Dog meat: the facts

In certain parts of the world, man’s best friend can actually end up on the plates of a starving family or even a group of people having a party.

In China alone, about 20 million dogs are butchered and served as various delicacies every year. Another 10 million or so are slaughtered across Asia.

Brutal treatment

While it’s easy to understand that the needs of the family are more important than the needs of animals, is it really necessary that man’s best friend should be at the receiving end of sheer brutality?

Millions of dogs are cramped in decrepit, rusting cages – unable to stretch, let alone move about. Many are force-fed with tubes inserted down the dog’s throat, oesophagus and stomach, then filled with fluids to make them heavier. The greater the weight, the higher their price.

Dogs don’t only suffer from being force-fed and packed in unsanitary conditions – they’re also transported in trucks like rubbish ready for disposal. Many of these dogs don’t make it to their destinations – they eventually die from heatstroke, dehydration or suffocation in the trucks that are supposed to deliver them to the dog meat market.

An unregulated industry

The implications of the dog meat trade are immense. It’s a largely unregulated industry that is characterised by unsanitary meat processing practices, and as a result the incidence of food-borne infections is high.

Individuals who eat these meats are at risk of cholera and trichinellosis. Dogs packed in cages and trucks can eventually contract rabies that can also endanger the people who handle them.

Dogs clearly don’t deserve this. They have been man’s companion for many millennia. They assist man in his daily pursuits, guard his home and property and provide unconditional love and compassion when no else would. It’s about time to stand up to the illegal dog meat trade.