — tap Yes, I found my pet.
The red I'm lost badge disappears from the finder page and scan alerts stop — the tag keeps working as a normal ID tag.
Please note: There is no chat between you and the person who found your pet. They can call you, email you, or open your address in maps from the page — so make sure at least one of Your phone or Your email is switched on.
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