Beloved Golden Retriever Killua who was brutally murdered and found by his keepers in a sack. File photo courtesy of Vina Rachelle / Facebook
MANILA, Philippines — Anyone who ate the meat of dogs slaughtered in a village in Camarines Sur must immediately get anti-rabies shots, the Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) said Monday.
PAWS director Anna Cabrera said Killua, the golden retriever, was slaughtered in the known “cooking area” for stray canines in Barangay Sta. Cruz, Bato town, tested positive for rabies. She said that Kilua’s positive rabies infection may be due to several factors, among which is the high possibility that the dog slaughter area itself has been contaminated with rabies all along.
It was the Bureau of Animal Industry that conducted Killua’s test for rabies infection over the weekend.
“While the result of the testing may not be accurate [since] the body had already been buried for five days [before] testing and may have been contaminated from being in an area where many stray dogs have already been slaughtered, PAWS is making this announcement to ensure that any bites or scratches will be reported promptly in the interest of public health and safety,” Cabrera said in a statement Monday.
She then called on “anyone who may have consumed dogs coming from the area where Killua’s body was found to get post-exposure shots.”
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Killua was killed by a certain Anthony Solares in the village on March 17.
Cabrera pointed out that Solares owned a food stall, but she clarified to INQUIRER.net that it could not be determined if they were selling dog meat.
“Solares owns a carinderia business which sells meat viands near the dog slaughter area,” she said.
PAWS said they would file a complaint against Solares this Monday for allegedly violating the Anti Rabies Act or Republic Act No. 9482 as he supposedly engages in the dog meat trade.