10/18/2015 Seleniumand/orvitaminEdeficienciesinsheep|DepartmentofAgricultureandFood

https://www.agric.wa.gov.au/livestockbiosecurity/seleniumandorvitaminedeficienciessheep 1/4

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Seleniumand/orvitaminEdeficienciesinsheepSeleniumandvitaminEareessentialinsheepdiets,andworktogethertopreventandrepaircelldamageinthebody.DeficienciesofeitherorbothseleniumandvitaminEcancauseweanerillthrift,reducedwoolproduction,reducedewefertility,reducedimmuneresponse,andwhitemuscledisease.SeleniumdeficiencyismorecommoninhighrainfallareaswhilevitamnEdeficiencyoccurswhensheepareondryfeedforlongperiods.Bothtraceelementscanbeprovidedasasupplement.

WhyareseleniumandvitaminEimportantinsheepdiets?SeleniumandvitaminEareessentialinsheepdiets.SeleniumisatraceelementwhichworkswithvitaminEtopreventandrepaircelldamageinthebody.SeleniumandvitaminEbothplayaroleinimmunefunctionandarevitalforgrowth,reproduction,andpreventingwhitemuscledisease.

Seleniumisfoundinthesoilandtakenupbyplants.Sheepconsumeseleniumwiththeplantstheyeat.VitaminEispredominantlyfoundingreenfeed.BothseleniumandvitaminEarestoredforashortperiodinthebody,mainlyintheliver,soacontinualdietarysupplyofthesenutrientsensuresthebestpossibleproduction.

Whatconditionsdoseleniumand/orvitaminEdeficienciescause?DeficienciesofeitherorbothseleniumandvitaminEcancauseweanerillthrift,reducedwoolproduction,reducedewefertility,reducedimmuneresponse,andwhitemuscledisease.

InWesternAustralia,themostcommonmanifestationofdeficiencyinoneorbothoftheseessentialnutrientsiswhitemuscledisease.Ifonlyskeletalmusclesareaffected,thismayresultinanillthriftsyndrome,butifheartmuscleisaffectedtheremaybesuddendeaths.

10/18/2015 Seleniumand/orvitaminEdeficienciesinsheep|DepartmentofAgricultureandFood

https://www.agric.wa.gov.au/livestockbiosecurity/seleniumandorvitaminedeficienciessheep 2/4

Whichsheeparemostatrisk?InWA,whitemusclediseasemostcommonlyoccurs:

inweanersinthedrymonthsoflatesummerandautumn(vitaminEdeficiency)

inlambsinwinterspring(seleniumdeficiency)whengreenfeedisabundant,especiallyifborntoseleniumdeficientewes.

Rapidlygrowinglambsandweanersheeparemostatrisk.TheseyounganimalshaveanincreaseddemandforseleniumandvitaminEforgrowthandhavehadlessopportunitythanadultstoaccumulatebodyreservesofthetwo.

Whatcausessheeptobecomedeficient?Sheeparepredisposedtoseleniumdeficiencywhengrazedon:

pasturesgrownonseleniumdeficientsoils(suchasacidsoilsreceivingmorethan410millimetresannualrainfall)

lush,rapidlygrowingpasture

legumedominantpasture

paddocksthathavereceivedheavyorlongtermsulphurcontainingorsuperphosphatefertiliserapplications.

VitaminEdeficiencyiswidespreadinweanersheepflocksinWAoverthelongdrysummerautumnperiodwhengreenfeedisscarce.Latelambswhichhavegrazedgreenfeedforlessthanthreemonthsaremostcommonlyaffected.

VitaminEdeficiencyisoftenassociatedwithfeedingweanersforlongperiods(23months)ondryfeed,hayandgrainwithlittleornoaccesstogreenfeed.VitaminEreservesaredepletedmorerapidlyonahighgraindiet.

Whatarethesignsofseleniumand/orvitaminEdeficiencies?Signsofdeficiencyinclude:

poorgrowth

stiffgait

archedback

apparentlameness

reluctancetomove

suddendeaths.

10/18/2015 Seleniumand/orvitaminEdeficienciesinsheep|DepartmentofAgricultureandFood

https://www.agric.wa.gov.au/livestockbiosecurity/seleniumandorvitaminedeficienciessheep 3/4

Howcanaveterinarianhelp?Earlydiagnosisofdiseaseandtreatmentareessentialtominimiseproductionandstocklosses.AveterinariancanhelpdiagnoseaseleniumorvitaminEdeficiencybycollectingbloodorpostmortemsamplesforlaboratoryanalysis.

Whatarethetreatments?SeleniumForaquickimprovementwhenanimalsshowvisiblesignsofseleniumdeficiency,adrenchorinjectioncontainingseleniumistheusualtreatment.Forthecorrectdoserateandfrequencyoftreatmentforeachproduct,readthelabelandcheckwithyourveterinarian.

Note:Takecarewhengivingmultipleseleniumsupplementstoavoidoverdosingstock.Seleniumcanbefataltolambsgivenanoraldoseofonemilligramofseleniumperkilogramliveweightoraninjectionof0.5mg/kgliveweight,soitisimportanttofollowthedirectionsontheproductlabel.

VitaminEDrenchdeficientsheepwithavitaminEdrenchat2000mg/sheep.Thislastsaboutsixweeks.Severelyaffectedsheepmayrequireanadditionaldose23weeksafterthefirstdose.Iflupinosisisalsoaffectingthesheep,thena4000mgvitaminEdrenchismoreeffective.

Wheresheeparetooweaktobringintotheyard,applyavitaminEpowdertosupplementarygraininthepaddocktoprovide25004000mgofvitaminEpersheep.

Affectedsheepwillimproveiftheyaremovedontoapasturecontaininggreenfeed,suchasasummeractiveperennial.ThevitaminEinthegreenfeedgenerallycorrectsthedeficiencywithinaweek.

HowcanIpreventmysheepfrombecomingdeficient?SeleniumOnpropertieswheretherehavebeenpreviousissueswithseleniumdeficiency,ownersmayconsider:

usingavaccinecombinedwithselenium(effectivefor68weeks).Givetopregnantewes46weeksbeforelambing

drenchingorinjectinglambswithseleniumatmarking.

givingruminalseleniumpelletsorallyatweaning(effectivefor13yearsdependingontheproduct)

applyingseleniumfertiliser(prillsorchips)topasturepaddocks(effectiveforthreeyears).Ifsufficientpaddockshaveseleniumfertiliserapplied,thiscanreplacetheuseofseleniumpellets

feedingmineralsupplementscontainingseleniumasasupplementaryblockorlick.(Notethatindividualintakeofthesesupplementscanbeveryvariablewithinaflock.)

VitaminETopreventvitaminEdeficiency,giveoraldrenches68weeksafterpasturesenescence,andthenevery

10/18/2015 Seleniumand/orvitaminEdeficienciesinsheep|DepartmentofAgricultureandFood

https://www.agric.wa.gov.au/livestockbiosecurity/seleniumandorvitaminedeficienciessheep 4/4

Topics

Biosecurity&quarantine Biosecurity Livestockbiosecurity Livestock&animals

Livestockmanagement Feeding&nutrition Livestockspecies Sheep Pests,weeds&diseases

Diseases Livestockhealth&diseases

eightweeksuntilgreenfeedbecomesavailable.ProvidinggraintreatedwithvitaminEisanalternativetodrenchingindividualsheep.Insummerandautumn,provideaccesstogreenfoddersuchasperennialpasturesandshrubs.

DiseasesthatlooklikeseleniumorvitaminEdeficiency

Syndrome Signsofdisease Comments

WeanerillthriftPoorgrowthandwoolproduction.Lowbodycondition

Therearemanyreasonsforillthriftwiththemostcommonbeingaproteinorenergydeficiency.

Lameness Nonweightbearingonlimbs

Arthriticjointsareusuallyswollen,unlikeinwhitemuscledisease.Arthritismayoccuronthesameorbothsides.Inwhitemusclediseaselamenessusuallyaffectsbothsides.

Weaknessandsuddendeathwhendriven

Weakness,uncoordinatedwalking,paralysis

Suddendeathwhendrivingstockmayoccurwithanumberofdiseasesincluding:

calciumdeficiencycausedbyiceplantpoisoning

poisoningbyfluoroacetatesfromgastrolobiumplants

anaemiaassociatedwithhaemonchosis,eperythrozoonosisorcobaltdeficiency

annualryegrasstoxicity.

ReportunusualdiseasesignsIfyouseeunusualdiseasesignsinyourstock,callyourveterinarianorthelocalDAFWAveterinaryofficerortheEmergencyAnimalDiseasehotlineon1800675888.

Author

AnnaErickson