Violet, is a sweet Maltese puppy who’s former owner dyed her purple! In a misguided attempt to change her, the pup nearly lost her life.
Florida’s Pinellas County Animal Services shared the heart-wrenching story about Violet and the botched makeover that almost killed her.
When Violet first arrived under the shelter’s care last year, she had been picked up as a stray and was in terrible shape. Someone had dyed her purple using a chemical coloring intended for people, and, Violet was left with severe burns across much of her body, with one of her eyes swollen shut.
The vets were not sure if Violet would survive.
“We gave fluids, pain meds and we gently washed as much of the chemical dye off as we could. We bandaged her up,” the shelter wrote in a post online. “Then we waited. Violet went home with our veterinarian and we waited.”
Violet thankfully, survived the night and was in brighter spirits by the morning. However, her body was still reeling from the harsh dye. Her rescuers realized the full extent of the injuries that had been caused.
“We began the arduous process of shaving off her hair to really measure the damage — [and] to our horror her skin began to slough off,” the shelter wrote. “Good thing Violet was peacefully anesthetized. It was so much worse than we initially thought — how would this little dog make it through?!”
Violet was a fighter.
Violet slowly but surely began to heal over the next three months of treatment, revealing a little more of her sweet personality every day.
“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 shelter wrote. “It was clear — Violet was on the mend and she wanted everyone to know it.”
The vets were unsure how Violet would heal after the long process. Then the day finally came:
“When the final bandages came off we breathed a collective sigh of relief,” the shelter wrote. “Violet was beautiful.”
Her fur is still speckled with remnants of the dye, and her skin is still scarred in places from the burns she had suffered. However, after that long, painful ordeal, she was finally ready to move on.
Violet was eventually adopted into a loving home.
Violet had a happy conclusion, despite a near tragedy!
“Do not, under any circumstances, use hair color intended for humans on your pets,” the shelter wrote. “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. Just don’t.”
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