Companion Animal Welfare

Horse Nutritional Myopathy Welfare

Selenium and vitamin E deficiency causes nutritional myopathy in horses and foals, causing muscle damage with welfare implications requiring prevention and prompt treatment.

Key Facts

Nutritional myopathy affects muscles of movement and cardiac muscle in severe cases
UK soils are often selenium-deficient requiring supplementation for horses on local forage
Young foals are most vulnerable developing white muscle disease soon after birth
Selenium supplementation prevents deficiency but excess selenium is toxic requiring careful dosing
Clinical signs include muscle stiffness, weakness, and in severe cases recumbency

Welfare Considerations

Nutritional myopathy causes muscle pain and weakness that ranges from stiffness to inability to stand. Prevention through appropriate selenium supplementation matched to local forage content is straightforward and cost-effective, making clinical deficiency an entirely preventable cause of horse welfare compromise.

What You Can Do

Test forage selenium content and supplement horses appropriately for local conditions
Seek veterinary advice before supplementing selenium as excess is toxic
Monitor foals for early signs of white muscle disease in the first weeks of life