Nutritional muscular dystrophy (also called nutritional myopathy, White muscle disease) is a muscular disease of lamb

Domestic sheep

Sheep are quadrupedal, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Like all ruminants, sheep are members of the order Artiodactyla, the even-toed ungulates. Although the name "sheep" applies to many species in the genus Ovis, in everyday usage it almost always refers to Ovis aries...

s and calves due to deficiency in selenium

Selenium

Selenium is a chemical element with atomic number 34, chemical symbol Se, and an atomic mass of 78.96. It is a nonmetal, whose properties are intermediate between those of adjacent chalcogen elements sulfur and tellurium...

 and / or Vitamin E

Vitamin E

Vitamin E is used to refer to a group of fat-soluble compounds that include both tocopherols and tocotrienols. There are many different forms of vitamin E, of which γ-tocopherol is the most common in the North American diet. γ-Tocopherol can be found in corn oil, soybean oil, margarine and dressings...

.

The condition is observed in all breeds and sexes of lambs, from birth to 3 month of age. 

In dairy breeds, the age prevalence concerned calves from some days after birth until four months.  But, in rustic breeds or beef cattle, heifers and young steers, up to 12 months, can also be affected.

Its frequency increases with upgrading of sheep breed, especially in areas with selenium deficiency in soils.

Clinical symptoms

The most usual form involves skeletal muscles, especially in the back. The animal is weak when it stands up, and has an awkward gait. Animals tend not stay up for more than a few minutes. When in recumbency, the animals are normal, and have a good appetite.

Treatment

Affected lambs and calves generally recover after injection of veterinary preparations of Selenium and Vitamin E.

External links

• Description of the disease in Merck Veterinary Manual