What are the symptoms of selenium deficiency in horses?

Septic peritonitis, a serious medical condition that can lead to death in some horses.

Hoarding or refusal to feed in response to the owner's presence or the horse being frightened by something or someone unfamiliar. Lethargy, depression, and loss of appetite, particularly for hay. Horses eat twice as much hay as weight when their owners are present.

Lack of activity. Red or scurfy skin. Excessive thirst. Cushing's disease. What can selenium deficiency do to a horse's body? Depression, fatigue, weakness, weight loss. Unusual behavior or personality changes (eg, change in vocal characteristics). Thinning hair coat and poor skin condition. Increased risk for laminitis. Why does a horse need selenium? The average number of mares grazing outside from June through September is about three times the numbers of horses stabled in winter for the production of eggs and foals. This additional nutritional stress makes it necessary for the mare to have enough selenium to support proper foal production and to ensure proper reproduction in later years.

The most likely deficiency is a vitamin E or zinc deficiency, or both. Inadequate nutrition due to a large area of ungrazed pasture with poor-quality grasses and lack of time spent close to the mares, which could be easily fixed, are also a major cause of deficiency. Selenium deficiencies occur if horses are fed diets high in grains, hay, etc., when adequate grazing is not available.

Symptoms of Selenium Deficiency. Most often found only in horses that are stabled and maintained on poorly balanced and deficient diets are: Reduced appetite. Loss of weight. Fatigue. Mood swings. Dry hair coat. Mare's milk may taste slightly off and the foal often has trouble nursing properly. What is selenium deficiency? Selenium is a trace element needed in small amounts by the cells to maintain good health. The body absorbs selenium from food eaten. When there is a deficiency of the essential trace mineral, the system suffers. This can cause weakness and lethargy, along with decreased appetite.

Can too much vitamin E be harmful to horses?

So I understand that vitamin E is necessary for many body functions and is good for them and whatnot but that can too much of this vitamin be harmful to horses.

And I was given a very extreme example of this by my vet, she told me about a mare at her stud farm whose legs were in real bad shape due too much of Vitamin E and even if he was removed from all things and given just 2ml or something a day and then after few weeks she got back on some things and the thing is after that the same mare had trouble with her other leg and it looked like some muscle atrophy had taken place and my vet said how that could happen in such short period if Vitamin E was needed for body functions? You needn't be overly worried about vitamin E supplementation. This is a highly stable vitamin. If you are talking about supplementation over a prolonged time period, as you put it, then the problem is in the dose and frequency of treatment (in other words, overdosing). For instance, a horse may need 400 iu a week but he is getting 10,000 a day - a significant overdosing. If the horse is treated appropriately, there shouldn't be any problems.

I don't think there are any health issues with excess Vit.E and it's only really when you treat an overdose of Vit.E that we see an issue. However, a lot of owners who use high amounts of Vit.E (which is a good thing) often aren't aware of exactly how much their horse needs and therefore get into these over treating issues. When using higher doses, you have to be very careful to keep your eyes open.

The most common side effects that come with large amounts are lethargy, mild diarrhoea or colic which can be treated if found early on. It would be possible that your horse has a genetic disorder and a specific deficiency of that gene is causing the problem. If that is the case, then it is probably an expensive option to have the gene/s tested/edited. You could also have a look on Horse Forums that may be able to help you.

Hope this helps. I had heard of this concern but now it's not that common as I expected, as I didn't have any issues with vit.

Can you take vitamin E and selenium together?

You could if the vitamin and the supplement were in a capsule.

But vitamin E (or alpha-tocopherol) and selenium (or selenite) come as two distinct products in separate bottles, so you have to choose carefully, as one or the other product will likely beneficial to you, while the other one isn't. The most popular way to combine the two supplements is to use vitamin E in a form called tocopherol (with its active form of vitamin E being alpha-tocopherol). If you choose this approach, it's important that you know that the selenium used in supplements is not a form of selenium (selenite) but instead a compound of selenium known as sodium selenite.

### Does vitamin E help with arthritis? Vitamin E may beneficial for those who suffer from arthritis, particularly the early stages of the disease. Studies in people have shown that taking vitamin E in conjunction with exercise has helped to relieve symptoms of the joint disease rheumatoid arthritis. The vitamin has also been useful in preventing bone loss and delaying onset of osteoporosis. Vitamin E supplementation has also been shown to lower levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL, or bad cholesterol). This is the type of cholesterol that may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and heart attack. It's interesting to note that the National Arthritis Foundation says that arthritis patients have a high intake of vitamin E.

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Are vitamin E and selenium good for horses?

For horses, getting enough vitamin E and selenium is important.

Most horses have very little selenium in their bodies, so supplementation is necessary. Some horses may be especially at risk of Selenium Deficiency. These include horses with liver or kidney problems, or whose muscles produce large amounts of lactic acid.

I want to supplement my horse's diet. What can I use? For young horses, the safest and best supplements are those made from whole ingredients (no fillers or other stuff added). The two most commonly used supplements are vitamin E and selenium. Vitamin E supplements are generally more expensive than a selenium supplement, but there is no need to spend hundreds of dollars on a single supplement if the other is less than that amount. It's much cheaper to buy a supplement that contains whole ingredients.

If you buy multi-vitamins (and especially over-the-counter ones), check to see that they contain quality vitamin E or selenium. You might want to look at the ingredients list as well, as sometimes fillers are included in the supplement.

You could also make a homemade supplement using these guidelines: Calculate how much you would like to provide for a day, then divide by 10 to get your daily dose of the supplement. Vitamin E: for adult horses, the recommended range for total mixed ration (TMR) rations and pasture is 10-35 IU. Selenium: for adult horses, the recommended dose is 25-60 mg. Remember, you're only trying to give your horse some of the nutrients needed for optimal health. If it gets too much, you'll have problems. There is no need to worry about giving it too much, because there will be a system in place to ensure that the amount it gets doesn't get too high. Be sure to follow the directions on the package, and adjust your supplement if necessary.

Why should my horse get selenium? Selenium is important for horses' immune systems. It helps produce antibodies against disease. It is also important for thyroid function, and for normal growth.