"EATING dog meat can kill."

This was the message of Animal Kingdom Foundation Inc. (AKFI), an animal welfare organization, following the death last Dec. 13 of a four-year-old girl who ate "kilawing aso" cooked as pulutan by some neighbors in Cauayan, Negros Occidental.

At the same time, Suzanne Llanera, AKFI officer-in-charge, called on the government to add more teeth to Republic Act 8485, which prohibits the slaughter of dogs for human consumption, and gives exemption to killing dogs only if accompanied by a legitimate religious ritual.

She lamented the measly amount imposed on "dog murderers" who can easily get away with the crime committed against the poor animal by paying a measly P1,000. "Because of the minimal amount, they simply ignore this law," said Llanera.

She stressed the need for a concerted effort from our lawmakers to effect a change in the current scenario that dogs are being slaughtered. "Dogs are pets, they're not food animals," she said.

After much information campaigns, raids and apprehensions conducted by AKFI, in partnership with the various local and national authorities, particularly the PNP-Criminal Investigation Detection Group, Llanera said dog trading and eating is still very rampant.

"This is simply because the law is completely toothless," she said.

To avoid suffering the ordeal of Ressia Mae Edoria, who succumbed to rabies from the dog meat she ate, Llanera also cited the urgency for a serious program to educate our people about the dangers of consuming dog meat.

She said they have brought the case of Edoria to the health officials in Sta. Cruz, Manila, but they were just given promises of an investigation. "Until now, wala pa ring nangyayari," she said.

According to Llanera, they have also raised the dangers of eating dog meat to the Department of Health and other concerned government agencies but they were merely given cold shoulders. "We have been doing follow-ups asking for their support in this campaign to stop killing dogs and save lives but our efforts seem futile," she noted.

Veterinarian Winston Samaniego explained that dog meat can be fatal if one happens to eat a rabid dog. Dog meat can also be fatal if one eats a dog who ate rat poison.

In case of a rabid dog, one will eventually die if he eats the dog meat during the time when he has sores in the mouth or open wounds in the fingers. The virus enters the nerve ending once the rabid dog meat is chewed and ingested. It passes through lymph nodes unfiltered before finally reaching the brain where it multiplies. This will soon be followed by symptoms and then the death of the dog meat eater.

courtesy of Manila Standard
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