What are the signs of selenium deficiency in horses?
Roughly 30% of horses are low in Selenium. 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.
How do you know if your horse needs selenium?
SYMPTOMS OF SELENIUM DEFICIENCY
- Stiff gait.
- Sore, painful muscles.
- Poor performance.
- Muscle spasms and/or trembling.
- Tying up (nutritional myopathy/rhabdomyolysis)
What does selenium do for a horse?
Selenium has important functions in your horse’s body. It is an anti-oxidant that in conjunction with vitamin E, prevents free radicals from damaging otherwise healthy cells. Selenium is also important for maintaining adequate levels of circulating thyroid hormone.
How is selenium deficiency treated?
Correcting low selenium requires increased dietary intake, selenium supplementation, or a combination of the two. Selenium supplements, generally made from sodium selenite or l-selenomethionine may be used by healthcare professionals if the deficiency is severe.
Does alfalfa have selenium?
OSU finds that adding selenium to fields planted with alfalfa will allow the perennial forage crop to “take up” the important mineral in its tissues, providing better feed for calves and other livestock. It actually has selenium in that molecule instead of sulfur.
Does hay have selenium?
For example: 1.6 ppm selenium x 9 kg hay = 14.4 mg of selenium per day provided from the hay. The maximum tolerable levels for selenium is 2 mg/kg of diet, or about 20 mg for an 1,100-lb (500-kg) horse consuming 2% of its body weight in feed.
What does selenium deficiency cause in horses?
Deficiency in selenium can cause a variety of symptoms in horses, including myopathy (muscle disease), impaired movement, difficulty in suckling and swallowing, respiratory distress and impaired heart function.
Does grass have selenium?
Selenium levels in grass are often too low Previous studies have revealed approximately 90% of samples were either very low or low in their selenium status. Following uptake it is incorporated into amino acids and proteins, in these forms, the selenium is available to the livestock.
What causes a selenium deficiency?
Causes. It can occur in patients with severely compromised intestinal function, those undergoing total parenteral nutrition, those who have had gastrointestinal bypass surgery, and also in persons of advanced age (i.e., over 90). People dependent on food grown from selenium-deficient soil may be at risk for deficiency.
What is the best source of selenium?
Brazil nuts, seafoods, and organ meats are the richest food sources of selenium [1]. Other sources include muscle meats, cereals and other grains, and dairy products. The amount of selenium in drinking water is not nutritionally significant in most geographic regions [2,6].
What are selenium defficiency symptoms in horses?
Symptoms of Selenium Toxicosis in Horses Anemic Lack of vitality Emaciated Blindness Lameness due to founder Anorexic Rough hair or coat Respiratory failure Long hairs of the mane and tail break off Abnormal growth and structure of the hooves
Why do horses need selenium?
The Importance Selenium. Selenium has several roles in horse health, but the most well-known is as a key element in antioxidant defense, which makes it important in every cell in the body as well as in immune defense. The body produces radical oxygen metabolites (ROM) as a normal consequence of oxygen metabolism.
Is selenium good for horses?
Selenium helps to improve the health of your horse in a number of ways. Not only does it boost your horse’s ability to produce antibodies, which will increase their immune system, but it also helps your horse’s reproduction and growth.
