# Vitamin E & Selenium Gel Questions



## Pioneer Chicken (Nov 12, 2013)

Howdy all!

I've been trying to decide what to do as far as selenium administration goes for my goats.  I called our vet a couple of weeks ago to ask them if they gave the BoSe shot and they do; however, they are out of BoSe and they don't know when they will get it back in.  

That being said, I've _also_ looked into the Vitamin E & Selenium gel (Kaeco brand).  How do I know how much to give my goats? I have adult and eight- to nine- month old Nigerian Dwarf goats. Is it okay to give pregnant does the gel (they would be one to two months along)?  Do the eight- and nine- month old goats get the same quantity as the adults? Or do I just administer according to weight? If by weight, then how many mls would you give per how many pounds of weight?

According to the map I found on selenium levels for my state, it looks like my county is either

.32 - .35  or .35 - .38. Would I be considered living in a deficient area?  I do give my goats Manna Pro loose minerals, though I'm not positive that is enough as far as selenium goes. 

Thank you so much for all of your help!


----------



## meme (Nov 17, 2013)

We use selenium gel and manna pro minerals here. In fact, I am going to buy 4 more tubes of selenium from Jeffers today.  Your area is not quite as deficient as mine, but from what I gather, anything under .5 ppm is considered deficient. On the tube, it recommends 5 ml per head every month. I think it might be 2 ml for kids. I have been known to give my pregnant does more towards the last few weeks of pregnancy. I also give pregnant does 800 i.u of vitamin E in the form of gel pills the last two months of pregnancy. This March it worked great for my doe who delivered triplets without any issues.


----------



## elevan (Nov 17, 2013)

The gel isn't as effective as the Bo-Se injections, but if that's all you can get...


----------



## daisyjack (Nov 27, 2013)

I would get the bo-se from valley vet. they will call your vet up and get the prescription for you.


----------



## WhiteMountainsRanch (Nov 27, 2013)

I used the gel last year and it wasn't enough, had three does with retained placentas. I guess they don't utilize/ absorb it very well. This year I got a bottle of Bo-Se from my vet!


----------



## 20kidsonhill (Dec 17, 2013)

The gel is not enough for us, we have to give Bo-se shots it makes a huge difference in the strength of our kids.


----------



## Southern by choice (Dec 17, 2013)

Much of the country is Selenium Deficient and therefore the gels/minerals alone are not sufficient. Some areas however are adequate. Your numbers look like you may be ok, hard to tell.
Selenium in too high of levels will cause toxicity. 
Often deficiency and toxicity can look alike. 
If you are in a region that is borderline or adequate in Selenium I would recommend taking a sampling of a few goats (blood) send it in to your state lab (if they have a chemist) and get the results. Many places are so deficient this would be unnecessary... but you have good numbers in your area.
Maybe a little over the top but we do a sampling of the herd (usually 4 goats different ages and one male) for a complete analysis. It is very beneficial.


----------

