Review of Related Literature

According to Sara Far (2015) one of the largest dangers of dog meat is the spread of
rabies to both animals and people. In the Philippines, approximately 10,000 dogs and 300
people are killed by rabies each year. Despite efforts by the World Health Organization
(WHO) to mass vaccinate dogs to prevent the spread of rabies through the processes of
sourcing, slaughter, and sale of dogs, the dog meat trade moves tens of thousands of dogs
across international borders making rabies prevention enormously difficult.
Workers can easily be infected with rabies during slaughter and spread the disease to
other dogs and humans alike. In 2008, 20 percent of dogs in slaughterhouses in Hoai Duc,
Vietnam were found to have rabies. The previous year, Vietnam suffered from a rabies
outbreak with approximately 30 percent of the deaths attributable to the slaughter of dogs
for meat. According to the Center for Disease Control’s records, only 10 people have
ever survived this horrific disease. This is clearly a major concern when such a dangerous
and deadly disease can be so easily spread. There are many other diseases and infections
associated with dog meat that can endanger human health. The regional director of the
Philippines National Meat Inspection Commission admitted that they do not inspect dog
meat. Unfortunately, this is also the trend in China, according to Qin Xiaona, President of
the Capital Animal Welfare Association.
Possible infections include parasites such as E. Coli 107 and salmonella. There is also a
danger that bacterial infections like anthrax, brucellosis, hepatitis, and leptospirosis can
be spread through the meat to people. The bacteria associated with Cholera is also easily
spread and propagated through the process of mass transporting and slaughtering dogs for
consumption. Following a massive outbreak of Cholera in Vietnam, WHO’s
representative Jean-Marc Olive, warned that eating dog meat, or other food from outlets
that serve it, is linked to a 20-fold increase in the risk of becoming infected with the
bacteria.
Trichinellosis is a zoonotic parasite that can be easily transmitted from dogs to humans
through infected meat consumption. Once these parasites are in the human body, they can
cause inflammation in blood vessels which leads to hemorrhaging in the nail beds and
eyes, in addition to severe muscle weakness. If left untreated, trichinellosis can be fatal.
There are many parallels to be found between dog meat farms and factory farms in
America, unfortunately, antibiotic resistance is one of them. According to Change for
Animals Foundation, “On dog farms, large numbers of dogs are living in close
confinement, under stressful conditions, and are usually being fed insufficient, poor
quality food. These factors result in increased levels of infectious disease and high
mortality rates. In an effort to try to control the spread of disease and maximize
productivity, there is evidence of farmers resorting to the indiscriminate overuse of
antibiotics and vaccines.”
Dogs in these dirty farms are given large amounts of antibiotics and vaccines to fight
the disease-ridden conditions on the farms. This influx of antibiotics is leading to a rise in
superbugs. Superbugs present an enormous threat to global human health as a recent
study conducted by the Review on Antimicrobial Resistance found that drug-resistant
infections could kill an additional 10 million people a year by 2050 if steps aren’t taken
to reduce the overuse of antibiotics. While the dog meat industry is not the only one
contributing to this increase in antibiotic-resistant bacteria, its contribution should not be
overlooked. 

According to Michele Brown (2016) A number of months ago more than 38

people in Nigeria died a revolting death after gorging on dog meat at a dog meat
restaurant, and washing it down with a locally brewed gin known as Kiki. People began
vomiting and losing their vision, to the point of total blindness, according to Nigeria’s
Department of Disease Control, and they were all dead within 24 – 72 hours of ingesting
the dog meat and gin concoctions. There are reports of the men crying out with severe
abdominal and chest pains, as they writhed in agony. The 37 men and one woman were
mainly from Woji, in the Rivers State, Nigeria. It is thought the gin may have contained
methanol, which is toxic when ingested. It is also a distinct possibility that the dog meat
was involved in the deaths, because none of the dogs are health checked before slaughter.
The proprietor of dog meat joint, Mr. Friday Dickson, was arrested by police and taken
into custody, where he swore it was not his fault. Enraged local youths set fire to his
restaurant in retaliation to the deaths, destroying valuable police evidence.

According to IDEXX (2016) Hyperlipidemia occurs when there is an elevation of lipids,

or fats, in a dog’s blood. These fatty substances can take two forms: triglycerides, cholesterol, or

both. You can think of it as the doggy version of high cholesterol. Normally, when an animal eats a

meal, the fat from that meal is broken down and absorbed within 30-60 minutes. This can cause a

natural increase in triglyceride and cholesterol levels for approximately three-10 hours. However, if

the fats aren’t broken down and absorbed properly, the increase in fat levels can last for more than

12 hours. When that happens, there’s a good chance a dog has hyperlipidemia. Hyperlipidemia is

characterized by abnormally excessive amounts of fat, and/or fatty substances in the blood. After

eating a meal, the nutrients in an animal’s body pass into the small intestine, from which

chylomicrons, micro particles of liquid fat, are absorbed 30-60 minutes later. Chylomicrons are in the

class of lipids, which includes both triglycerides and cholesterol, and which are formed during the

digestion of fats from food. Normally, the absorption of chylomicrons increases serum triglycerides

for 3-10 hours, but some animals will have high cholesterol and high triglyceride levels for more than

twelve hours after a meal - one of the main indications of hyperlipidemia. The clear part of the blood,

the serum, is referred to as being lipemic when it has levels of triglycerides measuring over 200

mg/dL. Sometimes, levels of triglycerides in an animal’s serum can be even greater than 1000
mg/dL, giving the serum a milky, opaque appearance. This is medically referred to as lactescence

(literally, being milky).

According to Affinity (2000) it is commonly believed that human beings are the
only animals that are afraid of not being able to eat sausages ever again due to high levels
of cholesterol. However, high cholesterol levels can also endanger the cardiovascular
health of dogs. Cholesterol is a greasy substance that is present in animals and that it is
essential for cellular membranes. It is only problematic when it accumulates in the wrong
places, mainly in the arteries, since it can reduce blood flow and cause serious diseases
such as heart attacks, haemorrhages or circulatory problems. Normally, dogs not only
suffer from high cholesterol levels but also a disease of similar effects called
“hyperlipidemia”, which consists of an increase of blood lipids (fat). These fat substances
can adopt two forms: as triglyceride, as cholesterol, or both. High cholesterol levels are
less frequent in dogs than in human beings. Hyperlipidemia can be considered to be the
equivalent of high cholesterol for dogs. Hyperlipidemia often derives from other
underlying illnesses like diabetes, hypothyroidism, pancreatitis, liver diseases, obesity
and diets that are high in fats.