Vitamin-E deficiency

[harr754]

I recently had a blood test done on my horse, here are the results:

Vit. E = 164.81 ug/dL normals = 200-1000 ug/dL
Selenium = 33.17 ug/dL normals = 17-25 ug/dL

In the past I have given him a vit E and selenium supplement. Apparently I just need to give him a vitamin E supplement. Does anybody have a suggestion on a good vitamin E supplement?

Thanks

[Simkie]

http://www.kppusa.com/elevatews.html

[Altamont Sport Horses]

I've read that Vitamin E needs oil in order to be absorbed. In that case just use Vitamin E gelcaps that you can get at the grocery store or WalMart. I've used them and sliced them open with a razor blade so I could squeeze it out. That's messy but doable. I prefer buying Uckele's Vitamin E oil (E-50) in the bottle. I pour it into a big 50 mL syringe and then easily squirt out the appropriate amount on the feed everyday.

Don't go overboard because it will be stored in the liver. Just calculate how much you need based on what your horse's needs are. Dr. Kellon recommends 1000 IU per 500 lbs of body weight for horses that have IR and/or Cushings. I'm not sure what is recommended for your average horse or if that is pretty standard.

[mvp]

Go buy 1,000 IU gel caps of vitamin E on sale wherever. That has worked fine for my horse.

[HoofHeartSoul]

yep, vitamin E deficiancy is very common in horses on limited grass or none.

it does need to be accompanied by oil to be absrobed fully, NATURAL vitamin E is the best (better absorbed and retained in the body) look for D-alpha NOT DL-alpha ( that is synthetic)

i get my horse the human gelcap natural vitamine E capsules in either 400IU or 1000iu (if you get the 400iu you need to feed at least 3-4 if i get 1000 IU i usally feed 2 since horse need at LEAST 1000 iu daily at maintenance and more when being worked)

[gabz]

Vitamin World usually has specials every month, buy one, get one free - if you go price comparison shopping.

I used to just put the gelcaps in my horse's feed. He just ate them whole.


Since your Se level was high, if you have been supplementing Se & Vit E; you may need to drastically reduce the Se at first, then cut your dose in half after you bring the level down a bit. I had that happen to me. I did a retest 6 months later to see where my horse was at. It happened when I switched from Selenium salts to selenomethionine which is much more easily absorbed.

[Dianna]

I remember Dr. Valentine telling me that many EPSM horses also were Vit. E deficient ... I always found that interesting.

[MelantheLLC]

Not sure the gelcaps are enough oil. Aren't you supposed to feed some oil with it too?

[Cashela]

I never heard about feeding it with oil but Natural vitamin E is the way to go.

[harr754]

I have read a little bit since getting the results and I have read that natural is the way to go. I wasn't sure about the dosage, but it sounds like he should get 1,000 iu every day. Is that right?

He is turned out everyday all day but right now there is not much grass, although today is the first day of Spring so there should be some soon!

He hasn't been on a vit E and selenium supplement since the end of last summer.

[Altamont Sport Horses]

1000 IU per day sounds about right for a 1000 lb. horse in moderate work that needs to maintain. But I would think that since your horse is already deficient in Vitamin E that he may need more to get up to speed. You should consult with your vet.

[gabz]

You will want to increase the Vit E to between 5,000 IU - 10,000 IU per day to bring it up. Then you can back off.
Your vet is the best person to discuss this with.

I've never heard about the oil thing.

I DO know that vegetable oil can block the uptake of Vit E ... so I'm confused about that part. I've fed powdered/ pelleted forms of Vit E before with good results. (going on 10 years now of supplementing).

I prefer Peak Performance Nutrients for some of their products as they contain no fillers.

[Tif_Ann]

My Wobbles boy gets about 6500 IU of Vitamin E a day to help his neurological functioning. Every horse supplement version I've bought has been powder, so I'm not sure it has to be in oil to be absorbed? Conversely, 1000IU of his Vitamin E per day comes from "Health-E-Oil" which is an oil with Vitamin E in it. :)

[gabz]

Something else to think about is that when horses are stalled during harsh winter weather or very hot summer... and do not graze, their requirements for supplementing Vit E go up. If the horse grazes, then the supplementation amounts can go down.

So, if you are in the northern states (as I am) and horse eats hay all winter, then I boost the amount during those months and drop down during the summer months when he is grazing.

http://www.thehorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=1769

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3948831

And, my 5000 IU - 10,000 IU is probably based on the DL form (synthetic) rather than the D form (tocopheral acetate).

[outofthepocket]

I have also had good luck with the Peak Performance Vitamin E concentrate or the Vit. E, Sel, and Z. I like the products because none of them have and sugars or fillers and they offer a high concentration. They used to have a product that was straight Natural Vitamin E, but I haven't been able to find it.

[Ethalo2]

I'm on the East Coast and my vet said that this area tends to be low in Vitamin E and Selenium, after my WB showed up low on both I just bought the vita flex supplement and he hasn't had any additional problems since then.

[JB]

I remember Dr. Valentine telling me that many EPSM horses also were Vit. E deficient ... I always found that interesting.


Equus just had an article that says that adequate amounts of E in the system is VERY important for maintaining the blood/brain barrier. Since it's been shown that 80%+ of horses have at least been exposed to the protozoa, and probably a relatively large % of those horses actually have the protozoa, one can then see how important it is to be able to keep those b@st@rds from crossing into the spinal fluid.

So yes, low E can be a mitigating factor in a horse becoming symptomatic.

[Auventera Two]

Equus just had an article that says that adequate amounts of E in the system is VERY important for maintaining the blood/brain barrier. Since it's been shown that 80%+ of horses have at least been exposed to the protozoa, and probably a relatively large % of those horses actually have the protozoa, one can then see how important it is to be able to keep those b@st@rds from crossing into the spinal fluid.

So yes, low E can be a mitigating factor in a horse becoming symptomatic.

JB - She was talking about equine polysaccharide storage myopathy (EPSM) and not equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM). :cool: I had to do a double take on the letters also as I thought dyslexia was playing tricks on me. :lol:

[JB]

*snort* my bad :lol: :lol:

Well, now you know about EPM :D

[Auventera Two]

LOL, well it's good info to know! :winkgrin:

[neuf08]

I think you will be just fine with the regular vitamin e supplements that you buy at the store. I would go with gelcaps. If your horse won't eat them whole in his feed, then you can just prick the capsule with a thumb tack or something sharp and squeeze the vitamin e onto the feed. I would also consult your vet about the dose for your own horse based on his numbers and needs. Vitamin e (http://www.seacoastvitamins.com/topic.php?health=vitamin+e) is fat soluble, so it doesn't leave the system easily. So you don't want to give him too much either. I would think 1,000 IU sounds fine, but would definitely check first.

[Sadie'sMom]

My vet told me to feed rice bran and alfalfa pellets...the rice bran has enough oil to get the Vit. E to be utilized.