Selenium
A selenium test measures selenium, a trace mineral that cows and buffaloes need for healthy muscles, immunity and fertility. It can help a vet check whether an animal or herd may be short of selenium, or getting too much.
- Sample
- Serum or whole blood
- Quantity
- As advised
- Report
- Confirmed when you book
- Collection
- Free in Bhopal
What this test checks
- The level of selenium in serum or whole blood
- Whether a cow, buffalo or group of animals may be short of selenium
- Possible excess selenium, which can also harm animals
When your vet may advise it
- Calves born weak, or young calves that are stiff, slow or struggle to stand
- Several animals in a herd with retained placenta after calving
- Repeat breeding or poor fertility in a herd, along with other checks
- Planned herd mineral reviews, when your vet advises testing a few animals
About this test
Selenium is needed only in tiny amounts, but it works with vitamin E to protect muscle and other cells from damage. In cows and buffaloes, low selenium has been linked to weak or stiff young calves (white muscle disease), a retained placenta after calving, poor fertility and weaker resistance to infection. Too much selenium is also harmful. It can be measured in serum or whole blood, and the two reflect recent and longer-term intake a little differently, so the sample type is confirmed when booking. A registered veterinarian interprets the result for the animal or herd, together with signs, history and other tests.
How to prepare
Your vet or the lab will say whether serum or whole blood is needed, and which tube to use, before the sample is taken. The lab confirms the method, sample needs and reporting time when you book.
Questions about Selenium
What is white muscle disease in calves?
Does one selenium test show the whole herd's status?
Before you book this test
Why this notice: so you know, before you book, how a test is done, what its limits are and who is responsible.
- Where it is tested. Some tests are done wholly or partly by an independent partner laboratory. The lab tells you before booking if this test is sent out, and the report names the laboratory that did it.
- What a result can and cannot tell you. No test is right every time. A normal result does not rule out every disease, and an abnormal result does not prove one. A registered veterinarian should read the report with the animal’s signs and history before any treatment is started, changed or stopped.
- The sample. A sample that is clotted, too small, wrongly labelled, leaking or too old may be rejected or reported with a note, and the lab may ask for a fresh one.
- Reporting time. Confirmed when you book. Times are estimates, not guarantees, and the lab confirms the time when you book.
- Emergencies. A booking or a pending report must not delay urgent care. If an animal has collapsed, struggles to breathe, has fits or bleeds heavily, call a veterinarian at once.
Please read our Terms of Service, Medical Disclaimer, Privacy Policy and Refund and Cancellation Policy. Pashupatinath Vet Lab is operated by Duaji Healthcare and Tech Private Limited. This page is general information and does not replace a veterinarian’s advice.
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Selenium: Bhopal and the big cities of Madhya Pradesh
Free sample collection anywhere in Bhopal. From the other cities, send the sample by courier, bus parcel or through your local veterinarian, and the report comes to you online.
Free collection in these Bhopal areas
Read more
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18 Oct 2026