Results of Oral Selenium Supplementation in Cattle

Abstract

Recent investigations by researchers at the University of Idaho Department of Veterinary Science have revealed extremely low tissue selenium levels in cattle maintained on forage grown on selenium deficient areas in Idaho and Washington. Significant elevations of tissue selenium were evident 60 days following initiation of selenium supplementation using levels of 50 ppm and 90 ppm. Very little or no response was seen at levels of 20 ppm. Calves from dams that had access to a 90-ppm selenium-salt mix were blood sampled within three days of birth and found to have adequate tissue selenium levels, suggesting that in the bovine animal, significant placental transfer occurs.