Retained Placenta of Holstein Cows Treated with Selenium and Vitamin E

An injection of 50 mg of selenium as selenite in combination with 680 1U of vitamin E as c~-tocopherol acetate was administered approximately 20 days prepartum to Holstein cows in four North Carolina herds within Guilford and Alamance Counties in an attempt to reduce the incidence of retained placenta.This was reduced in cows considered borderline deficient of selenium concentration in serum prior to supplementation, but the incidence was not reduced by treatment in cows considered adequate or extremely deficient in selenium prior to supplementation.Serum selenium for cows in each herd was elevated by supplementation.