Sporadic tying-up can occur in horses … “Although unusual, selenium deficiency should be considered a rule-out with adult horses showing signs of ventral edema, weakness, and abrupt death,” he added. A classic sign of selenium deficiency is white muscle disease in foals and young stock. This is why selenium deficient horses are more prone to ‘tying up’ Red or brownish urine is indicative of the muscle damage.
Unlike most minerals that have a broad safety range, selenium has a very low threshold of safety for horses--only a few parts per million beyond or below the recommended levels can be problematic.
Selenium in horses. However, as more research has been done, it has been determined that a daily selenium supplementation is much more effective and healthy for your horse, rather than a shot. Detection of selenium deficiency can be done with a simple blood test that can be run inexpensively at many veterinary diagnostic laboratories. Selenium shots were once common practice for horses in selenium-deficient areas.
Unfortunately, the cases that made the headlines were not the only ones reported. Detection of selenium deficiency can be done with a simple blood test that can be run inexpensively at many veterinary diagnostic laboratories. While selenium deficiency is not related to the time of year or the horse’s sex, it is especially a problem in growing horses. Mares with a selenium deficiency may have a hard time conceiving or … On the other hand, a deficiency in selenium can be very detrimental to a horse. (Also see Nutritional Myopathies in Horses.) Alkali disease of horses and cattle was shown to be caused by selenium.
Here is an article talking about Vit E and Selenium Safe Vitamin E And Selenium Intakes Horses can overdose on Selenium and it is NOT pretty (sloughing off hooves).
It is important to understand where selenium comes from, what it does and when it is appropriate to add to your horse… Selenium deficiency results in reduced serum selenium, increased AST activity, white muscle disease, and perhaps rhabdomyolysis in working horses. “Do not walk a horse that is tied up,” stresses Dr. Scoggins.
Selenium toxicosis in horses occurs when a horse’s diet has been over-supplemented with vitamins and minerals. The normal blood value of selenium in a horse is 0.17 – 0.25 ppm.
Before adding any supplement to your horse’s diet, be sure to consult your veterinarian. Many questions have yet to be answered and all sorts of information has been passed around — some accurate and some less so. If your horse isn’t getting enough selenium, he may suffer with problems such as tying up. Selenium excesses of as little as 5 ppm in the ration cause loss of mane and tail hairs and sloughing of the distal portion of the hoof. A veterinarian once told my dad that it was “the way” to administer selenium to horses. The mare transfers selenium to the foetus during pregnancy and passes more to the foal through her milk.
Since forage is the main natural source of selenium for horses, many horses become selenium deficient over time if they are not supplemented appropriately. Deficiency and Toxicity.
The signs associated with Selenium deficiency include poor coat and hoof quality, sore, achy muscles, poor performance and poor fertility.
However, just as Selenium deficiency is a problem, so is Selenium toxicity. Hypothyroidism may also be a subtle sign of selenium deficiency, although the connection has not been proven in horses. This is a degenerative condition of the muscles. You will know if it's the Selenium Yeast because it is a more expensive supplement! Electrolyte imbalances (particularly low sodium) and deficiencies of vitamin E and/or selenium might play a role in some cases. Selenium levels in soil are low in many parts of New Zealand, especially in the Manawatu region, which means that Selenium levels are low in grass, hay and haylage. You can protect your horse from the effects of selenium deficiency with proper diet supplementation. Horses with a deficiency in selenium will often tie-up.
Infections and wounds may take longer to heal and muscular cramping and …
Foals with white muscle disease are born to mares with a selenium deficiency. Selenium was first identified as a toxin in the 1930s. In 1993 veterinary and laboratory surveys done throughout the United States by a group of researches found that there were cases of selenium toxicity in only 7 states, while there were reported problems of deficiency in 46 states, with deficiency being an “important livestock problem” in 37 states.
It is particularly important for broodmares to have sufficient selenium in their diet from conception. Roughly 30% of horses are low in Selenium. Christine Smy replies: Selenium is a trace element and horses only require milligrams in their diet.It is essential in animal and plant metabolism but there are selenium deficient areas in …
Lately, the death of horses due to selenium deficiency has received quite a bit of press on social media as well as on television. Signs in the horse included hair loss from mane and tail, sloughing of hooves, joint erosion, and lameness. It can affect the heart, lungs, and any other large muscle groups in the back or leg area.
While selenium deficiency is not related to the time of year or the horse’s sex, it is especially a problem in growing horses. Deficiency effects on the muscle can cause cardiomyopathy, myositis (muscle inflammation), and white muscle disease (weak, pale muscles).