Every little helps
Jonathan: 0.000000025 kg to be precise – of Selenium. A very little indeed, but all the help that our lamb U9 needs right now. A few days ago she started trembling uncontrollably, in spasms every second or so. At first we thought she was cold (it was a biting north east wind!) and gave here extra shelter and warmth. She lost appetite: we thought she’d got pneumonia. Then she seemed to have difficulties with her back legs, and then we started to wonder what was going on. A little internet research and we had a clear answer – WMD No, not that WMD! White Muscle Diseaseis a form of muscular dystrophy believed to be caused by a lack of either Vitamen E or Selenium, or possibly both, but with our croft grazing being of thin peat on gneiss rock, it’s likely to be the Selenium. Yesterday we checked out the recommended daily amounts, and compared those with the info on a tub of multi-vitamin tablets bought from the ‘every little helps’ supermarket a few years ago on the mainland. After a quick calculation, then two tablets were pushed to the back of U9’s mouth, followed by a bit of head-tossing and then crunching. This morning she’s no longer trembling, is walking more easily and her appetite is almost fully restored! So, for the next week or so, one tablet per day. Apparently selenium is essential for enzymes which convert milk into lamb. And if one thing is certain, it’s that over the past fortnight U9 has consumed a great deal of milk!
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