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

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.