DISTRIBUTION OF SUPPLEMENTAL SELENIUM IN SERUM, HAIR, COLOSTRUM AND FETUS OF DAIRY COWS
Abstract
A selenium supplementation study was conducted with pregnant dairy cows to study the distribution of this mineral in serum, colostrum, hair and fetus of the dams and it's effect on retained placenta. Thirty Holstein cows, approximately seven months pregnant were allocated to six groups. One of five treatments were assigned randomly to each cow in each group: control (c); 1 mg Se/day (Na(,2) Se O(,3)) orally ingested (1-0), 60 days prepartum to parturition 2 mg Se/day orally ingested (2-0), 60 days prepartum to parturition; 5 ml Mu-Se intramuscularly injected 40 and 20 days prepartum (Mu-Se - 5 mg Se (Na(,2) Se O(,3)) and 68 I.U. d-alpha-tocopherol/ml) (2-I); 5 ml Mu-Se intramuscularly injected 60, 40 and 20 days prepartum (3-I). The basal diet consisted of alfalfa silage (.66 p.p.m. Se) ad libitum, 0.5 kg ground corn/day, 40,000 I.U. Vitamin A, 4,000 I.U. Vitamin D, and iodized salt with trace minerals except Se. Blood for serum Se analysis was sampled every 10 days, 60 days prepartum to 20 days postpartum for the cows and from birth to 20 days of age for calves. Hair (black) was sampled evey 20 days, 60 days prepartum to parturition for cows and at birth for calves. Colostrum was sampled within 8 hours of calving. Selenium treatments 2-0, 2-I and 3-I increased (P < .05) cow serum Se levels. The cows on 1-0 treatment showed serum Se concentration significantly different (P < .05) from the cows on the C treatment only in samples collected 10 days prepartum. Calf serum Se was increased (P < .05) at birth by both dam injection treatments, but the levels for the calves from cows that received oral treatment were not different (P > .05) from the levels of calves from cows receiving injected treatments or basal diet only. Cow hair Se levels were increased (P < .01) by treatments 2-I and 3-I and (P < .05) by treatment 2-0. Calf hair Se levels were increased (P < .01) by all Se supplementations. Effect of treatments on cow colostrum selenium levels was not significantly different (P > .10). All dependent variables reflected Se supplementation, but calf hair Se levels did not respond to the cows supplementation accordingly with increase in dosage. There was Se transfer through the placenta. There was no difference (P < .05) in effectiveness between the injected or oral methods of administration of Se treatments for the serum, hair or colostrum of the cows. The data did not allow any conclusions regarding retained placenta.
Degree
Ph.D.
Subject Area
Livestock
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