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Susan, I have had my gelding's selenium levels checked in the past, and was told they were okay...can't tell you what the levels were. But now I wonder, should I get another test run to check them? I haven't had any problems, but do know of ranchers in our area having low selenium levels affecting their newborn calves, and I have heard of some foals having the problem...

If a horse is having problems, what symptoms do you usually see? Not that I thnk my horse is having problems, just curious.

Thanks.

Lori

"Susan E. Garlinghouse, DVM" <suendavid@xxxxxxx> wrote:

> I agree with Heidi's comments and my experience has been that even horses
> that seem 'normal' do better performance-wise on a higher plane of selenium
> than the current published recommendations. Any ride vet working in the
>  PNW
> (and most in the W and PS) will tell you the same, and I suspect it's also
> true for other regions notoriously low in forage selenium---SE, Great Lakes,
> etc. I would also respectfully disagree with the recommendations made to
> decrease the current selenium intake level---I'd increase it, too, per
> Heidi's recommendation. There are potentials for toxicity, but you have to
> get pretty wild with the stuff for a long time to get to that level. The
> organic selenium yeast sources (and by 'organic' I mean bound to a
> protein/carbon-based unit, not organic in the no-pesticides-used sense)
> apparently have very little potential for toxicity over the inorganic sodium
> selenite sources, so I prefer the selenium yeast form. Last I checked,
> Platinum Performance has a good source that is included in the general
> wellness supplement (though too low IMO) or, more cost effectively, by
> itself as just straight selenium yeast where a pretty tiny amount will
>  add a
> good additional level of selenium. A four-lb tub of the stuff will last a
> loooooong time.
>
> I like Heidi's recommendations of 8-10 mg a day for performance horses---my
> endurance mare that's working pretty hard gets 15 mg a day, and my competing
> dressage gelding squeaks by with a mere 10 mg a day. Both get regular blood
> work to verify their serum levels are in the 200-250 range.
>
> JMO.
> Susan Garlinghouse, DVM
>
>
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