Microchipping, Certification, Vaccination, Castration
Microchipping
Microchipping involves having a chip with a unique number injected into the horses' neck. When a microchip scanner is passed over the area where the chip is implanted, it detects the chip and reads it's unique number. This is used as a form of permanent identification.
When implanting the chip, our veterinarians clean the area and use a small amount of local anaesthetic to decrease the discomfort associated with this procedure.
Please note that all horses registered with the Equestrian Federation of Australia after 1 July 2008 must be microchipped and all horses competing in official competition after 1 July 2011 will have to be microchipped.
All of our clinicians are approved Australian Stud Book Veterinarians and microchipping of individual or groups of horses can be arranged upon request.
For more information on the micro-chipping of horses in Victoria, please read our micro-chipping handout.
Certification
- Insurance certificates
- 45 day pregnancy certificates
- Scratching certificates
- Return to racing certificates
Vaccination
As a minimum, our recommendation is that all horses are vaccinated again tetanus and strangles.
Our standard protocol involves administration of a combined tetanus strangles vaccine, followed two weeks later by a strangles only vaccine, followed another two weeks later by a combined tetanus strangles vaccine. We then recommend a booster tetanus strangles vaccination every twelve months.
We recommend that foals begin the standard vaccination protocol between three and five months of age.
Castration
All castration operations undertaken by our veterinarians are done under general anaesthetic. Routine castration appointments are available Monday to Thursday and a suitable date and time can be arranged by contacting our office. Please download and complete the castration consent form from our website. Please return the form to our office by fax or give it to your veterinarian at the time of their visit. Please note that castrations will not be undertaken by our veterinarians without a completed and signed castration consent form.
