A criminal gang in Spain reportedly used the bodies of dogs and other animals from animal sanctuaries, vets, zoos and farms to process as protein and fats that could be used in petfood and animal feed, according to laboratory tests of commercial petfood in Spain.

In 2012, Spanish police discovered a warehouse containing 15 metric tons of dead, stray dogs in the town of As Neves, Galicia, as well as similar warehouses in Northern Spain. Police believed the dead dogs were to be processed for use in animal feed.

Following the discovery, Guardia Civil's environmental branch, Seprona, sent samples of commercial petfood to Anfaco-Cecopesca laboratories in Spain. The lab's tests of fat samples intended for animal feed at one processing plant in Aldeaseca de la Frontera, Salamanca, found DNA traces of dog and sheep, reports say.