Supplement for Pregnant Mare

I would like to know if Mare Plus is dangerous to feed to a mare newly pregnant. It expired in July 08, is in SmartPaks, and has been kept cool and dark. I would expect it to be not as potent but is it okay for the first trimester? Debbie

Dear Debbie,

There are really two questions here: 1) should Mare Plus be fed to a pregnant mare and 2) should a supplement that expired two years ago still be fed?

Question One: Since Mare Plus is advertised as a “vitamin-mineral supplement to bring the mare’s system into a properly balanced condition, optimal for conception, parturition and lactation,” it appears it is specifically formulated for pregnant and nursing mares and so should be fine.

Question Two: This one is a bit trickier. Although SmartPaks have been shown to protect the freshness and potency of supplements, we typically do not recommend feeding SmartPaks which are more than six months old. Since even in the most optimal conditions vitamins degrade over time—and reactions between ingredients can occur–my advice is to toss these and start over. Your goal is to provide your mare and her baby with optimum nutrition and I’m not so sure a supplement that expired two years ago is going to help you do that. My suggestion is to give your new foal a leg up on life by feeding his mom a freshly made and packaged multi-vitamin!