Also, if you are buying a supplement with selenium (or any other mineral for that matter) as your goal to increase....be sure it is chelated so your horse gets it, not the manure pile! Absorption rates differ greatly folks!
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> Date: Thu, 7 Feb 2008 12:35:47 -0700 > From: heidi@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx > Subject: RE: [RC] Blood test levels > To: operry2@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx > CC: ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx > > > OK folks.. I got my horse's blood tests back (actually have had the results for awhile.. just haven't had time to post them here). Was hoping someone can point out to me where we might need to "bump" him as far as selenium/vitamin e levels.. > > > > Vitamin E, Serum is 2.75 ug/mL > > > > Selenium, Serum is 182 H ng/mL > > > > Here is the letter I received along with it: > > > > "Comments: > > Selenium interpretation: This value is above adequate. Animals with values in his range are receiving more selenium than necessary. There is no concern for toxicity, but intake or administration of selenium supplements should be reduced." > > I would respectfully beg to differ with the notion that this is an "adequate" selenium level. Clinically, with numbers out of research at Oregon State, by Schering, and elsewhere, we looked for levels in the range of 200-250 ng/ml (or ppb, depending on how it is reported). The daily requirement for horses is in the range of 8-10 mg per day--so for a horse eating a maintenance level of feed (which should be primarily forage, so the amounts in the supplement are usually not too relevant), there should be about .80 to 1 ppm in the feed. Virtually ALL supplemental feeds are low, because manufacturers are wary of toxicity issues. Since the amounts in hay varies a great deal, the ideal thing is to have your hay tested. For an approximation, at least know where your hay is grown, and find out what sorts of soil levels there are in that area. > > > Now, at the time this testing was being done my gelding was getting the same grain as my preggie mare (Platform Mare & Foal made by Farnam). That feed lists Selenium as 0.60 ppm on the label.. Since then he is back on regular grain rations, with good quality grass hay. The grain he receives now is 0.30 ppm. So what (if any) Selenium supplementation should be given this horse? I have done several CTR's with him, and 2 slow 50's. This year he is 9 years old and I want to start taking him faster, and just want to be sure I cover all the bases with this horse. Any thoughts? > > Since this horse is near what one would target, but still borderline, I would definitely add a selenium supplement, but unlike the major supplementation we have to do in some areas here in the NW, odds are you can get by with the recommended levels of a good "high selenium" vitamin-mineral supplement, which will give you something on the order of 2 mg per day. (But do the math--some of them CLAIM to be "high selenium" but are nowhere near that!) > > Heidi > > =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= > > Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. > Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp > Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp > > Ride Long and Ride Safe!! > > =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= >
