Dog Meat Trade | Animal Welfare Hub

Scale and Geography

The consumption of dog and cat meat occurs primarily in East and Southeast Asia, though it is also practiced in parts of West Africa, Switzerland (historically), and small communities in other regions. Globally, an estimated 30 million dogs and 10 million cats are killed for food each year — making this one of the larger sources of companion animal suffering.

Major dog-eating countries include China (the largest consumer), South Korea (historically significant but declining sharply), Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines, and parts of Nigeria, Cameroon, and Ghana. Within these countries, consumption varies enormously by region, age group, and urban vs. rural population. In many countries where dog meat is consumed, the majority of the population does not eat it and may actively oppose the practice.

Welfare Conditions in the Trade

The welfare conditions in the dog meat trade are among the most severe documented for any farmed or traded animal:

🐕 Sourcing

A significant proportion of dogs in the trade are stolen pets or captured strays, particularly in China and Vietnam. Dogs are transported long distances — often across provincial or national borders — in severely overcrowded wire cages, without food or water, for days.

🏭 Slaughter Methods

Dogs are often killed using methods specifically intended to maximize suffering — including beating, hanging, and blowtorching — based on a belief (unsupported by science) that adrenaline from stress improves meat quality or potency. These are among the most severe slaughter conditions documented anywhere in agriculture.

🏙️ Yulin Festival

The Yulin Lychee and Dog Meat Festival in Guangxi, China, attracts global attention annually. An estimated 10,000–15,000 dogs are killed over the festival period. While often framed as "tradition," the festival began only in 2010 and faces growing opposition within China.

🦠 Public Health

The dog meat trade is a significant source of rabies transmission in Southeast Asia. Dogs are transported across regions regardless of vaccination status, contributing to rabies outbreaks. Other diseases transmissible through dog slaughter include cholera and trichinosis.

Country by Country

China

China is the world's largest dog meat market, with an estimated 10–20 million dogs consumed annually, primarily in southern and northeastern regions. There is no national law against eating dog meat, and no national animal welfare legislation for farmed animals. However, opposition is growing rapidly — particularly among younger, urban Chinese. Several Chinese cities have banned dog meat sales, and multiple Chinese animal welfare organizations actively campaign against the trade. In 2020, Shenzhen became the first major Chinese city to explicitly ban the consumption of dog and cat meat.

South Korea

South Korea has the most globally visible dog meat industry, with a specific term (gaegogi) and a traditional dish (bosintang) associated with the practice. However, the industry has declined dramatically — consumption has fallen more than 70% since the 1980s. A 2024 poll found 87% of South Koreans do not eat dog meat. In January 2024, South Korea's National Assembly passed a landmark law banning the breeding, slaughter, and sale of dogs for food, with a three-year phase-out period ending in 2027. This represents a major legislative victory.

Vietnam

Vietnam has one of the most active dog meat industries relative to its size, with an estimated 5 million dogs consumed annually. The trade involves significant cross-border smuggling from Thailand and Laos, driving regional rabies outbreaks. Hanoi and other major cities have issued guidance asking residents to stop eating dog meat, though these are not legally binding bans. Vietnamese animal welfare organizations have grown significantly in recent years.

Indonesia and Philippines

Dog consumption occurs in specific regions — particularly North Sulawesi in Indonesia and certain areas of the Philippines. Indonesia's RW (dog meat soup) trade involves significant transport welfare issues. The Philippines has laws against animal cruelty that have been used against dog slaughter, though enforcement is inconsistent.

The Moral Consistency Challenge

Animal welfare advocates working on the dog meat trade frequently encounter a challenging philosophical question: why should dogs receive special protection when pigs and chickens — arguably as sentient and certainly killed in larger numbers — do not?

Two Perspectives on This Question

The consistency argument: If we oppose killing dogs for food on welfare grounds, we should also oppose killing pigs, cows, and chickens for food. Pigs have cognitive abilities similar to dogs, and the numbers affected are vastly larger. The "pets vs. livestock" distinction is culturally constructed, not scientifically grounded.

The incremental argument: The dog meat trade has exceptionally severe welfare conditions (torture-based killing) and lacks the economic scale and political integration of industrial livestock farming. It may be more tractable to end. Building public opposition to dog meat may also cultivate moral concern that transfers to other animals.

Both perspectives have merit. Most mainstream animal welfare organizations that work on the dog meat trade acknowledge the inconsistency and try to use their campaigns to build broader animal welfare awareness rather than treating dogs as uniquely special.

Campaigns and Progress

🇰🇷 South Korea Ban (2024)

The passage of South Korea's dog meat ban in January 2024 was celebrated as one of the most significant animal welfare legislative victories of recent years. It followed decades of campaigning by both Korean and international advocates.

🌐 Humane Society International

HSI's End Dog Meat campaign has worked in multiple countries, closing dog meat farms and helping farmers transition to other livelihoods — addressing the economic dimensions of the trade.

🏙️ City-Level Bans

Shenzhen (2020), Zhuhai, and other Chinese cities have banned dog and cat meat consumption. These local successes create precedent and social normative change that may eventually support national legislation.

🐶 Chinese Animal Welfare Movement

China's domestic animal welfare movement has grown dramatically. Chinese activists have stopped dog-meat transport trucks, organized consumer boycotts, and successfully lobbied for local bans. This internal pressure is widely considered more important than international campaigns.

Rabies and Public Health

The dog meat trade has measurable public health costs that provide additional arguments for ending it:

Approximately 59,000 people die from rabies globally each year, the majority in Asia and Africa where dog-to-human transmission is primary
The transport of unvaccinated dogs across regions for slaughter disrupts regional rabies control efforts
Vietnam, the Philippines, and other active dog-meat countries have higher rabies mortality rates than neighboring countries with less dog meat trade
WHO, FAO, and OIE have called for ending the long-distance transport of dogs for slaughter as part of rabies control strategies
Ending the trade and replacing it with mass dog vaccination campaigns would likely save thousands of human lives annually

What You Can Do

💰 Support Effective Organizations

Humane Society International runs evidence-based campaigns that actually close dog meat farms. Supporting their work is one of the most direct ways to help.

📢 Raise Awareness Thoughtfully

Share information about the dog meat trade in ways that build broader animal welfare concern — not just concern for dogs specifically. Connecting dog welfare to pork and chicken welfare builds broader coalitions.

🤝 Support Local Organizations

Domestic Chinese, Vietnamese, and South Korean animal welfare organizations are often more effective than international campaigns. Supporting them financially respects local agency.

📜 Policy Advocacy

Support legislation that would prohibit importing dog or cat meat into Western countries, and diplomatic pressure for humane slaughter standards in countries with active dog meat trades.

The Dog Meat Trade