[Jacob-list] Wobbly Lambs and SE

[Shari Staines]

Heather,

I've read that SE deficiency can become more of a problem through the generations.  So, I suppose this means that if granddam has a mild deficiency, it could be a bit more significant in the dam and then it can hit the third generation as a major problem.  I think we have some ewes that eat the mineral BETTER than others.  Some just don't like it and don't consume it as well.  I was feeding a low quality local hay and didn't realize that some counties within Georgia are very deficient.  Also, I think that SE works in harmony with other minerals (such as calcium.)  I had some issues with low calcium in my hay this year which led to hypocalcemia in a couple ewes.  I would imagine that the selenium issue is tied to that in some way.  I would suppose with twins, you would have different placental attachments and one twin could be nourished differently than the other in some way.  

I had my vet call in Bo-Se to valleyvet.com and they shipped it overnite.  It runs about $18 as an FYI so not too expensive.   

I feel just about 100% certain that my issue with this lamb is SE based strictly on his response to the Bo-Se.  It's a night and day type of thing.  I spoke with a vet today that agreed and had treated alpaca this way (every 2 days they injected bo-se in small amounts) with positive results.

If you've had SE deficiency with sudden death, you could be seeing the heart form which causes sudden death.  I also feel like pnemonia is a great concern because they are weaker and just are down more.  I used Pen Procaine on this little guy to turn him around from raspy lung sounds early on. 

I am actually shocked that he's alive and doing well today.  

Note:  My flock is Tay-sachs tested and this lamb is from two confirmed non-carrier sheep.  Also, the Tay-sachs symptoms would not be there at birth and would be seen as a slight gate abnormality that develops over time.  This would not happen in a carrier sheep (as carriers are completely normal.)   Tay-sachs symptoms only happen in a Tay-sachs AFFECTED sheep, never a carrier sheep.   

Here is a blip from the Tay-sachs Gene Therapy Consortium regarding symptoms in affected lambs:

"To
 date, we have learned that disease onset in affected sheep begins at 
1-2.5 months of age with occasional stumbling due to "knuckling" of the 
front hooves. There is mild variability of disease onset and 
progression. For example, the youngest TS sheep also has the most 
significant clinical disease, with obvious front limb gait defects and a
 tendency to lie down much more frequently than the other affected or 
normal sheep. By contrast, a second TS sheep born 1 week prior to the 
most severely affected sheep has very mild clinical disease (an almost 
imperceptible front limb gait defect - "walking down in the fetlock"). 
The remaining 2 TS sheep began to show clinical signs at similar ages 
(~8 weeks) and have been treated with AAV gene therapy (see further 
description below). To date, TS sheep have shown no abnormalities in 
general health measures (weight, temperature, heart rate), routine blood
 work (complete blood count, serum chemistries), MRI, ophthalmology 
exams or response to anesthesia. Other than the gait defects, the only 
obvious difference in TS sheep is their outgoing / curious nature 
compared to normal siblings."

One thing for sure, there is always more to learn and discover.
Shari



      
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