28-6-2005 Miss K. from S., owner of the horse Lady Santana, asked us to give her horse a medical check-up because she was shaking her head excessively, tilting her head, and lowering her head so much that her nose was practically rubbing the ground. In short: she did not know where to put her head. Miss K. already had her horse examined at several clinics that specialize in horses, but no vet could find the cause of this behavior.

After medical examination it became clear that the horse could practically not bend her neck to the left. Further examination showed that she had a very painful spot and nerve damage at the exact place where the chip had been injected. The owner told us that the problems had indeed started after the horse had been chipped. During the microchip procedure the horse reared with the chipping needle still in her neck. All together we came to the conclusion that the chipping procedure resulted in nerve damage (again we state that the spot where the chip has been injected is the exact spot where the defect shows). The horse is now in treatment at our clinic and it seems like there is a bit of improvement in her situation. This is not the first time that we've seen a horse with problems as a result of chipping.

All vets in our clinic share the opinion that chipping horses is anything but safe. There is too little evidence that chipping horses is safe, short-term or long-term. We argue in favor of thorough research to determine what consequences exist before chipping is applied extensively.

If you would like more information, please feel free to contact us at 0031-30-2961462.

Yours sincerely,

Drs. E.G.A. Laarakker
Drs. C. Willekens
Drs. M. Kelfkens
Drs. F. Kokke

Bisschopsweg 2
3732 HW De Bilt
Nederland
T: 030-296-1462
F: 030-243-0616
www.holistischdierenarts.nl