Question:

I have been told that llamas need to be fed high levels of selenium. I have a whole
bunch of questions. Why do they need high levels? What are high levels? How do
you recommend feeding selenium?

Answer:

Please let me begin my answer with a disclaimer. I am not a nutritionist. Having said
that, our herd has several times over the years been a part of nutrition and selenium
studies. In addition our herd is the test herd to a major llama feed manufacturer. I will
share what I have learned with regard to selenium and llamas.

Recommended Levels

It is well documented that the selenium levels in the Andes Mountains of South America
are much higher than most of North America. Thus, the llama has had a high selenium diet
for thousands of years.

The amount of selenium that needs to be fed depends on the soil levels and that differs
greatly depending on the location. For example, Ohio soil is very low in selenium while
part of the northern Rocky Mountains is relatively high in selenium.

The only way to determine the amount of selenium that one needs to feed is to test a cross
section of your llama herd. The accepted, recommended level of selenium in llama blood
serum is 200 nanograms per milliliter. Only after determining the current level in a given
herd can one determine how much selenium to feed.

Selenium Benefits

We have learned over the past 20 years that there are many benefits when high selenium
levels are maintained in llamas. In the late 80's, our herd was involved in three different
selenium studies in conjunction with the late Dr. Jim Vickers and Michigan State
University.

1. The first study was conducted to determine if there was a difference in cria birth weight
with an increase in selenium in the dam. I don't remember the specific percentages, but
there was a significant increase in cria birth weight and an increase in newborn suck
response when high selenium levels were maintained in the dam.

2. We then also took part in a study that measured the llamas' selenium levels before and
after periods of stress, including heat stress.

The selenium levels were measured and a BoSe injection was given to the llamas. In
normal non-stress herd conditions the blood serum selenium level was elevated for
approximately 3 weeks. However, during periods of stress, the blood serum selenium
levels were only elevated for about 5 days.

We concluded that llamas with high blood serum levels of selenium had an overall greater
tolerance to periods of stress and that during periods of stress they seemed to use a large
amount of the selenium that was available in their bodies.

3. The third study that we participated in was a selenium overdose study. Three geldings
were given increased levels of selenium until their blood serum levels were 8 to 10 times
the normal 200 nanograms per milliliter in blood serum. Although all 3 animals displayed
evidence of depression and there was some wool was loss at the higher levels, none of
them became ill and all returned to normal good heath when the dosages were reduced to
normal levels.

The conclusion was that feeding selenium to llamas at a higher level than other livestock
was not harmful to their health. In fact it appeared that it would be very difficult to
overdose a llama with selenium with standard feeding methods.

It has also been shown that high selenium levels reduce the incident of white muscle
disease, which is a usual byproduct of heat stress. It is well documented that llamas with
high blood levels of selenium are simply not as susceptible to heat stress. Thus, feeding
high levels of selenium may very will be more important in the summer than in the
winter. An interesting side note is that llama feed manufacturers, with high levels of
selenium in their feed, tell me that they sell much less feed in the summer then in the
winter. It seems that when llama owners turn their animals to pasture in the spring they
quit feeding the llamas supplement until fall. During the summer is when the llamas really
need additional selenium to prevent white muscle disease due to heat stress.

We have concluded that feeding the recommended higher levels of selenium benefit the
llama in at least the following ways:

1. Larger cria birth weights;

2. Greater new cria suck responses;

3. Better cria health in general;

4. Greater tolerance to stress situations;

5. Reduction of white muscle disease due to heat stress;

6. Fewer incidences of heat stress;

7. Greater overall herd health.

Feeding Methods

There are at least 4 ways to maintain high levels of selenium in your llama herd.

1. You can give BoSe injections approximately every 3 weeks and more often during
periods of stress. This would not be my method of choice.

2. You may be lucky enough to live in an area of the country where the soil levels are high
in selenium. The only way to be certain is to test the soil and to do blood work on your
llamas.

3. You can feed free choice trace minerals that have high selenium levels. The problem
with feeding free choice trace minerals is that some llamas will eat much more than they
need while others will not touch it. You may end up with inconsistency in the levels
throughout the herd. There are several manufacturers of llama supplements that have high
selenium. The one that I am most familiar with is Stillwater Minerals.

4. The most effective method is to feed a daily llama feed (pellet or crumble) that is not to
high in protein but has the recommended level of selenium and all the other vitamins,
minerals, and trace minerals for your specific area of the country that is recommended for
llamas. This assures year round better health and tends to be the most consistent method
of maintaining good health in the entire herd. There are a number of companies that
produce a llama ration both on a regional and national level. My purpose here is not to
compare llama feeds but to encourage all llama owners to address the subject of proper
selenium levels and good nutrition. We have used the Llama Ration from Hubbard Milling
for many years and continue to be pleased with their product. We feed a pound a day per
llama and that pound of pellets has 5 parts per million of selenium. The selenium levels in
the blood serum of our llama herd continues to be 200n/g per milliliter ± 12 percent
depending on the individual animal.

In conclusion, llamas do require a higher level of selenium than other livestock to maintain
good health. The only effective method of maintaining the proper levels in your llama herd
is to draw blood and test the herd. Only then can you decide how much selenium you need
to feed in your daily, year round llama ration.

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