10/18/2015

Seleniumand/orvitaminEdeficienciesinsheep|DepartmentofAgricultureandFood

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Seleniumand/orvitaminEdeficienciesinsheep
SeleniumandvitaminEareessentialinsheepdiets,andworktogethertopreventandrepaircelldamagein
thebody.DeficienciesofeitherorbothseleniumandvitaminEcancauseweanerillthrift,reducedwool
production,reducedewefertility,reducedimmuneresponse,andwhitemuscledisease.Seleniumdeficiency
ismorecommoninhighrainfallareaswhilevitamnEdeficiencyoccurswhensheepareondryfeedforlong
periods.Bothtraceelementscanbeprovidedasasupplement.

WhyareseleniumandvitaminEimportantinsheepdiets?
SeleniumandvitaminEareessentialinsheepdiets.SeleniumisatraceelementwhichworkswithvitaminE
topreventandrepaircelldamageinthebody.SeleniumandvitaminEbothplayaroleinimmunefunction
andarevitalforgrowth,reproduction,andpreventingwhitemuscledisease.
Seleniumisfoundinthesoilandtakenupbyplants.Sheepconsumeseleniumwiththeplantstheyeat.
VitaminEispredominantlyfoundingreenfeed.BothseleniumandvitaminEarestoredforashortperiodin
thebody,mainlyintheliver,soacontinualdietarysupplyofthesenutrientsensuresthebestpossible
production.

Whatconditionsdoseleniumand/orvitaminEdeficienciescause?
DeficienciesofeitherorbothseleniumandvitaminEcancauseweanerillthrift,reducedwoolproduction,
reducedewefertility,reducedimmuneresponse,andwhitemuscledisease.
InWesternAustralia,themostcommonmanifestationofdeficiencyinoneorbothoftheseessentialnutrients
iswhitemuscledisease.Ifonlyskeletalmusclesareaffected,thismayresultinanillthriftsyndrome,butif
heartmuscleisaffectedtheremaybesuddendeaths.
https://www.agric.wa.gov.au/livestockbiosecurity/seleniumandorvitaminedeficienciessheep

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10/18/2015

Seleniumand/orvitaminEdeficienciesinsheep|DepartmentofAgricultureandFood

Whichsheeparemostatrisk?
InWA,whitemusclediseasemostcommonlyoccurs:
inweanersinthedrymonthsoflatesummerandautumn(vitaminEdeficiency)
inlambsinwinterspring(seleniumdeficiency)whengreenfeedisabundant,especiallyifbornto
seleniumdeficientewes.
Rapidlygrowinglambsandweanersheeparemostatrisk.Theseyounganimalshaveanincreaseddemand
forseleniumandvitaminEforgrowthandhavehadlessopportunitythanadultstoaccumulatebodyreserves
ofthetwo.

Whatcausessheeptobecomedeficient?
Sheeparepredisposedtoseleniumdeficiencywhengrazedon:
pasturesgrownonseleniumdeficientsoils(suchasacidsoilsreceivingmorethan410millimetres
annualrainfall)
lush,rapidlygrowingpasture
legumedominantpasture
paddocksthathavereceivedheavyorlongtermsulphurcontainingorsuperphosphatefertiliser
applications.
VitaminEdeficiencyiswidespreadinweanersheepflocksinWAoverthelongdrysummerautumnperiod
whengreenfeedisscarce.Latelambswhichhavegrazedgreenfeedforlessthanthreemonthsaremost
commonlyaffected.
VitaminEdeficiencyisoftenassociatedwithfeedingweanersforlongperiods(23months)ondryfeed,hay
andgrainwithlittleornoaccesstogreenfeed.VitaminEreservesaredepletedmorerapidlyonahighgrain
diet.

Whatarethesignsofseleniumand/orvitaminEdeficiencies?
Signsofdeficiencyinclude:
poorgrowth
stiffgait
archedback
apparentlameness
reluctancetomove
suddendeaths.

https://www.agric.wa.gov.au/livestockbiosecurity/seleniumandorvitaminedeficienciessheep

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10/18/2015

Seleniumand/orvitaminEdeficienciesinsheep|DepartmentofAgricultureandFood

Howcanaveterinarianhelp?
Earlydiagnosisofdiseaseandtreatmentareessentialtominimiseproductionandstocklosses.A
veterinariancanhelpdiagnoseaseleniumorvitaminEdeficiencybycollectingbloodorpostmortem
samplesforlaboratoryanalysis.

Whatarethetreatments?
Selenium
Foraquickimprovementwhenanimalsshowvisiblesignsofseleniumdeficiency,adrenchorinjection
containingseleniumistheusualtreatment.Forthecorrectdoserateandfrequencyoftreatmentforeach
product,readthelabelandcheckwithyourveterinarian.
Note:Takecarewhengivingmultipleseleniumsupplementstoavoidoverdosingstock.Seleniumcanbefatal
tolambsgivenanoraldoseofonemilligramofseleniumperkilogramliveweightoraninjectionof0.5mg/kg
liveweight,soitisimportanttofollowthedirectionsontheproductlabel.

VitaminE
DrenchdeficientsheepwithavitaminEdrenchat2000mg/sheep.Thislastsaboutsixweeks.Severely
affectedsheepmayrequireanadditionaldose23weeksafterthefirstdose.Iflupinosisisalsoaffectingthe
sheep,thena4000mgvitaminEdrenchismoreeffective.
Wheresheeparetooweaktobringintotheyard,applyavitaminEpowdertosupplementarygraininthe
paddocktoprovide25004000mgofvitaminEpersheep.
Affectedsheepwillimproveiftheyaremovedontoapasturecontaininggreenfeed,suchasasummeractive
perennial.ThevitaminEinthegreenfeedgenerallycorrectsthedeficiencywithinaweek.

HowcanIpreventmysheepfrombecomingdeficient?
Selenium
Onpropertieswheretherehavebeenpreviousissueswithseleniumdeficiency,ownersmayconsider:
usingavaccinecombinedwithselenium(effectivefor68weeks).Givetopregnantewes46weeks
beforelambing
drenchingorinjectinglambswithseleniumatmarking.
givingruminalseleniumpelletsorallyatweaning(effectivefor13yearsdependingontheproduct)
applyingseleniumfertiliser(prillsorchips)topasturepaddocks(effectiveforthreeyears).Ifsufficient
paddockshaveseleniumfertiliserapplied,thiscanreplacetheuseofseleniumpellets
feedingmineralsupplementscontainingseleniumasasupplementaryblockorlick.(Notethatindividual
intakeofthesesupplementscanbeveryvariablewithinaflock.)

VitaminE
TopreventvitaminEdeficiency,giveoraldrenches68weeksafterpasturesenescence,andthenevery
https://www.agric.wa.gov.au/livestockbiosecurity/seleniumandorvitaminedeficienciessheep

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10/18/2015

Seleniumand/orvitaminEdeficienciesinsheep|DepartmentofAgricultureandFood

eightweeksuntilgreenfeedbecomesavailable.ProvidinggraintreatedwithvitaminEisanalternativeto
drenchingindividualsheep.Insummerandautumn,provideaccesstogreenfoddersuchasperennial
pasturesandshrubs.

DiseasesthatlooklikeseleniumorvitaminEdeficiency
Syndrome

Signsofdisease

Comments

Weanerillthrift

Poorgrowthand
woolproduction.
Lowbodycondition

Therearemanyreasonsforillthriftwiththemostcommonbeinga
proteinorenergydeficiency.

Lameness

Nonweightbearing
onlimbs

Arthriticjointsareusuallyswollen,unlikeinwhitemuscledisease.
Arthritismayoccuronthesameorbothsides.Inwhitemuscle
diseaselamenessusuallyaffectsbothsides.
Suddendeathwhendrivingstockmayoccurwithanumberof
diseasesincluding:
calciumdeficiencycausedbyiceplantpoisoning

Weaknessand
suddendeath
whendriven

poisoningbyfluoroacetatesfromgastrolobiumplants

Weakness,un
coordinated
walking,paralysis

anaemiaassociatedwithhaemonchosis,eperythrozoonosisor
cobaltdeficiency
annualryegrasstoxicity.

Reportunusualdiseasesigns
Ifyouseeunusualdiseasesignsinyourstock,callyourveterinarianorthelocalDAFWAveterinaryofficer
ortheEmergencyAnimalDiseasehotlineon1800675888.
Topics
Biosecurity&quarantine
Livestockmanagement
Diseases

Biosecurity

Livestockbiosecurity

Feeding&nutrition

Livestock&animals

Livestockspecies

Sheep

Pests,weeds&diseases

Livestockhealth&diseases

Author
AnnaErickson

https://www.agric.wa.gov.au/livestockbiosecurity/seleniumandorvitaminedeficienciessheep

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