Vitamin E ± SeleniumDose, contraindications and adverse effects for Cats, Dogs and Horses.

Antioxidant nutrient combination used to treat and prevent white muscle disease (nutritional myodegeneration) in selenium-deficient regions. Vitamin E may be useful as adjunctive treatment of discoid lupus erythematosus, symmetrical lupoid onychodystrophy,1 pemphigus complex, and demodicosis in dogs. A review article on canine ischemic dermatopathies states: The mainstay for pharmacologic management of ischemic dermatopathies is pentoxifylline in combination with vitamin E. Vitamin E may also be of benefit in the adjunctive treatm

Both vitamin E and selenium are involved with cellular metabolism of sulfur. Vitamin E has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and with selenium, protects against red blood cell hemolysis and prevents the action of peroxidase on unsaturated bonds in cell membranes.

Vitamin E (alone) should be used with caution in patients with coagulation disorders. Vitamin E/selenium products should only be used in the species for which they are FDA-approved. Because selenium can be extremely toxic, the indiscriminate use of these products can be dangerous. Give slowly when administering IV to horses.

Oral administration of vitamin E appears to be well-tolerated, with a wide margin of safety. Anaphylactoid reactions have been reported. IM injections may be associated with transient muscle soreness. Other adverse effects are generally associated with overdoses of selenium (see Overdose/Acute Toxicity).

■ Clinical efficacy ■ Blood selenium concentrations (when using the combination product). Normal values for selenium have been reported as: more than 1.14 µmol/L in calves, more than 0.63 µmol/L in cattle, more than 1.26 µmol/L in sheep, and more than 0.6 µmol/L in pigs.