Microchip Miracle Worker
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To register our Fell Pony foals, we are required to microchip them. Microchips are in hollow needles that are inserted in the neck (usually). In order for the microchip to fit in the needle, the needle needs to be larger than your average vaccine needle. It therefore is quite a poke and quite a test of a young pony’s tolerance for new experiences. When I have a colt that is being gelded, I make sure the microchip is inserted while they’re under anesthesia. But there are stud colt prospects and fillies that must endure the implantation of microchips while awake.
I do what I can to prepare my youngsters for the microchipping experience by poking them with a toothpick while rubbing them in favorite places. I have found, though, that some veterinarians are more skilled at inserting a microchip than others, causing less trauma. I have been supremely impressed with how Dr. Stephanie Stevens at Cheyenne River Animal Hospital inserts microchips. Some veterinarians want to shave the area, swab it with alcohol, and then give a local anesthetic. In my experience, these steps just give the foal more to get worked up about. Some vets have told me that the shave-and-swab step doesn’t really improve the cleanliness of the procedure enough to justify the additional time and effort.
Dr. Stephanie’s technique is to first befriend the foal in the horse trailer where it is with its mother. The befriending process eventually includes rubbing the neck where she will be working. I appreciate this step because it’s something my foals are accustomed to from my handling. Then she quickly folds the skin of the neck and inserts the needle. The foals rarely take more than a single step backward before the procedure is complete. I am always on the opposite side of the foal so I can’t claim to know exactly how she does it, but what I do know is that her relationship with the foal doesn’t change from before to after the insertion of the chip. I consider Dr. Stephanie my microchip miracle worker and am so grateful to have her work with my ponies.
© Jenifer Morrissey, 2022
