It can also depend on the kind of food: A Brazilian study evaluating 88 local dog and cat foods found that mercury concentrations were significantly higher in canned pet food than in dry pet food. Large ranges in mercury concentrations in pet foods have been reported previously, with cat diets often being higher than those for dogs. ![]() That left the researchers scratching their heads a bit: “We need more data to determine where the total mercury detected in dog foods is coming from,” Sires said. Surprisingly, two of the three diets that tested positive didn’t contain any fish products. “These results should be reassuring to dog owners.” “The concentrations detected are unlikely to pose a risk to healthy adult dogs,” said lead author Rae Sires, DVM, a nutrition resident at the UC Davis Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital. ![]() Researchers detected low concentrations of total mercury in 3 of the 24 diets, and only one of those contained a detectable level of methylmercury. This study marks the first time methylmercury has been tested in commercial dog diets. 12 of the diets were wet and 12 were dry. Of the 24 diets tested, half contained some kind of salmon product (e.g., salmon, salmon meal, and salmon oil). In a recent study published in Topics in Companion Animal Medicine, researchers at the University of California, Davis (UC Davis), investigated levels of methylmercury in a small sampling of 24 commercial dog food diets. So is dog food that contains salmon-and more specifically, methylmercury-dangerous for dogs? And while previous studies have measured total mercury in commercial pet foods, additional testing for methylmercury had not been done. Salmon contains some of the highest levels of methylmercury of any fish species. The most common way people and pets in the US are exposed to mercury is by eating fish containing methylmercury, a highly toxic organic compound formed when mercury combines with carbon. Depending on the method of exposure-such as skin contact, ingestion, or inhalation-it can lead to respiratory and gastrointestinal disease, kidney injury, impacted fetal development, and neurologic issues. Sadly, it’s also a great source of mercury.Įxcess mercury exposure is a health hazard for people and animals. ![]() Salmon is an increasingly common ingredient in commercial dog food because manufacturers are looking for unconventional protein sources and they want to include more omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. Everyone knows cats love fish, but these days, dogs are eating their fair share, too.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |