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Dogs may be at risk from high levels of lead from shotgun pellets in raw pheasant dog food, study finds

cg605 — Wed, 03 May 2023 00:01:30 +0000

Lead is a toxic metal that negatively affects body systems of people and animals, with the nervous system being particularly sensitive. Although elevated levels of dietary lead are potentially damaging to animal health, lead shot can be legally used for hunting terrestrial gamebirds, like pheasants, in the UK. While most pheasants are eaten by people, some are used in petfood.

Cambridge researchers analysed 90 samples taken from three raw pheasant dog food products bought in the UK and found that 77% of samples had lead concentrations exceeding the maximum residue level (MRL) permitted in animal feed according to law. Mean lead concentrations of the three products were approximately 245, 135 and 49 times higher than the MRL.

̽��ֱ��results are published today in the journal Ambio.

“We were already aware that lead concentrations in pheasant meat sold for human consumption are often far higher than would be permitted in other meats like chicken, beef or pork” said lead author Professor Debbie Pain of Cambridge’s Zoology Department. “However, we were surprised to find that lead concentrations in raw pheasant dog food products were so much higher”

̽��ֱ��mean lead concentration in the raw pheasant dog food analysed was 34 times higher than that recently reported in pheasant meat sold for people to eat, which itself is considered to be too high. Researchers say this could be because raw pheasant meat is normally minced when used for dogfood whereas whole birds or pheasant breasts are generally sold for human consumption. Mincing may fragment lead shot, increasing the number of small lead particles in the meat and the potential for lead to be absorbed into the bloodstream.

̽��ֱ��researchers say that dogs eating food with such high concentrations of lead, especially if they are fed on it frequently or as their main diet, are at risk of harm to their health. Puppies are particularly vulnerable both because young animals tend to absorb more of the lead they swallow than full-grown animals, and the developing nervous system is particularly affected by lead.

̽��ֱ��scientists tested five pheasant-based dog food products. Three of these were raw meat products, one was a dried pheasant and partridge product, and one was a processed tinned pheasant and goose-based product. Three equivalent chicken-based petfood products (raw meat, dried and processed) were also assessed.

In addition to the raw pheasant dog food, levels of lead above the MRL were identified in some samples of the dried pheasant-based product, although the mean concentration was far lower than in the raw products. None of the samples from the chicken-based products or the tinned pheasant and goose-based product contained unacceptable levels of lead.

̽��ֱ��popularity of raw meat diets for pets is increasing across the UK – a nation which is home to an estimated 13 million dogs and 12 million cats. ̽��ֱ��researchers found that raw dog food including pheasant meat was widely available in the UK. Raw pheasant pet food was sold by 34% of the 50 online raw pet food suppliers they checked – 71% of these stated that the meat may contain shot.

“ ̽��ֱ��fact that most samples from three randomly sampled raw pheasant pet food products had very high lead concentrations, and that our recent research on shot types used to kill pheasants found that 94% are shot with lead, suggests that this is a far broader issue than for just these three products,” said co-author Professor Rhys Green. “However, some producers may source pheasants that have not been shot with lead, and owners could ask about this when buying pet food.”

̽��ֱ��study of shot types in pheasants sold for human consumption is part of a body of research assessing the effectiveness of a voluntary ban in the UK on lead shotgun ammunition to shoot wild quarry, which is being phased in over a five-year period from February 2020. Nine major shooting organisations committed to this, for sustainability reasons, considering wildlife, the environment and also to ensure a market for the healthiest game products.

Cambridge scientists have consistently found compliance with the voluntary ban to be low, which is in line with other studies investigating other voluntary bans. However, a total ban in Denmark has been shown to be very effective.

A ban on the sale and use of lead gunshot, along with restrictions on lead bullets, is currently being considered under the UK REACH Chemicals Regulation.

̽��ֱ��analytical costs of this research were funded by Wild Justice.

D. Pain, R. E. Green, N. Bates, M. Guiu, M. A. Taggart, Lead concentrations in commercial dogfood containing pheasant in the UK, Ambio. DOI: 10.1007/s13280-023-01856-x

Researchers tested samples of raw pheasant dog food and discovered that the majority contained high levels of lead that could put dogs’ health at risk if they eat it frequently.

24K-Production / iStock / Getty Images Plus

Dog eating raw meat

̽��ֱ��text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Images, including our videos, are Copyright © ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified. All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways – as here, on our main website under its Terms and conditions, and on a range of channels including social media that permit your use and sharing of our content under their respective Terms.

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Pheasant meat sold for food found to contain many tiny shards of toxic lead

jg533 — Mon, 22 Aug 2022 18:00:31 +0000

A study has found that pheasants killed by lead shot contain many fragments of lead too small to detect by eye or touch, and too distant from the shot to be removed without throwing away a large proportion of otherwise useable meat.

Lead fragments often form when lead shotgun pellets hit the bodies of gamebirds. ̽��ֱ��fragments become lodged deep within the meat.

Researchers examined the carcasses of eight wild-shot common pheasants, killed on a farmland shoot using lead shotgun ammunition and on sale in a UK butcher’s shop. They found small lead fragments embedded in every pheasant, in addition to lead shotgun pellets in seven of them.

̽��ֱ��researchers found up to 10mg of tiny lead shards per pheasant, all of which were much too small to be detected by eye or by touch.

Lead is toxic to humans when absorbed by the body – there is no known safe level of exposure. Lead accumulates in the body over time and can cause long-term harm, including increased risk of cardiovascular disease and kidney damage in adults. It is known to lower IQ in young children, and affect the neurological development of unborn babies.

“While lead gunshot continues to be used for hunting, people who eat pheasants and other similar gamebirds are very likely to be also consuming a lot of tiny lead fragments,” said Professor Rhys Green in the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge’s Department of Zoology, and first author of the study.

An earlier study in rats showed that when consumed, more lead is absorbed into the body from smaller fragments than from larger ones.

“It seems to have been widely assumed in the past that a lead shot embedded in a pheasant carcass remained intact, and could be removed cleanly before the pheasant was eaten – removing any health risk. Our study has shown the extent to which this is really not the case,” said Green.

He added: “By eating pheasant, people are also unwittingly eating lead, which is toxic.”

“One pheasant is a reasonable meal for two or three people. Consuming this much lead occasionally wouldn’t be a great cause for concern – but we know that there are thousands of people in the UK who eat game meat, often pheasant, every week.”

Around 11,000 tonnes of meat from wild-shot gamebirds, mostly pheasant, are eaten in the UK every year. Virtually all pheasants shot in the UK for human consumption are killed using lead shot.

̽��ֱ��researchers used a high-resolution CT (computerised tomography) scanner to locate the lead fragments in the pheasant meat in three dimensions, and measure their size and weight. ̽��ֱ��meat was then dissolved, allowing the larger fragments to be extracted and analysed further to confirm they were lead.

An average of 3.5 lead pellets and 39 lead fragments of less than 1mm wide were detected per pheasant. ̽��ֱ��smallest fragments were 0.07mm wide – at the limit of resolution for the CT scanner for specimens of this size - and the researchers say it is likely that even smaller fragments were also present.

̽��ֱ��lead pieces were widely distributed within the birds’ tissues and some of the small fragments were over 50mm from the nearest lead shot pellet.

̽��ֱ��results are published today in the journal PLOS ONE.

“It’s rare for people eating game meat to accidentally eat a whole lead shot, because they’re cautious about damaging their teeth and know to check for lead shotgun pellets in the meat. But the lead fragments we found in pheasant carcasses were so tiny and widely distributed that it’s very unlikely they would be detected and removed,” said Green.

There are no UK or EU regulations about the maximum allowable levels of lead in human food from wild-shot game animals. This is in contrast with strict maximum levels for lead in many other foods including meat from cattle, sheep, pigs and poultry, and shellfish harvested from the wild.

Steel shotgun pellets are a practical alternative to lead, and their use in place of lead for hunting is recommended by UK shooting organisations. But there is very little evidence of a voluntary switch away from lead being made. ̽��ֱ��UK Health & Safety Executive is currently preparing a case for banning the use of lead ammunition for hunting in the UK, and the European Chemicals Agency is doing the same for Europe.

Other game including partridge, grouse and rabbit is also mainly shot using lead shotgun pellets, and wild deer are shot using lead bullets. Hunters often remove the guts of deer carcasses to make them lighter to carry, and the discarded guts - which often contain many bullet fragments - are eaten by wildlife, which then also suffer the harmful effects of consuming lead.

This research was funded by ̽��ֱ��Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.

Reference

Green, R.E. et al. ‘Implications for food safety of the size and location of fragments of lead shotgun pellets embedded in hunted carcasses of small game animals intended for human consumption.’ PLOS ONE, August 2022. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0268089

Eating pheasant killed using lead shot is likely to expose consumers to raised levels of lead in their diet, even if the meat is carefully prepared to remove the shotgun pellets and the most damaged tissue.

By eating pheasant, people are also unwittingly eating lead, which is toxic.

Professor Rhys Green

Robert Trevis-Smith on Getty

Pheasant

̽��ֱ��text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Images, including our videos, are Copyright © ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified. All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways – as here, on our main website under its Terms and conditions, and on a range of channels including social media that permit your use and sharing of our content under their respective Terms.

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Birds of prey populations suppressed by lead poisoning from gun ammo

fpjl2 — Wed, 16 Mar 2022 12:48:49 +0000

New study uses data on lead levels in the livers of thousands of dead raptors to calculate the impact of lead poisoning on population size.