Selenium Toxicity in Alpacas: Signs, Treatment & Prevention

Emergency — call your vet now

This condition can kill within hours. Get veterinary help immediately.

Too much selenium — from overdosing supplements or high-selenium plants — damages the heart, lungs and liver.

Category: Nutritional & metabolic
Urgency: Emergency

Signs & symptoms

Acute: labored breathing, collapse, sudden death
Chronic: fleece loss, hoof/toenail abnormalities, lameness, weight loss

Related symptom guides: Dull, Faded or Brittle Fleece.

What causes it?

Combining several selenium products (mineral + injection + bolus), mixing errors, or seleniferous plants in parts of the western Plains.

Risk factors

Multiple selenium supplements at once
High-selenium soils (parts of the Dakotas, Wyoming, Montana, Colorado)

How vets diagnose it

Blood and tissue selenium levels; feed analysis.

Treatment

Supportive care; there is no antidote.

Do not wait to see if it improves. Camelids hide illness, and by the time signs are obvious the problem is often advanced. Call your veterinarian.

Prevention

Never stack selenium products
Test before supplementing
Use one balanced camelid mineral

Background

Selenium is an essential mineral micronutrient for animals, though it is toxic in large doses. In plants, it sometimes occurs in toxic amounts as forage, e.g. locoweed. Selenium is a component of the amino acids selenocysteine and selenomethionine. In humans, selenium is a trace element nutrient that functions as cofactor for glutathione peroxidases and certain forms of thioredoxin reductase. Selenium-containing proteins are produced from inorganic selenium via the intermediacy of selenophosphate (PSeO33−).From Wikipedia — “Selenium in biology”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Frequently asked questions

What is selenium Toxicity in alpacas?

Too much selenium — from overdosing supplements or high-selenium plants — damages the heart, lungs and liver.

What are the signs of selenium Toxicity?

Acute: labored breathing, collapse, sudden death and chronic: fleece loss, hoof/toenail abnormalities, lameness, weight loss.

How do you prevent selenium Toxicity?

Never stack selenium products. Test before supplementing. Use one balanced camelid mineral.

Is selenium Toxicity an emergency?

Emergency — call your vet now. This condition can kill within hours. Get veterinary help immediately.

This page is educational and does not replace advice from a veterinarian who has examined your animals. Camelid medicine uses many drugs “extra-label”, so dosing must come from your vet. In an emergency, call your vet first. Read our disclaimer · How we write and review content.