Warning to dog owners as vets reveal trendy raw food can be TOXIC to pooches 

Trendy raw dog food can be toxic to four-legged friends because it contains dangerous amounts of toxic metals, experts warn.

New research found that the safe limit of lead was exceeded in nearly 80 percent of uncooked food samples with pheasant as the main ingredient.

Cambridge University scientists found that concentrations in just one product were 245 times higher than the limit, while two others were 135 and 49 times higher, respectively.

Long-term exposure to lead poses a serious safety risk to both animals and humans, with a fatal outcome in the worst cases.

“We were already aware that lead concentrations in pheasant meat sold for human consumption are often much higher than allowed in other meats, such as chicken, beef or pork,” said Professor Debbie Pain, the study’s lead author. .

“However, we were surprised to find that the lead concentrations in raw pheasant dog food were so much higher.”

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The popularity of raw meat feeds is currently on the rise in the UK, which is home to some 13 million dogs.

Researchers found that 34 percent of 50 online raw pet food vendors sold pheasant-based recipes, with just over 70 percent reporting that their products may contain “shot.”

This refers to the lead pellets used for shooting animals such as pheasants, waterfowl and turkeys in the hunting grounds.

Lead levels above the safe limit were also found in some dried pheasant-based food products, but even this was much lower than the raw food.

Meanwhile, no samples of canned chicken, goose or pheasant contained dangerous levels of lead.

Scientists believe that mincing raw pheasant meat can exacerbate the amount of heavy metals in dog food.

Grinding up leftover lead shot has the potential to increase the number of small metal particles in the meat.

When consumed this can eventually enter a dog’s bloodstream with puppies being particularly vulnerable to its effects on the nervous system.

Pictured: X-ray of finely chopped pheasant based dog food with lead shot (circled)

Scientists believe mincing pheasant meat could worsen levels of heavy metals in dog food (file image)

Study co-author Professor Rhys Green said: ‘The fact that most samples from three randomly sampled raw pheasant pet food products contain very high levels of lead, and that our recent study of types of shot used to kill pheasants found that 94 percent are shot with lead, suggesting that this is a much broader problem is only for these three products.

“However, some producers may purchase pheasants that have not been shot with lead, and owners may ask about this when purchasing pet food.”

The inquiry comes just two years after the government announced it was considering a ban on lead ammunition to protect wildlife.

The Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust previously showed that between 50,000 and 100,000 wild birds in the UK die each year as a result of ingestion of lead from spent pellets.

Yet scientists at the University of Cambridge found that this had no effect by 2022, as 99.4 percent of recovered pheasants still contained lead shot.

The new study is published in the journal Ambio.

WHAT SCIENTISTS SAY YOU SHOULD FEED YOUR DOG

Georgia Woods-Lee, a canine nutritionist from the University of Liverpool, says vegetables are actually the best snack for your dog.

She says this is because dogs value their loved one’s treat more than the taste of it, so it’s best to prioritize nutritional value over taste.

“Food is more fuel than anything,” she said at the 2023 British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA) Congress.

“Dogs don’t spend much time tasting their food. It is normally swallowed very, very quickly.”

Research has shown that overweight dogs have shorter lifespans, reduced quality of life and higher rates of a number of significant health problems, including arthritis, respiratory problems, heart disease, diabetes and certain types of cancer.

The veterinary nurse said, ‘Zucchini are my favorite because they are very, very high in water and very, very low in calories.

“They are accepted by most dogs and can literally eat them until they come out of their ears. There are no adverse effects to eating courgettes.’

Georgia Woods-Lee, a canine nutritionist from the University of Liverpool, says vegetables are actually the best snack for your dog (stock image)