Selenium Deficiency in Horses

If your horse is a grazer, it's hard to imagine that she isn't getting all of the nutrients she requires from the earth. But selenium deficiencies are very common if you are in the Northwest and some parts of California. Because of increased farming, the land has been stripped of its natural minerals and therefore is no longer producing what the animals need to maintain healthy bodies.

Decreased levels of selenium cause problems with birth, growth, recovery, and immunity or nutritional muscular dystrophy where the muscles break down. When the heart is affected, the prognosis is very poor and if a foal is selenium deficient it may be to weak at birth to stand and nurse. In order to combat these issues, your horse needs a selenium supplement. But even then you have to be careful. In-organic selenium, known as Sodium Selenite, is found in dirt and is a by-product of copper mining. Horses are incapable of metabolizing this substance. 99% of products use this in-organic compound. When buying your supplements, make sure the selenium specifically says "organic".  The natural way for your horse to receive this mineral is if the selenium is encompassed in an amino acid. Always check your labels, and ask an expert if you still aren't sure.

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