Changing of a Supplement

Question
Hello,
I am going to be changing my horse to a new joint supplement. To make sure the change goes smoothly, should I gradually decrease the amount of the old supplement until there is hardly any left, and then change over and build up the new supplement, or is there another way to go about this process.?
Thank you for your time!!!

Answer
Hello Kendra,

Thank you for your question.  There are instances where its important to gradually wean your horse onto a new supplement but there are also times when you can make an immediate switch.  It really depends on the nature of the supplement in terms of what's in it and how much you are/will be feeding.  

The new supplement will have some feeding instructions on it.  If the label suggests gradually increasing how much you feed then I would suggest you follow those recommendations.  Generally, joint supplements are fed is small quantities of either liquid, powder or pelleted formats.  If you're switching to a supplement whose label doesn't suggest gradually increasing the amount fed and ultimately you'll only be feeding a cup of liquid, 100g pellets or 60cc of powdered supplement, it is likely safe to switch immediately to the full amount.  Mind you, if you're changing active ingredients it may take some time to see marked differences in joint function, but gradually increasing the feeding rate will not have influenced the change.  I hope this is of some help.  If you follow up with the name of your old and new supplements, I could make some more concrete suggestions.

Thanks, Corlena