Programa de Conservación Comunitaria del Territorio, Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias, Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires, Tandil, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Centro de Investigaciones Veterinarias (CONICET-CIVETAN), Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias, Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires, Tandil, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2021 Sep;28(33):45486-45495. doi: 10.1007/s11356-021-13880-z. Epub 2021 Apr 17.
This is the first field study to evaluate lead exposure in dogs fed game meat and offal and, to our knowledge, the first study exploring associations between game consumption and dog health status. We quantified lead concentrations in blood and hair and haematological parameters of 31 dogs fed game meat and offal from wild boar (Sus scrofa) and axis deer (Axis axis) culled with lead ammunition in El Palmar National Park, Argentina. Despite variable weekly frequency in game consumption, dogs had detectable blood and hair lead levels, demonstrating recent and chronic exposure. Lead geometric mean and SD were 18.91 ± 346.85 μg/dL w.w. in blood (range = 0.53-216.58), and 0.721 ± 6.444 μg/gr d.w. in hair (range = 0.007-34.800). Hair lead levels were relatively low in most samples, except for the oldest dog which had an atypically high value concurrent with anaemia, a common outcome of chronic lead exposure. Dog's owner was significantly predictive of both blood and hair lead levels, which reflects the same feeding patterns for all dogs owned by the same person. Body condition was associated with hair lead, with dogs in good condition presenting higher lead levels. This could be related to greater game consumption by those dogs, resulting in higher lead ingestion. Dogs fed game meat and offal at very low or low frequency (≤4 times per week) showed higher blood lead levels, suggesting there might not be a risk-free frequency for game provision to dogs. Considering the risks of dietary lead exposure, avoiding feeding dogs lead-killed game and replacing lead ammunition with non-toxic alternatives are recommended. This would allow using hunted game as a valuable food resource without unnecessary risk for the health of consumers and the environment.
这是第一项评估食用野味肉类和内脏的犬只体内铅暴露的实地研究，据我们所知，也是第一项探索野味消费与犬健康状况之间关联的研究。我们对 31 只在阿根廷 El Palmar 国家公园内食用过野猪（Sus scrofa）和梅花鹿（Axis axis）肉和内脏的犬只进行了研究，这些动物是被含铅弹药猎杀的。尽管每周食用野味的频率不同，但犬只的血液和毛发中都检测到了可测量的铅含量，表明它们近期和长期都受到了铅暴露。血液中的铅几何平均值和标准差为 18.91 ± 346.85μg/dL（范围为 0.53-216.58），毛发中的铅几何平均值和标准差为 0.721 ± 6.444μg/gr d.w.（范围为 0.007-34.800）。除了一只最老的狗的毛发铅含量异常高，同时伴有贫血（慢性铅暴露的常见后果）之外，大多数样本中的毛发铅含量都相对较低。狗的主人可显著预测犬只的血液和毛发中的铅含量，这反映了所有由同一人饲养的犬只存在相同的喂养模式。身体状况与毛发中的铅含量相关，身体状况良好的犬只毛发中的铅含量更高。这可能与这些犬只食用更多的野味有关，导致它们摄入了更多的铅。那些每周食用野味肉类和内脏的频率非常低或低（≤4 次/周）的犬只血液中的铅含量更高，这表明为犬只提供野味可能不存在安全的频率。考虑到饮食性铅暴露的风险，建议避免给犬喂食被铅杀死的猎物，并使用无毒替代品代替含铅弹药。这将允许人们将狩猎获得的猎物作为一种有价值的食物资源，而不会对消费者和环境的健康造成不必要的风险。
