Home › Animalia › Animal health › Animal diseases › White muscle disease
White muscle disease
Selenium and vitamin E protect muscle cells from wear and tear linked to the normal functioning of the body. When they are missing, the muscles deteriorate: they lose their color, become pale, streaked with white - hence the name given to t...
What is it?
Selenium and vitamin E protect muscle cells from wear and tear linked to the normal functioning of the body. When they are missing, the muscles deteriorate: they lose their color, become pale, streaked with white - hence the name given to this disease.
It mainly affects growing calves and young cattle, often in the weeks following birth or after being put out to grass.
Two forms coexist. A form affecting the muscles of the limbs: the animal is stiff, staggers, lies down and no longer gets up, while it remains lively and tries to suckle. A form affecting the heart muscle, much more serious, which causes sudden death, sometimes without any prior signs.
Key point
A young bovine that lies down and does not get up must be seen quickly, and the sudden death of an apparently healthy calf must raise suspicion of heart muscle damage, with an immediate risk for the rest of the herd.
Commonly observed signs
These signs are neither exhaustive nor specific. Only a veterinarian can establish a diagnosis.
Related signs — each one links to its page:
In calves or young cattle, often sudden appearance after exertion or movement.
Stiff and staggering gait, arched back, animal trembling on its limbs.
Lameness without visible injury, refusal to move, difficult support on the hindquarters.
Lying animal that can no longer get up even though it remains attentive and tries to suckle: this contrast between vigilance and helplessness is very evocative.
Thigh and shoulder muscles hard, swollen, painful on pressure.
Extreme fatigue at the slightest effort.
Dark, brownish urine, due to pigments released by damaged muscle.
Difficulty sucking and swallowing when the tongue and throat muscles are affected; milk may come out of the nose.
In the cardiac form: rapid and difficult breathing, slaughtered animal, foam at the nostrils, and often sudden death without warning signs, sometimes found in the morning.
In discrete cases, only stunted growth and reduced vitality of the lot attract attention.
When to consult without delay
This list does not replace veterinary advice. It gathers situations that justify a prompt consultation.
Causes and risk factors
Lack of selenium in the ration, often because the soils of the region are poor and the fodder grown there is also poor.
Lack of vitamin E, common with rations based on preserved fodder: silage, aged or poorly dried hay contain much less than green grass.
The two deficiencies often combine, because one partially compensates for the other.
A mother deficient during gestation gives birth to a calf whose reserves are insufficient from the first day.
Rations high in unsaturated fats or oils, which increase vitamin E needs.
Unusual effort, transport, handling or putting out to grass trigger the signs in an already deficient animal.
Rapidly growing calves and young cattle: these are the first to be affected.
Animals born to non-supplemented mothers during the dry period.
Regions and soils poor in selenium.
Winter rations based on preserved fodder, without green grass or supplementation.
Fodder harvested in poor conditions, stored for a long time, or heated silage.
Periods of putting out to grass, transport, sorting or handling, which trigger crises.
Absence of mineral and vitamin supplements, or supplements unsuitable for the local context.
Diagnosis and care
Diagnosis is the veterinarian's responsibility, based on clinical examination and laboratory tests. Care is decided case by case.
The veterinarian examines the animal standing and lying down, palpates the muscle masses for pain and hardness, and listens to the heart.
He takes stock of the history of the lot: mothers' ration, supplementation, type of fodder, recent event preceding the signs.
A blood test highlights the enzymes released by the damaged muscle and allows the selenium and vitamin E status to be measured, both in the sick animal and in its apparently healthy counterparts.
An analysis of the forages and the ration completes the evaluation at the herd level.
It rules out other causes of an animal lying down or staggering: trauma, nerve damage, joint infection, poisoning, arthritis of the young, infectious disease.
In the event of sudden death, a post-mortem examination often makes it possible to decide and guide the course of action for the rest of the group.
Treatment
The treatment is based on the intake of selenium and vitamin E, prescribed and administered by the veterinarian. The margin between the useful dose and the toxic dose of selenium being narrow, this product should never be administered on its own initiative or renewed without advice.
Supportive care is just as important: thick, non-slippery bedding, animal kept in a sternal position and turned regularly if it does not get up, colostrum or milk given carefully, protection against cold and drafts.
If the animal can no longer suck or swallow properly, the veterinarian decides on the feeding method: never force feeding on a calf that does not swallow, the milk would pass into the lungs.
As soon as a case is confirmed, the entire batch is affected: the supplementation of conspecifics and mothers must be reviewed immediately with the veterinarian.
Affected animals must be left calm: any additional effort aggravates muscle destruction.
Treatment depends on the cause and the animal's condition: it must be determined by a veterinarian. No self-medication.
Prevention
Prevention is as much about the mother as it is about the young person.
Supplement pregnant cows with selenium and vitamin E during the drying period, according to the needs established by analyses: the calf is then born with reserves.
Use a mineral and vitamin supplement adapted to your region, chosen with the veterinarian, and ensure permanent access to all animals in the group.
Monitor the quality of the fodder: green grass is rich in vitamin E, fodder stored for a long time contains significantly less. A long winter without supplementation is a risky situation.
Avoid brutal efforts among young people from groups at risk: gradual exit to the meadow, limited and calm transport, gentle handling.
Review management as soon as a calf dies suddenly or a youngster lies down for no apparent reason: cases rarely come alone.
Never supplement selenium randomly: excess is toxic and can kill as surely as deficiency.
Possible complications
Sudden death from damage to the heart muscle, sometimes without any prior signs.
False swallowing pneumonia in animals whose throat muscles are affected, or after forced drinking.
Kidney damage by pigments released by destroyed muscle, visible by very dark urine.
Incomplete recovery with persistent weakness and lasting growth retardation.
Bed sores, nerve and muscle damage in animals lying down for a long time.
Appearance of other cases in the same batch in the following days, if the ration is not corrected.
When to see a veterinarian
A calf or young bovine lies down and does not get up even though it remains lively and tries to suckle: call immediately.
He staggers, trembles, walks stiffly or refuses to move after going out to the meadow or being transported.
His urine is brown or very dark.
He breathes quickly, seems depressed, or milk comes out of his nostrils when he suckles.
A young animal has died suddenly without prior signs: have the rest of the lot examined.
Several young people from the same batch grow poorly and lack vitality.
Prognosis
The form affecting the muscles of the limbs often responds well to treatment when it is caught early: the animal gets up in a few days and recovers gradually.
Complete recovery of muscle mass requires several weeks and strict rest.
The cardiac form has a very poor prognosis: many animals die before any treatment.
Animals that have been lying down for a long time recover poorly and remain stunted in growth.
As long as the ration and supplementation are not corrected, other cases appear in the batch.
Frequently asked questions
Why is my calf lively even though it can no longer get up?
Because the disease affects the muscles, not the brain. The animal is fully conscious, it tries to suckle and follows with its gaze, but its muscles no longer support it. This contrast is very evocative of this disease.
Can I give a selenium injection myself?
No. The margin between the useful quantity and the toxic quantity is narrow, and repeated or cumulative administration with an already enriched mineral can kill the animal. Selenium is prescribed and administered under veterinary supervision.
Only one calf is affected, should I treat the whole batch?
At a minimum, the entire lot must be evaluated. The deficiency comes from the ration and the reserves transmitted by the mothers: conspecifics are in the same situation and can trigger the signs at the first effort. The behavior is decided with the veterinarian.
Why does the disease appear after turning out to grass?
Because the effort reveals the muscular fragility already installed. A deficient calf may appear normal at rest and collapse after running in a meadow or after transport.
References
FAO — Organisation des Nations unies pour l'alimentation et l'agriculture
EFSA — Autorité européenne de sécurité des aliments
Content reviewed by the TunisieVet editorial team · Updated 09 August 2026
AT A GLANCE
Need a veterinarian?
Find a practitioner near you on TunisieVet, with their specialities, hours and contact details.
Find a veterinarianAffected species
This information is provided for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for a veterinary consultation. If you have any concerns about your animal's health, consult a veterinarian.
To discover
Related diseases and linked Animalia content.
Rabies
Viral · Vaccine available
Babesiosis
Parasitic
Leptospirosis
Bacterial · Vaccine available
Foot-and-mouth disease
Viral · Vaccine available