White Muscle Disease in Calves and Lambs: Selenium and Vitamin E Deficiency

White muscle disease is a nutritional myopathy of neonatal calves and lambs caused by selenium and vitamin E deficiency, causing muscle weakness, cardiac failure, and sudden death in young animals.

Key Facts

White muscle disease (nutritional muscular dystrophy) results from combined selenium and/or vitamin E deficiency, causing degeneration of skeletal and cardiac muscle in calves and lambs.
It affects neonatal animals most severely; lambs and calves born to deficient dams may be unable to stand, suckle, or breathe effectively from birth.
Selenium deficiency is most common in regions with naturally low soil selenium — large areas of the US Pacific Northwest, New Zealand, parts of the UK, and Northern Europe.
Two forms occur: the congenital form (white muscle at birth) and the delayed form appearing at 3-8 weeks when stored selenium is exhausted; the cardiac form causes sudden death without preceding weakness.
Muscles affected include the diaphragm, intercostals, and limb muscles, resulting in respiratory distress, inability to rise, and progressive weakness.
Prevention through selenium supplementation of pregnant dams via injectable selenium, dietary supplementation, or slow-release boluses is highly effective.
Treatment of early cases with selenium and vitamin E injection can resolve weakness if given before irreversible cardiac or skeletal muscle damage occurs.

Welfare Considerations

White muscle disease causes severe welfare compromise in affected neonates. Lambs and calves born with congenital white muscle disease are immediately disadvantaged: unable to stand effectively, suckle reliably, or in severe cases, breathe without effort. The combination of muscle weakness and inability to nurse creates rapid deterioration through cold stress, hypoglycemia, and dehydration layered on the primary myopathy. The cardiac form — sudden death without premonitory weakness — eliminates the animal from suffering but represents preventable death. The delayed form, appearing at 3-8 weeks, causes progressive weakness in previously apparently healthy young animals. The complete preventability of white muscle disease through maternal supplementation, the severity of clinical disease, and the young age of affected animals make this a high-priority welfare concern in selenium-deficient areas.

What You Can Do

Determine soil selenium status in your area and implement supplementation programs for pregnant ewes and cows accordingly.
Provide selenium supplementation to pregnant females via injectable selenium, oral supplements, or slow-release boluses before lambing or calving.
Treat weak neonatal lambs and calves showing clinical signs with selenium and vitamin E injection immediately.
Test liver selenium in animals that die at slaughter as a herd monitoring tool for selenium status.
Work with your veterinarian to develop appropriate supplementation protocols for your specific soil type and production system.