Welcome guys!
Another public post as this topic is something i’ve recently been researching at greater depths and I think it’s important to be looking out for.
A few months back me and Em were researching horse feeds for our two. Em came across some information on a certain brand/product that’s often fed in large quantities to old horses having a high selenium content and that it shouldn’t be fed in the overly high quantities it often is.
This product is something, I, myself have also fed in large amounts to elderly horses on numerous occasions in the past, so down that rabbit hole we decided to go.
So what is selenium?
Selenium is a trace mineral that is critical for horse health. It plays a part in helping enzymes regulate various body functions. It is particularly known to be related to muscle function, immune response and antioxidant defence.
Horses get selenium from their diet, selenium is in everything, forage, hard feed & supplements. Some land (soil) can be excessively high in selenium and cause toxicity whereas other land can be selenium deficient.
The National Research Council (NRC) recommends 1-3mg per 500kg horse. The maximum tolerable limit is 5mg per day, anything above this can lead to selenium toxicity.
So what does selenium toxicity or deficiency look like?
Deficiency: muscle weakness, poor immunity, reproductive issues and white muscle disease.
Toxicity: 2 types of toxicity - acute (a large amount over a short amount of time) and chronic (occurs over time due to long term exposure to elevated levels of selenium).
Chronic Selenium Toxicity - Alkali Poisoning
Can happen if a horse has had higher levels of selenium over a long period of time.
Can lead to hoof problems - cracking , brittle, hooves not growing in the correct shape leading to lameness issues.
Can also lead to hair loss problems - mane and tail may appear sparse/break easily.
Can cause weight loss and poor condition - decline in health, lethargy & a decrease in appetite.
Accute Selenium Toxicity - Blind Staggers
This is accute poisoning where a horse ingests a high quantity in a small amount of time.
Can lead to the following symptoms:
Blindness or abnormal vision.
Unsteady gait (stumbling).
Depression.
Laboured breathing & rapid heart rate.
Sweating.
Colic.
Death.
So how do we avoid selenium toxicity?
Be aware of how much selenium your feed products contain.
Work out how many kg of feed your horse gets and therefore the levels of selenium per feed they’re receiving and make sure we’re trying to keep them within normal healthy ranges. Remember horses NEED certain levels of selenium for healthy bodily function.
Factor in for selenium coming from other sources in the horses diet.
You can have an analysis done on your forage/grass/soil/water.
Monitor levels when adding in new supplements.
Speak to your vet surrounding tests on the horse you can do if you’re concerned.
Please be aware especially when it comes to elderly horses. I was shocked to work out the levels i’d been feeding years prior, thankfully not quite toxic levels but not far off. All simply by replacing the majority of his hay with feeds marketed for the elderly pony. We want to do the best for our elderly ponies and keep them with us as long as possible but to do that we need to be aware of what we’re actually putting into our horses. These feeds can be incredible at making a difference to an old ponies weight but always check their levels, don’t over feed and check if they can actually be fed as a hay replacer if wanting to feed in larger quantities.
There definitely needs to be more warnings about these types of toxicities by feed companies when it comes to over feeding in regards to hay replacers that’s for sure, but we as owners need to be educated so we can make the most informed decisions we can for our horses.
I hope this has helped you guys on what to look out for. It’s something i’ll carry on researching and be a lot more careful about in the future when it comes to the oldies especially!
Thanks for reading guys!
HM
x
Below is a picture of my old boy Simon who we lost in 2022, enjoying some good soup in his last few days.
