A vet has warned against doing a viral TikTok trend which sees pet owners dye their dog's fur, risking giving them serious skin infections. Videos posted on the social media platform show owners dying their dog's hair to look like other animals such as pandas, foxes and even block colours like Clifford the Big Red Dog.
While the results are undoubtedly cute, according to Dr Anna Foreman from Everypaw Pet Insurance, the viral videos could put dogs at risk of toxicity, skin irritation and serious infections.
The doctor said: "There is no situation where dyeing a pet's fur is benefiting the animal themselves. It is purely benefiting us for aesthetic purposes. Some dogs enjoy being groomed or being bathed, however there is no way we can say that animals specifically enjoy being dyed."
According to recent research by Everypaw, there has been a significant surge in online searches related to dog hair dye. The study revealed that the search volume for 'blue dog hair dye' has grown by 200 percent over the past three months. Meanwhile, searches for 'temporary dog hair dye' have boomed by 100 percent within the same time frame.
In the same way some humans can react very badly to hair dye, so can pets. Strong chemicals can harm your dog's skin, which can then lead to infections. Pet hair dye companies recommend patch testing before use and human dye products should never, under any circumstances, be used.
Dr Anna explained: "The only situation where fur dyeing is remotely acceptable is when an animal's tail is dyed a bright, garish colour as a way of preventing them from being stolen. This method is sometimes used in the UK, however mainly in foreign countries where microchipping is less common."
"As well as being a deterrent, as dogs with a brightly dyed tail are easily identifiable, it also discourages thieves as a dog with a dyed tail is less desirable to potential buyers"
Dr Anna has told owners that if they want to die a dog's tail, then they should use food colouring made from all natural ingredients.
