The Beijing Associated Press has reported that 1, 500 Raccoon dogs, who are native to East Asia and are bred for their fur to make trims on clothes, have died after their food being contaminated with a dangerous chemical. The same chemical has also been found in dairy products for children.

The poisonous chemical – melamine, was found in the food and resulted in all the 1,500 Raccoon dogs dying of kidney stones, in one farm in a Chinese village.

Zhang Wenkui, a veterinary professor at Shenyang University did a necropsy – an animal autopsy – on a dozen animals and found them all to have died of kidney failure. Although he denied when the deaths occurred, a newspaper reported that it happened over the past two months.

Zhang told the Associated Press ”First, we found melamine in the dogs’ feed, and secondly, I found that 25 percent of the stones in the dogs’ kidneys were made up of melamine.”

A source has reported that it was not immediately clear how the Raccoon dogs’ food got contaminated with the chemical, but these deaths’ raise questions about the extent of melamines’ presence in the countries food chain.

In the ongoing milk scandal, melamine was said to be added to watered down milk to artificially boost nitrogen levels, this makes it seem much higher in protein when tested. Over the past few months it has been found in many Chinese-made dairy products and food with milk ingredients.

There have been many incidents all over the world from the contamination of this chemical. Four Chinese babies’ deaths have been blamed on an instant milk formula with 54,000 other children struck down ill. When consumed by humans it can cause kidney stones as the body tries to emulate it, and if untreated, can lead to kidney failure.

Associated Press report ”The government is still trying to win back consumer confidence after those tainted products turned up on store shelves around the world”.

The breeders in Xishan, the village in the Liaoning province where the dogs died are looking to sue for compensation but have been pressured not to talk to the media.

Zhang has refused to name the food supplier but a source from a local newspaper has reported it to be Harbin Hualong Feed Co. The company has refused to comment.

An official at the Liaoning provincial animal feed and medicine inspection centre did some tests on the Raccoon dogs’ feed and found that it contained 500 parts per million of melamine. The amount of melamine permissible in food products can contain no more than 15 percent dairy to 2.5 parts per million.

The official also reported that the same inspection centre was also helping the Ministry of Agriculture in a nationwide inspection of animal feed but would not reveal any further details.

Last year, dozens of cats and dogs in North America were said to have died from pet food that contained melamine-tainted wheat gluten, a pet food ingredient made in China.

Products tainted by this deadly chemical have been stocked on shelves all around the world. There have been product recalls in countries such as the UK, USA and Australia and the Chinese government are trying to win back consumer confidence.

Author Details
Jennifer is a K9 Magazine staff writer and editorial contributor. She lives with her much loved Lhasa Apso, Poppy. -

1,500 Raccoon Dogs Bred for Fur are Poisoned to Death With Contaminated Food

raccoon dogs are so adorable, i'm so ashamed of the human race!!!

Well you know my feelings on this

__________________

I try not to buy anything that has chinese sourced ingredients, which by the way is fairly difficult to find out where somethings are sourced from.Dog and Cat food at least I know the 2 brands I use are locally sourced companies...Jill