Congenital nutritional myodegeneration (white muscle disease) in a red deer (Cervus elaphus) calf

• Published in: New Zealand veterinary journal Vol. 57; no. 4; pp. 244 - 247
• Main Authors: Pourliotis, K, Giadinis, ND, Sofianidis, G, Brellou, GD, Psychas, V, Roubies, N, Karatzias, H
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Taylor & Francis Group 01.08.2009
• Subjects: Animals; Animals, Suckling; Calves; Cervus elaphus; congenital; Deer; Diseases; Fatal Outcome; Female; Greece; Malnutrition - complications; Malnutrition - drug therapy; Malnutrition - pathology; Malnutrition - veterinary; Muscles; nutritional myodegeneration; Red deer; selenium; Selenium - administration & dosage; Selenium - deficiency; Treatment; vitamin E; white muscle disease; White Muscle Disease - congenital; White Muscle Disease - drug therapy; White Muscle Disease - pathology; Greece
• ISSN: 0048-0169; 1176-0710; 1176-0710
• DOI: 10.1080/00480169.2009.36910

CASE HISTORY A 5-day-old red deer calf was submitted with tachypnoea and dyspnoea, and was reluctant to move. CLINICAL FINDINGS: Muscular damage was established via elevated creatinine phosphokinase (CPK) activities (5,000 U/L), while concentrations of Se in whole blood were low (24.8 nmol/L). The animal died despite treatment with penicillin-streptomycin and 0.1 mg/kg Se/vitamin E administered by S/C injection. DIAGNOSIS: Necropsy and histological examination of cardiac and skeletal muscle confirmed the presumptive diagnosis of congenital white muscle disease (WMD). Prophylactic administration of a Se/vitamin E commercial preparation (as above) to another calf born in the same herd one month later was associated with good health and apparently normal growth and development. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Congenital WMD due to Se deficiency can be fatal in red deer calves. However, prophylactic administration of Se and vitamin E to neonatal calves may be beneficial for neonatal red deer calves.