This Dog Barely Survived Injuries from Hair Dye

From Woman's Day

With fantasy colors like pastel peach and vivid teal becoming hugely popular in the last few years, mermaid hair has officially gone mainstream. You've probably even seen fun shades on a few fashionable dogs. However, even though Fido looks pretty in pink, dyeing a dog's hair with a product intended only for humans can cause a pup serious injury. One animal shelter in Florida is sharing a cautionary tale in hopes of making that perfectly clear.

On January 23, Pinellas County Animal Services posted 16 photos to Facebook along with the story of Violet, a Maltese mix who came to them in terrible condition due to the hair dye someone had used to color her naturally white fur.

"Violet's eyes were swollen shut, she was limp and listless, she had obvious burns to her skin," the post reads regarding what the dye had done to her. "We gave fluids, pain meds and we gently washed as much of the chemical dye off as we could."

After bandaging her up, the shelter's vet took her home for the night to keep an eye on her. The next day, they decided to shave her to more thoroughly assess her injuries.

"To our horror her skin began to slough off," the post reads. "Good thing Violet was peacefully anesthetized. It was so much worse than we initially thought."

PCAS wasn't sure if little Violet, named for the shade of purple she showed up in, would suffer permanent blindness or even survive the horrible skin wounds caused by the dye. But this pooch was determined to thrive.

"Fast forward 3 months – pain medication, antibiotics, IV fluids, honey treatments, scab removal, anesthetizing, bandage changes, sleepless nights, worrying, hope, worrying, hope and finally the silver lining," PCAS writes. "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. It was clear – Violet was on the mend and she wanted everyone to know it."

Just like humans can experience allergic reactions or chemical burns from hair dye, so can dogs, explains Sabina Wizemann, Good Housekeeping Institute's Senior Chemist. "Humans also color a relatively small portion of hair, and in the case of this poor dog, the color is applied over its entire body, hence the likelihood of the dog getting sensitized being much greater." The reaction, Wizemann says, is likely due to overexposure to a chemical commonly found in hair dye, PPD (paraphenylenediamine).

Luckily, Violet's loving new owners are professional groomers who would never use hair dye for humans on her. And considering what she's been through, they probably won't use dye intended for dogs, either.

Wigs, however, are another story.

(h/t Fox 13)

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