A man in Sichuan, China, is under fire after using his pet dog in a bizarre experiment. The man wanted to determine the edibility of wild mushrooms growing in his garden. He decided to feed them to his dog to test for toxicity.
After the dog did not exhibit any negative health effects, the man then fed the same mushrooms to his family. Within hours, the family became ill and required medical attention. The dog, however, had stopped eating after ingesting the mushrooms.
The man found wild mushrooms in his herb garden and was hesitant to eat them without ensuring their safety. According to his son, Jiang, the mushrooms resembled termite mushrooms. These are available in local stores, but as they were wild, there was a chance they might be poisonous. To avoid waste, the man decided to test them. He cooked the mushrooms and fed them to his dog as a preliminary step.
He monitored the dog for two days, expecting to see some reaction. The dog appeared fine, except for a decreased appetite. The dog stopped eating. Despite their suspicions, Jiang’s family consumed the mushrooms. Within a few hours, the wife and son were experiencing sickness. They were taken to the hospital, where doctors confirmed mushroom poisoning. The doctors performed a procedure to eliminate the toxins. Jiang realized the dog’s reaction was important: the dog had ceased eating the mushrooms, suggesting the potential danger.
The incident sparked an outcry on social media. The man’s actions have been widely criticized. China currently lacks extensive legal protections against animal cruelty.