White Muscle Disease has been observed in captive gliders in Australia and the USA. Symptoms of white muscle disease are very similar to those of secondary nutritional hyperparathyroidism and it presents as another type of nutritional osteodystrophy (commonly referred to as HLP or hind leg paralysis). It is important to distinguish between these two conditions because the cause and treatment are different. An injection of Bo-se (or vitamin E or selenium depending upon the nutritional cause) is the usual treatment for white muscle disease and a calcium injection treats hlp. If an animal presents with reluctance to move, stiff or uncoordinated movement, appearing to have difficulty maintaining balance, difficulty holding onto the bars of the cage, and perhaps difficulty breathing or head lolling, a vet must determine which nutritional imbalance is causing the symptoms.
White muscle disease is most commonly seen in hooved stock and results from an imbalance of selenium and vitamin E in the animal's diet. It is not, however, confined to hooved animals. All mammals are susceptible to this condition, even anorexic humans receiving parenteral nutrition develop this condition.
Gliders require a balance of vitamin E and selenium in their diets. This is best accomplished by feeding a nutritionally balanced diet. Check the label of the insectivore mix or cat food that you feed. Wombaroo supplements contain this balance but not all glider specific foods do. They should all contain balanced vitamin E/selenium. Some reptile vitamins do not contain selenium and are very high in vitamin E. This can promote the nutritional imbalance that causes white muscle disease.
White muscle disease can affect the skeletal muscles (nutritional osteodystrophy) and/or the cardiac muscle (nutritional myopathy). Immediate appropriate veterinary diagnosis and intervention followed by a dietary correction are usually effective in restoring health unless the owner has waited far too long to seek veterinary care.
When the heart is involved, cardiac muscle cells and Purkinje fibers may be damaged. Pleural, pericardial, and peritoneal effusions with pulmonary congestion and edema are not uncommon. Serum hisotology will show decreased levels of selenium, vitamin E, and glutathione peroxidase in the serum and tissues and increased levels of CK and AST in the serum.
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