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  Discussion on Vitamin supplement for mom
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Posted on Sunday, Sep 2, 2001 - 11:59 am:

The vet prescribed a vitamin supplement for my pregnant mare called Equishine. Instead, decided to go to Farm and Fleet to get a mare supplement called Mare Care. Is there a big difference between supplements? Also, the Mare Care says to feed one ounce twice a day with grain ration. I only feed the grain once a day so can I feed the vitamin two ounces once a day?

Posted on Monday, Sep 3, 2001 - 5:13 pm:

Yes supplements differ greatly in their contents though those designed to do the same job are sometimes similar. We cannot compare these two without knowing what is in them and how much is in there.
DrO

Posted on Wednesday, Sep 5, 2001 - 11:38 pm:

I understand that every product is different, but I guess I am trying to figure out why a vitamin supplement would need to be fed twice a day.

Posted on Thursday, Sep 6, 2001 - 1:02 am:

I feel that with split administration the horses body gets a steadier flow of nutrient intake rather than one belt once a day. In saying this i have to admit that when i last had mares in foal i supplimented only once a day until the last few weeks of pregnancy then i fed the same amount of food but split into two feeds to give a little extra even thought they were very healthy and probably would have been fine without it.
If you decide to feed it twice a day and one feed is hay try mixing it in a little molassas and trickle on the hay, they love it! like choc topping on icecream!!

Posted on Thursday, Sep 6, 2001 - 1:08 am:

Also, remember if you start to feed suppliments to remove any mineral blocks they have access to as this can result in an excess of some minerals that can have an adverse effect.

Posted on Thursday, Sep 6, 2001 - 6:36 am:

While administration of the fat soluable vitamins would not matter as they are stored and released slowly, the water soluble vitamins may have a benefit for the reasons Julie gives above. The question is, "is this significant?" Probably not in a healthy animal and once daily treatment with the total daily dose will not produce a measurable difference in efficacy. This is not true with certain diseases due to vitamin deficiency that may require 2 to 3 times daily administration.
DrO

Posted on Thursday, Sep 6, 2001 - 9:13 pm:

Thank you, that was my hunch, but I wanted to be sure!
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