Dog almost dies of allergic reaction after owners dye her fur purple
The Maltese mix named Violet had suffered severe burns to her skin, and was in a 'lifeless' state when she was brought to a vets in Florida.
A dog suffered a near-fatal allergic reaction after its owners dyed its fur purple using human hair dye.
The Maltese mix named Violet had suffered severe burns to her skin, and her eyes were left swollen shut.
She was described as "lifeless" as she was brought into the Pinellas County Animal Service in Florida by an unidentified person staff described as a "good samaritan.
Vets gave her medication in an effort to reduce the pain she was suffering, and washed off as much of the chemical dye as they could.
Her condition was so bad that staff at the medical centre didn't expect her to survive after her ordeal.
Writing on Facebook a member of the team wrote: "Violet went home with our veterinarian and we waited. And she came in the next morning and we were amazed that she had made it through the night.
"We began the arduous process of shaving off her hair to really measure the damage – to our horror her skin began to slough off. Good thing Violet was peacefully anaesthetised. It was so much worse than we initially thought – how would this little dog make it through?"
While the dog began to show signs of recovery, staff feared she would be left permanently blind. However, it wasn't long before she made a full recovery.
"She began to walk the halls, visiting each office requesting treats or hugs or gentle pats, always in the lead with our veterinarian in tow," the centre wrote.
While Violet survived her ordeal, the Pinellas County Animal Service said the incident should serve as a warning to pet owners not to use human hair dye on animals.
"Chemicals in hair dye are toxic causing a wide array of external injury to your pet - possible burns, blindness and because an animal's first instinct is to lick, it can cause poisoning or internal burns," they posted on Facebook.
"So as you dry up those tears please take one thing away from Violet's journey - only use products specifically meant for pets or you could be putting your pet's life on the line."
Violet was apparently abandoned by her original owner and left to her plight. She has now been placed with responsible owners The Independent reports.
