Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Uterine Inertia due to Severe Selenium Deficiency in a Parturient Mare.
- Journal:
- Journal of equine veterinary science
- Year:
- 2020
- Authors:
- Busse, Nicolas I & Uberti, Benjamin
- Affiliation:
- Department of Animal and Poultry Sciences
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
A 12-year-old mare, who had previously given birth and was a show jumper, was taken to the vet because she was a week overdue and showing mild signs of colic (abdominal pain). After checking for other possible reasons for her difficulties in giving birth, the vets found that her uterus wasn't responding as it should, a condition known as uterine inertia. They tried giving her oxytocin, a hormone that helps with labor, but it didn't work. The mare ended up needing a C-section to deliver a live filly, who was born with a serious condition called white muscle disease, which required a lot of medical care. Tests later showed that the mare had a severe deficiency of selenium, a nutrient important for muscle health, which contributed to her birthing problems.
Abstract
A 12-year-old, multiparous, parturient show jumper embryo-recipient mare presented at a veterinary hospital, seven days past her due date and with a dilated cervix, for evaluation of mild colic. Gastrointestinal or metabolic abnormalities and fetal maldispositions were excluded as causes of dystocia, and a diagnosis of uterine inertia was made. There was no uterine response to oxytocin treatment. A live filly was delivered via C-section, and severe selenium deficiency was eventually confirmed in the mare, her offspring, and in the herd of origin. The filly was born with severe white muscle disease and required intensive treatment. This report suggests that selenium deficiency is an underlying cause of equine uterine inertia in the absence of other causes of dystocia.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31952635/