The risk to pets from exposure to lead in food

sir – From February 16, new EU rules banning hunting birds with lead shot in wetlands took full effect and were hailed as an important milestone that should prevent a million water birds from dying of lead poisoning annually.

However, outside wetlands, lead can still be used for shooting terrestrial game birds without restriction in the UK and most of the EU, presenting risks to the health of people who frequently eat wild-shot game, and animals that consume lead fragments by scavenging or in their prey. Consequently, the Government is considering a ban on hunting with lead ammunition across all habitats.

While risks from lead exposure to people and wildlife are well recognised, those to pets have been largely overlooked. A small proportion of the approximately 15 million pheasants shot in Britain each year are used in pet food. Three quarters of raw pheasant dog-food samples analysed in a study exceeded EU maximum limits for lead in animal feed, with average concentrations in some products more than 100 times these limits.

This may partly result from the mincing of pheasants used in raw dog food, which could fragment lead shot, leaving many tiny, widely dispersed lead particles. Also, more lead is likely to be dissolved in the intestine and absorbed from numerous particles than from a few larger pieces of shot. These lead concentrations may affect the health of dogs, especially those fed contaminated meat frequently.

Pet-food manufacturers, pet owners and veterinarians need to consider these risks to pets, as do UK regulators when making and enforcing policy decisions.

Caroline Allen

Chief veterinary officer, RSPCA

Nicola Bates

Research lead, Veterinary Poisons Information Service

Rhys Green

Honorary emeritus professor, University of Cambridge

Debbie Pain

Honorary research fellow, University of Cambridge

Stuart Patterson

President, British Veterinary Zoological Society and four others; see telegraph.co.uk