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

A 5-day-old red deer calf was submitted with tachypnoea and dyspnoea, and was reluctant to move.

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 and streptomycin and 0.1 mg/kg Se/vitamin E administered by S/C injection.

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.

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.