Microchips

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From: Barney Fleming D.V.M. 
Email: endurancevet@writeme.com

As a avid supporter of microchipping as the best means of positive identification for your horse or anything for that matter, let me say go for it.  As of Jan 1996 the USDA approved the use in horses and in doing so made it a requirement to scan all horses prior to slaughter in USDA slaughter houses.  All of these houses have been supplied with scanners and if not scanned and identified then the carcuss will be condemed costing the house $.  As for brands I believe they are a great deterent to theft but microchipping is the only unalterable form of positive identification.  Horses with brands are slaughtered with no questions asked.  If you do not have your horse Microchipped then do so soon.  For a very small fee (less than branding) you can have a means of positively identifying your horse!! All brands, papers and photos are duplicatiable and alterable therefore not positive ID.   Barney