Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
it is well supplemented by whole-grain wheat and/or mineralized salt with
selenium in it. Supplementation should also include vitamin E.
In areas that are known to be low in selenium, medication should be given
to prevent lamb losses. Both oral and injectable products are available and are
typically given to a ewe 2 to 4 weeks before lambing, such as when you give
the second vaccination against tetanus and enterotoxemia.
Lambs suffering from white muscle disease have diffi culty getting up and
walking and gradually become affected by muscle paralysis. Though lambs can
be treated after birth, once muscle changes occur, they cannot be reversed.
Many small, weak lambs or lambs with a stiff neck at birth respond to an
injection of selenium (though a newborn lamb should never be injected with
more than 1.0 mg of selenium).
