Selenium and Vitamin E and Incidence of Retained Placenta in Parturient Dairy Cows. II. Prevention in Commercial Herds with Prepartum Treatment

Abstract

In a series of field experiments in Ohio [USA] involving 193 parturient Holstein and Guernsey cows, the prophylactic efficacy of Se and vitamin E was tested under field conditions. Herds initially were chosen because of a chronic problem with retained placenta which could not be related to a known etiological factor. Each herd was divided into 3 groups. Group A received an injection of 50 mg of sodium selenite 40 days prepartum and 680 units of alpha tocopherol acetate followed by the same treatment 20 days prepartum. Group B received a single injection of 50 mg of sodium selenite 20 days prepartum, and 680 IU of vitamin E. Group C served as the control. Incidence of retained placenta was reduced from a mean of 51.2% in control cows to 8.8% for animals injected with Se and vitamine E. No differences in efficacy were between Group A and B, the single 20 day prepartum injection of 50 mg of sodium selenite and 680 IU of alpha tocopherol acetate is apparently an effective prophylactic for prevention of retained placenta.