I've read about giving pregnant does Selenium/Vitamin E shots if you are in a selenium deficient area. I'm in Mobile, AL, do they get Selenium/Vitamin E from grass, hay, or feed? Also, I can't find Bo-Se at JeffersLivestock.com, is there somewhere else I can look? Do I even need it? I have 5 pregnant does which are being fed a comercial goat feed with alfalfa pellets and grass hay. Thanks for your help.

-- Sharon in AL (sharonspaws@aol.com), January 06, 2002

Answers

Response to Where do you purchase Bo-Se & How do you know if you are in a Selenium deficient area?

To know for sure you ask your vet if your in a selenium deficiant area. But as a rule if the land your on was under water during the last iceage thaw then your selenium deficiant.

-- Ross (amulet@istar.ca), January 06, 2002.

Response to Where do you purchase Bo-Se & How do you know if you are in a Selenium deficient area?

Dag!!!! On my old computer I had a site bookmarked with the selinium deficient areas in the USA. Your vet may know as ross mentioned, however, don't take that as gospel. There are many vets out there with no goat experience. thats why a lot of us help each other out. No, goats usually don't get enough selinium form hay, you need to have it in your feed mix as in our speciality mix or in a mineral mix. The reason you may have problems finding BO-SE is because its a RX, thats what our vet told me at least. He didn't carry BO-SE but MU-SE which is more cencentrated. But i would be interested in knowing if you can order it from someplace.

-- Bernice (geminigoats@yahoo.com), January 06, 2002.

Response to Where do you purchase Bo-Se & How do you know if you are in a Selenium deficient area?

Sharon and Bernice, You can order Bo-Se from Valley Vet Supply here in Kansas. They have a webb site but can't rember the address. You need a prescription from you vet to get it. I had to work 39 hours out of the last 58 hours and I am getting too old for this, plus my old doe is due any day and she is getting tired of me shinning the flashlight on her and very strange hours. karen

-- karen in kansas (kansasgoats@iwon.com), January 06, 2002.

Response to Where do you purchase Bo-Se & How do you know if you are in a Selenium deficient area?

Well, I'm sure Mobile, AL was under water during the ice age, as it stays under water 1/2 the time now! *smile* We compete with Seattle in getting the most rainfall. (We usually get "more" rain all at once, it just rains more "often" there!) Our vet is coming out on Wed. to look at a horse, so I'll ask him then. I never really thought about BoSe being a Rx, but that would make sense, because I haven't been able to find it anywhere.

Thanks a bunch!

-- Sharon in AL (Sharonspaws@aol.com), January 06, 2002.

Response to Where do you purchase Bo-Se & How do you know if you are in a Selenium deficient area?

http://www.valleyvet.com/ Webpage for valley vet supply, thanks!

-- Sharon in AL (Sharonspaws@aol.com), January 06, 2002.

Response to Where do you purchase Bo-Se & How do you know if you are in a Selenium deficient area?

You might find the exact information at www.attra.org or www.usda.gov by usingthe search engines at the sites.

-- Jay Blair in N. AL (jayblair678@yahoo.com), January 06, 2002.

Response to Where do you purchase Bo-Se & How do you know if you are in a Selenium deficient area?

You also might want to just supplement it daily instead of the quick fixes, high blood levels then depleted that you get with the shots. Jeffersequine.com and unitedvetequine.com both carry Selenium and E in crumbles you can top dress over the top of your feed, without a script. Feed mills in the US are controlled by law. They can not put in more than 0.3 for cattle or sheep or 90ppm in minerals, and they can not legally up it just cause you are special :) Ask me how I know this :) They can legally up the E and that is what has helped my herd the most. So if your aim is for .07 than top dress with the appropriate amount of crumbles to make up for the difference. At the very least supplement before and during breeding and before and during kidding. Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh TX (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), January 06, 2002.

Response to Where do you purchase Bo-Se & How do you know if you are in a Selenium deficient area?

Selenium is often a part of a salt block or other feed trace additive. If you go to www.google.com & type in "selenium deficiency" there are many hits on selenium & goats & areas that are deficient. This one deals with hogs, but explains selenium pretty well if you have Adobe Acrobat.

---->Paul

http://www.uky.edu/Ag/AnimalSciences/swine/documents/seleni umauniquetraceelement.pdf

-- paul (ramblerplm@hotmail.com), January 07, 2002.

Response to Where do you purchase Bo-Se & How do you know if you are in a Selenium deficient area?

Our ag extension office here will come out and test/answer any questions about the ranch land. No charge.

-- ~Rogo (rogo2020@yahoo.com), January 07, 2002.

Sharon,

You could contact your local cooperative extension office. They can be very helpful with agricultural information specific to your area.

Charleen

-- Charleen in WNY (harperhill@eznet.net), January 07, 2002.

I am "suposively" not in a selenium deficient area. I grow my own hay too so I know what is in it. I have been told that hay will lose some of its selenium. They also deplete it in the hottest months. I had a problem last summer, heat stress which induced a white muscle disease. I treated with lots and I mean lots of Vit. E then gave each ewe a selenium supplement which I buy through Mid States Livestock Supply 800-841-9665. It is called Selenium-E-Gel. I give 5mls to each ewe which contains 3mgs. of Selenium and 500IU of Vit E. If you just want Vit E. Take adult Vit. E. Gel tabs suck out the vitamin and I believe it has more IU then anything else. That is what I do in the summer with each breeding ewe. debbie

-- Debbie (bwolcott@cwis.net), January 07, 2002.

Be very careful injecting Bo-se or Mu-se , can have bad reactions. Most commercial feeds carry the legal amount of selenium, however the E levels vary ,a good salt mineral vit. mix should be sufficent. Look at the website www.hunterfeeds.com for sheep and goat feed products

-- (smhamp@yahoo.com), January 07, 2002.

Try www.hunternutrition.com Sorry! they carry a good line of sheep and goat products

-- (smhamp@yahoo.com), January 07, 2002.

Wow, thanks for all the input guys! I think I'm going to try the Selenium/Vitamin E crumbles you add to their food. I don't think my mineral block has much Selenium in it... I'll have to check the labels again next time I'm at the feed store. Thank you all so much.

-- Sharon in AL (Sharonspaws@aol.com), January 07, 2002.