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Contracted Tendons and Selenium
Contracted Tendons and Selenium
Selenium deficiency creating white muscle disease and leg weakness is not as common as contracted tendons, which are often blamed on Se deficiency. The trouble with this is that too much selenium can result in fatal toxicosis, so when you have a kid born with legs folded over, you risk serious side effects by treating every case with selenium. Let’s look at info regarding this topic in the replies.
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A common misconception about kids born with weak legs or contracted tendons is that they are selenium deficient. I guarantee if you see a post on any goat group about this issue, you’ll get a parade of voices saying, “That baby needs Bo-Se right now!” They’re wrong.
This video shows the progression of a classic example from day 1-day 4. The kid recovered just fine with no selenium supplementation.
I would add more to his statement that you don’t need selenium if you don’t live in a Se deficient county. We live in a Se deficient area according to some sources, yet we consistently test high in selenium in our herd. You–or your vet–can do a simple blood test to check selenium levels. Only if I had a blood test showing deficiency would I give selenium, because toxicity can be fatal and has the same symptoms as deficiency.
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