Re: Selenium

[CMKSAGEHIL@aol.com]

In a message dated 98-07-23 17:06:21 EDT, ribbitttreefrog@yahoo.com writes:

<< Classy's lips had
 sawdust on them the other day, where he was obviously licking or
 eating at this old wood. (craving something that he is not getting?
 anybody know what it might be?) >>

Excessive wood chewing is often a hallmark of selenium deficiency.

<<I heard through a local tack store
 that you can buy a selenium block - wouldn't this be a bad thing? You
 wouldn't know how much they were getting, or do you assume that their
 body is telling them what and how much they need?  >>

There is so little selenium in the selenium blocks relative to the amount of
salt in them that a horse will get only about a tenth of his daily requirement
even when consuming a maximal amount of salt.  So--very little danger.  The
unfortunate thing about selenium blocks is that in really deficient areas like
where I live (northwest), people erroneously believe they are supplementing
enough selenium by offering the blocks, when in reality they are barely
putting a dent in the problem.

Heidi Smith, DVM--Sagehill Arabians (Oregon)