Nutritional Deficiency
Calves, Kids & Lambs
White Muscle Disease — Selenium and Vitamin E Shortage in Young Stock
Updated 17 Oct 2026 • By Falah Nutrition Desk, Animal Nutrition Advisor
A strong-looking calf or lamb that suddenly goes stiff, cannot get up, or drops dead after running is often not a mystery death. It is white muscle disease, caused by too little selenium and vitamin E — minerals that many hill soils, and therefore the fodder grown on them, simply do not contain enough of.
Common Signs
- Young animals a few days to a few months old
- Stiff, stilted walk; reluctance to move; standing with back arched
- Unable to rise, yet alert and willing to suckle
- Rapid breathing or sudden death after exertion (heart muscle form)
- Swollen, hard muscles of the hindquarters
- Several youngsters affected in a season on the same farm
Possible Causes
- Low-selenium soils (common in hilly ground) giving low-selenium fodder
- Dams fed only straw and home-grown fodder with no mineral mixture in late pregnancy
- Old, badly stored fodder losing its vitamin E
- Fast-growing youngsters outrunning their reserves
- Stress or exertion triggering the muscle damage
What the Farmer Should Check
- Did the mother get mineral mixture through the last months of pregnancy?
- Is the young animal alert but unable to stand, with no fever?
- Are the hind muscles firm and painful?
- Has the vet checked blood selenium, or is the farm already known for it?
- Is the fodder old and weathered?
Feed Guidance
Prevention runs through the mother. A pregnant cow, doe or ewe on a mineral mixture daily, and on a complete compound feed in the last two months, passes selenium and vitamin E to the young one before and through colostrum: GOKA Dry Feed then GOKA Transition −21 for cows, GOKA Premium Goat & Sheep Feed for the flock. After birth, calf starter with its mineral premix continues the supply — GOKA Calf Starter from day four. Feed fresh fodder rather than weathered stacks. An affected youngster needs the vet's selenium-vitamin E injection; feed alone will not reverse damaged muscle.
Relevant GOKA Products
Calves (Cow & Buffalo)
Rapid growth - up to 200 kg by 5 months
Pregnant Cows & Buffaloes (Dry Stage)
Healthy dry period, trouble-free calving
When to Contact a Veterinary Doctor
A young animal that cannot rise needs a veterinary doctor the same day; a selenium-vitamin E injection given early can save it, and the vet will advise on treating the rest of the group and the dams.
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