Abstract The beneficial effects of nutritional or parenteral administration of vitamin E (vit E) and selenium (Se) have not been universal among studies, and potentially con- founding factors, such as Se or vit E status at the time of administration, duration and dose, and preexisting inci- dence of disease within a herd before administration, can all affect the outcome of treatment. Forty calves were used in the present study. The animals were divided into two groups (test, n=20; control, n=20). The two groups of calves were homogeneous for parity of dams, sex, and month of birth. In the test group, vit E and Se were injected at a dose of 300 U vit E (α-tocopherol acetate) plus 6 mg Se (sodium selenite) per 45 kg body weight (vit E + Se, BASF, Spain) at 24–48 h and 14 days after birth. Sampling was conducted from the jugular vein between 24 and 48 h after birth (before drug administration in the test group) and days 7, 14, 21, and 28, and erythrogram, leukogram, total serum protein, and fibrinogen amounts were determined. The amounts of beta and gamma globulins and the osmotic fragility of red blood cells were measured only at the end of the trial. Calves were weighed after birth, at days 7, 14, 21, and 28, and after 3 months. A general linear model showed significant changes for packed cell volume (PCV), fibrin- ogen, neutrophil, lymphocyte, and monocyte levels in the control group and total protein and lymphocyte in the test group, but interaction between sampling time and group for all parameters was not significant. White blood cells and hemoglobin levels at the third week and PCV and beta globulin amounts at the fourth week of study showed significant differences between groups (p<0.05). There were no significant differences for other measured param- eters and weight gain between groups.

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