A dog owner has been slammed after she tried to dye her pet's ears bright red - and one of them dropped off.
The Pomeranian named 'Diffy' was taken to a grooming salon in Hua Hin, eastern Thailand, earlier this week where the woman asked for the pooch's ears and tail to be coloured.
Workers carried out a 'foil wrap' dye on Diffy's soft blonde fur and after 40 minutes he emerged with a bright red tail and ears, that were also drooping instead of standing pertly.
Despite being reassured that Diffy's ears would perk up 'after two or three days', they started burning up after a suspected allergic reaction to the chemicals in the dye.
Within hours Diffy had started suffering itchy skin which later started flaking. The owner, who did not reveal her real name, posted online asking for help - but was hit with an angry backlash for being 'irresponsible'.
She wrote: 'Before the dye, my dog's ears were up. But after I went to the pet store and the dog stylist coloured his ear with aluminium foil for 40 minutes without heat, I took him home and his ears turned out like this. They were folded down. The stylist said that I have to wait for two or three days and his ears will recover. Has anybody experienced this before?'
Despite receiving advice from other dog owners who had undergone the same procedure, Diffy's left ear was so badly affected that yesterday (Wed) it dropped off.
The dog owner said: 'Diffy's left ear is now falling off because of the colour dye. The pet groomer put too much dye on him. My dog's ear was itchy, burnt, turned black, cracked, and eventually fell off. I don't blame the grooming store but I blame myself for wanting to have his ears dyed.'
After pictures emerged of the procedure and the consequences, dog charities and vets slammed the 'irresponsible' owner for causing the dog to suffer.
Neeyada Sirisampandh, who runs the dog rescue group Mid Road Lover in Bangkok, said: 'Let this be a lesson to other dog owner's. It is dangerous to dye your puppy's fur.
'This dog's ear looks like it suffered an allergic reaction and was burned. Then it fell off. Her ear is gone forever. It's all the owner's fault for trying to colour them.'
Nubdaww Prapharat said: 'I feel sorry for the dog. They are not strong enough to endure all situations and can be easily harmed. I don't understand why the owner would put them through this suffering.'
Praew Panyowat wrote: 'This is just a fashion to make the dog owner happy. It's irresponsible and they should take care of their pet better.'
Another local added: 'Dogs are not unicorns. Dog lovers should know that dying is very dangerous to them. Aren't all dog owners aware of this? Apparently, she hasn't done any research and I bet the grooming is using a human dying colour, which is worse.'
This article has been adapted from its original source.
