Reaction to Fallow Venison

[Phil Cox]

Has anyone known someone or have themselves a reaction to Venison? My Father in Law has been violently sick on several occasions, a few hours after eating venison. I thought it was food poisoning at first but other people ate the same food and was from meat was from different deer each time. They only thing that seems to link the different episodes is that it was Fallow deer venison. No reaction with Muntjac or Roe. He has been eating venison for years, this has only started in the last 6 months.
Cheers

 

[VSS]

Never heard of such a thing until Saturday, when someone told me that they react to eating venison in just the way you describe.
Prior to that, the only adverse reaction I'd come across was a few people who get a skin irritation similar to eczema after exposure to fresh roe blood. Only roe, strangely.

 

[Sampo]

Alpha Gal Syndrome comes to my mind. Has he ever been bitten by a Lone Star tick? Have a google as you might be able to delve deeper into the symptoms.

Has it always been the case or is this something that has started in the recent past?

 

[bogtrotter]

Never heard of such a thing until Saturday, when someone told me that they react to eating venison in just the way you describe.
Prior to that, the only adverse reaction I'd come across was a few people who get a skin irritation similar to eczema after exposure to fresh roe blood. Only roe, strangely.

Not only Roe I and Several people I know have a reaction to Red stag blood but only during the rut need to have a scratch or some such often round the base of my finger nails which then goes septic have had it running up my arm ending up a lump in.my armpit
A bit of a pain in the a@@e as stalking was.my job but at least the rut only.lasted a few weeks.

 

[AlexD]

Where is your father in law from?

The reason I ask is I have learnt not to offer aged venison to people from outside the UK, as some can act as if food poisoned. Experienced this with Russians and Japanese. Africans have no problem (they are used to bush meat).

The ageing process allows bacteria to grow, and the endotoxins they create does not cause problem to us as we have adjusted to it, but people from places that do not eat deer or bush meat in many generations react badly to it.

There is another item I have seen, where a person with Lyme disease did not do well with venison.

I admit to preferring my venison to get to the sweet smell point of ageing, but not to the point where there is any visible mould.

 

[Overlay]

yep
my stalker pal had a reaction to Red stag blood and gralloch in scotland but not to Roe
we we’re told by a learned ghillie it’s some sort of chemical in the actual blood not the carcase so it could be something that crops up in the Rut as things change in the build up, never seen or heard anything elsewhere

 

[geoffw]

Alpha Gal Syndrome comes to my mind. Has he ever been bitten by a Lone Star tick? Have a google as you might be able to delve deeper into the symptoms.

Has it always been the case or is this something that has started in the recent past?

That'd be my thought too. A gamekeeper friend become allergic (D&V) to fallow venison out of the blue, then after a couple of season was right with it again (equally out of the blue).

 

[ashray]

i expect the animal that caused problems for people were shot with monolthic /copper bullets had a proper lead filled bullet been used they would have been fine

 

[Jelen]

Alpha Gal Syndrome comes to my mind. Has he ever been bitten by a Lone Star tick? Have a google as you might be able to delve deeper into the symptoms.

Has it always been the case or is this something that has started in the recent past?

There's an article in this quarters BDS magazine about someone who developed a reaction to Roe Venison. Alpha Gal after a Tick bite was suggested as the cause?

 

[Mickeydredd]

Prior to that, the only adverse reaction I'd come across was a few people who get a skin irritation similar to eczema after exposure to fresh roe blood. Only roe, strangely.

I get this with Roe blood if it dries on my skin, fine if washed off before it gets the chance to dry. Don't get it with Reds.

 

[Tim.243]

Has anyone known someone or have themselves a reaction to Venison? My Father in Law has been violently sick on several occasions, a few hours after eating venison. I thought it was food poisoning at first but other people ate the same food and was from meat was from different deer each time. They only thing that seems to link the different episodes is that it was Fallow deer venison. No reaction with Muntjac or Roe. He has been eating venison for years, this has only started in the last 6 months.
Cheers

2 different families had Red stew meat off the same front leg, both in their slow cookers for close to the same time with winter veg carrots onions etc.
Both said it was very tender with Paul and his son it went through quickly but the other family from kids to their granddad were fine.

 

[Phil fox man]

aside from the alpha gal and other causes could it be a reaction to certain herbs or spices.if my mate's dad eats curry he throws up after a minute or so.
phil.

 

[Fair Hill]

Good friend of mine can't eat venison anymore because it causes very painful gout. No problem with beef, lamb or pork.

 

[griff]

Lonestar tick possibly!

 

[Freeforester]

Has anyone known someone or have themselves a reaction to Venison? My Father in Law has been violently sick on several occasions, a few hours after eating venison. I thought it was food poisoning at first but other people ate the same food and was from meat was from different deer each time. They only thing that seems to link the different episodes is that it was Fallow deer venison. No reaction with Muntjac or Roe. He has been eating venison for years, this has only started in the last 6 months.
Cheers

What might the fallow have been eating around the time of their demise?

Apropos gout:

Several people I know react badly per their gout with roe venison, but all seemingly can eat fallow venison without any ill effect.

 

[levigsp]

I am sure Alpha Gal syndrome effects you so any red meat triggers it and not just from one animal.

 

[potshotpat]

I know someone that fainted and banged their head on the counter at their local Waitrose, when they saw the price of a couple of Venison Steaks. Does that count.

 

[Tim.243]

I know someone that fainted and banged their head on the counter at their local Waitrose, when they saw the price of a couple of Venison Steaks. Does that count.

Good job they didn't have to pay to shoot it!

 

[Mungo]

I know a few people who react to one species or another. Usually just gastric upset - severe gas and a bit of D++.

 

[Heym SR20]

Our bodies and in particular our guts are pretty finely tuned to respond to unusual proteins. It’s how our immune system works - unusual protein - may be a virus or a bug etc and lets get rid of it.

In the western world we have a very simple diet with not a huge variation of different proteins going in. When we were hunter gatherers we ate pretty much anything and hence we had greater tolerance to things. We also died that much younger.

Venison for many is not a common protein so hardly surprising that it can upset a stomach. Its also why when go over seas and eat differently or indeed try many new foods are stomachs and guts take a bit of time to settle down. And some, who haven’t grown up eating venison may well struggle with it as an adult. Many Chinese and Japanese, who grow up in a culture with limited exposure to dairy products really struggle when exposed to cheeses etc.

With some people and some particular proteins you simply cannot tolerate them for whatever reason and trying to build up or reestablish tolerance is very difficult and pretty miserable. Things like antibiotics and cheap processed foods don’t help either.

And the different species of deer in the UK are very different genetically so hardly surprising that people react differently to different types of venison. The exception of course are Sika and Red which are really races of the same species given their ability to interbreed and produce fertile offspring. Roe, Fallow, Muntjac and CWD are all far apart.