I have a few horses that get a variety of supplements and I like to premeasure and put them into containers so that the barn manager doesn’t have to weight them out each time (and they are supplements not available through SmartPak). Is there a rule of thumb of some guidance regarding which kinds of supplements should or should not be combined and stored together for a period of a week or so? CP
Dear CP,
Unfortunately, I have not been able to find any sort of guidelines for which supplements or ingredients should not be mixed together for a length of time before feeding. After speaking with several research scientists and nutritionists however, I did learn that it’s a complicated issue and it’s probably best NOT to mix supplements.
For example, products containing unstabilized fats should not be combined with products containing antioxidants like Vitamin E, Vitamin C or Vitamin A because the fats rapidly degrade the antioxidants, essentially using them as preservatives. Then they are not present in the amounts listed on the label anymore and the horse doesn’t get them as vitamins or antioxidants or whatever their intended use. Some inorganic minerals can have similar chemical reactions with certain other ingredients and reduce them to meaningless levels.
What I learned from this brief foray into the biochemistry of nutrition is that the specific ingredient and the chemical form it’s in have a lot to do with whether it will react with other nutrients. Therefore, it’s probably best to trust manufacturers to know which ingredients can be combined with which other ingredients in their own product, and that combining two or more different products, even from the same manufacturer, is probably not a good thing.
Lydia F. Gray, DVM MA, currently serves as the Medical Director/Staff Veterinarian for SmartPak Equine. Prior to joining SmartPak, Dr. Gray served as the first-ever Director of Owner Education for the American Association of Equine Practitioners. She has authored numerous articles in publications such as The Horse, Horse Illustrated, Western Horseman and a variety of veterinary journals and magazines. Dr. Gray is also a frequent speaker at horse expos, veterinary conventions and other locations. After graduating with honors from the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine and receiving her Master's Degree in Interpersonal and Organizational Communication, she practiced at the Tremont Veterinary Clinic for several years. Dr Gray is active in the American Veterinary Medical Association and Illinois State Veterinary Medical Association and enjoys training and showing her trakehner Newman in her spare time. Find Dr. Gray on Google+: Find Dr. Gray on Google+
