# Bo Se concerns for pregnant doe



## TRAILRIDER (Apr 16, 2007)

Hello All, I was reading the other thread about the kid born with a floppy leg and really started to worry. Mygoat and some others mentioned giving the doe BoSe 1 month before kidding. 
The doe I'm concerned about is due Feb 3rd. I gave all my goats thier Bo Se in mid November since all were in need of it then. I think it was about 1/2 cc for ea 50 #. I gave her 1.5 ccs (if I remember right). Her hind toes are growing a little "snow shoe" like, curving upward. I know this has occured in the past with a few of my goats, due to lack of selenium. She in particular gets this way. I also see thier feet improve soon after getting the BoSe.
I know she needs more selenium. But she is less than a month away.
Is it too close to her due date to dose her again with BoSe?
I am very concerned her kids might have issues caused by lack of selenium. Our area is very deficient. Please could some one advise me?


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## Alice In TX/MO (May 10, 2002)

Not a problem at all. Dose her.


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## Caprice Acres (Mar 6, 2005)

BoSe dose I use is 1cc per 40lbs. 

I give a dose to everybody 2-4 weeks before the start of the breeding season. I also copper bolus, deworm if necessary, trim hooves at the same time. 

CDT, BoSe, and Copper given 1 month pre-kidding as well.


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## TRAILRIDER (Apr 16, 2007)

Thank you for the advice. 

I will give her the BoSe tonight when I get home. Perhaps I should increase the amount, the breeder I bought this doe from said our area was very deficient and she doses them at higher amounts with no problem. 

I have two does due in April. They could both use copper and BoSe again too. If they look good for a while I'll dose them a month before kidding when I'm giving their Cd&T shots.


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## TRAILRIDER (Apr 16, 2007)

You are correct mygoat, this site reccomends 1 ml for 40#, and 5 wks and 2 wks before due date. 
http://fiascofarm.com/goats/medications.htm#vit
I'll be doing the sub Q thing tonight!


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## harvestmoonfarm (Nov 24, 2012)

My vet told me last year that BoSE has been shown to cause more harm than good in pregnant does, and that it has been known to cause death. I have no experience either way, but just wanted to put that out there.


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## TRAILRIDER (Apr 16, 2007)

:doh: Oh great. Why did I check back for more advice? 

I don't want to do any harm.

But I know she is showing signs of selenium deficiency.

And selenium deficiency can cause birthing problems  

And I'll be all alone....first time kidding (for me, second time around for the doe)

Please someone, set me straight. "Goat wisdom" recommends the Bose for a pregnant doe. Ugh.......this is the ime of the pregnancy when I start to get paranoid and flaky. Sorry.


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## SpiderLegs (Jul 14, 2011)

We have done it for years and have never seen any issues. We do it at a higher rate too.


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## CaliannG (Apr 29, 2005)

I had a vet tell me that too, harvestmoonfarms.....of course, this was the SAME vet that looked at my crinkly-coated, black-hair-turned-to-rust goats and told me that if I gave them a copper bolus, I would kill them with copper toxicity. 

Never had any issues giving a goat a Bo-Se shot. Folks need to remember that it has selenium, but it is mostly Vitamin E, when they need to use the selenium.

Mu-Se shots can cause problems, as they have much higher amounts of selenium; but I have never heard of anyone having an issue with Bo-Se.

I do Bo-Se 2-4 weeks before delivery. Never had an issue.


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## Lizza (Nov 30, 2005)

I, of course, don't know Harvestmoon's vet but would if Calliann isn't right and wonder if he/she (the vet) was talking about Mu-Se, this is for Cows, the Bo-Se is for goats & sheep. Large animal vets usually are more knowledgeable about cattle. I can see Mu-Se causing problems for goats if not given at the correct dose for goats. 

Both my regular vets recommend Bo-Se 2-4 weeks before delivery for selenium deficiency but we live in a very deficient area. Selenium deficiency can cause both delivery problems and kid problems. We give Bo-Se at breeding and then again at the 2-4 weeks before kidding. I think we went to a lower dose 4 times a year, would have to check that with my daughter.


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## mammabooh (Sep 1, 2004)

CaliannG said:


> I had a vet tell me that too, harvestmoonfarms.....of course, this was the SAME vet that looked at my crinkly-coated, black-hair-turned-to-rust goats and told me that if I gave them a copper bolus, I would kill them with copper toxicity.
> 
> Never had any issues giving a goat a Bo-Se shot. Folks need to remember that it has selenium, but it is mostly Vitamin E, when they need to use the selenium.
> 
> ...


 Are you giving the bo-se even though you're giving replamin?


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## CaliannG (Apr 29, 2005)

I plan to evaluate about 4 weeks before anyone kids...if I detect any sign of deficiency, they will get Bo-Se.

It is highly individual. I will likely always Bo-Se Mardis Gras, no matter how much Replamin she eats. Brie, however, has only every gotten it as a safeguard, and I doubt that she will get it now that she is on the Replamin.


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## mammabooh (Sep 1, 2004)

CaliannG said:


> I plan to evaluate about 4 weeks before anyone kids...if I detect any sign of deficiency, they will get Bo-Se.
> 
> It is highly individual. I will likely always Bo-Se Mardis Gras, no matter how much Replamin she eats. Brie, however, has only every gotten it as a safeguard, and I doubt that she will get it now that she is on the Replamin.


What signs would you look for?


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## CaliannG (Apr 29, 2005)

Toes getting elf-points, getting soft, or trying to fold under as they grow. Milk going "off" before 3 weeks, slowing down of activity or looking like they are tired all the time, thin coats, or garlic breath are all signs of selenium deficiency.


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## "SPIKE" (Dec 7, 2011)

I guess sometimes it is hard to know what/who to believe. The feed I use and the minerals I use both come from the Tennessee Farmer's Co-op. Both contain selenium along with other vitamins and minerals. My area is a bit low of selenium, but not totally defecient. The people I got my goats from have a large herd and do not BO-SE. The local vet said in our area and with what I feed the goats, it was not necessary and you can overdose. The sign of deficency and overdose are the same (That is what I read but I have no link). My goats do show any signs.
I'm still on the fence and I hope that does not cause my goats any problems. If I have kidding problems this year, I may blame myself and rethink this.

It is not my intentions to create additional confusion for you. 
Check your feed.
Check your minerals.
Check the selenium map for your area.
Check with other reputable goat owners in your area.
Heck, I don't know.

SPIKE


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## Crazy Farmgirl (Oct 21, 2012)

My area is very deficient for Se. My Vet (who is very knowledgeable about goats) suggested to use Bo-Se dosed at 1ml/40# 2-4wks prior to breeding and 2-4wks prior to kidding (basically every 6mo), in the 6mo when the does are not bred and signs are noted he suggested dosing at 1ml/80# (hope that's not too confusing). He suggested NOT using minerals that had higher levels of Se, as it is difficult to know how much they are getting, but rather to use the Bo-Se (you can be sure what they are getting)and evaluate the goats individually for signs of deficiency. I have done it this way for a long time and never had issues with overdose, only my heavy milkers have needed any more than the every 6 mo ( they put a lot in the bucket).


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## TRAILRIDER (Apr 16, 2007)

Thank you everyone. A good night's sleep makes a world of difference doesn't it? 

I gave it alot of thought and there would be a very small chance of doing harm if I gave the BoSe, a very big chance of doing harm if I didn't (since she is already showing signs of deficiency.) So I gave two of the girls BoSe last night @ about 1cc for 40 - 50 pounds. This morning both girls were bright eyed and happy, raring to go. Still alive and all! LOL! Going to keep an eye on the others and dose them when they are a few weeks away from due date. 

Thanks again everyone.


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