Why are some dogs purple in Thailand?
If you wander around Thailand long enough you will at some point or another notice a dog that looks as if it has been spray painted by someone and maybe in your overseas lack of knowledge, you will think someone has been very mean to this animal... but it is quite the opposite.
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I will admit that when I first encountered this I thought it was odd and actually thought it was a form of animal cruelty but as it turns out this is a very inexpensive form of parasite control for itchy dogs with fleas, ticks, other mites, and mange.
Not all dogs have owners in Thailand and many other countries like it, but that doesn't mean that nobody cares about them. Often, you will see market or beach dogs that kind of hang around an area and the people that work there join forces to make this dog's life as pleasant as they can. Often these people who feed and care for the dog live very far away from where the dog lives but when they are at work they enjoy its company. Only dogs with really good temperaments need apply for this job because we can't have bitey dogs hanging around these places.
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While these dogs could have better lives by being given a permanent home, this is kind of a 2nd tier of dogs in this country. Often they will hang out and live at places where people frequently are and therefore they are able to get food this way. I may have mentioned in the past that dropping dogs at bus stations or markets is unfortunately a 2nd favorite place to abandon your unwanted animals right after temples.
When you see a purple dog in Thailand and perhaps other countries that is because they have been painted with a very inexpensive sort of anti-parasite medicine that is also safe for them to lick.
It isn't very powerful on purpose because as you know, dogs do seem to enjoy spending half the day licking themselves. Some of the better anti-parasitic drugs are very potent and the dog can harm themselves by consuming it and that is why they have to be applied behind the neck and only when not around other dogs.
The best way to treat dogs is internally with a product like Bravecto and once again I will let everyone know that we are not paid to say this about this product, it has just been something that we have had great success with in the past and will continue to use into the future.
The purple dogs are much better off than if they weren't purple, because while it isn't the ideal solution it is certainly better than doing nothing. The active ingredient - selamectin - is broad spectrum anti-parasite. It requires multiple applications and therefore would only be a good idea to use on a dog that you will encounter on a regular basis. It's so cheap that it is basically free and we do, in fact, give it away in communities that ask for it.
Now on the other side of things: I have noticed that it has become popular to use doggy hair dye on dogs, particularly small breeds. This is not a good idea and can cause stomach problems because while you might enjoy dying your hair, you are not going to eat it. The smell is intriguing to the dog, it sees it as foreign, and will lick it and potentially poison itself.
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Painting a dog's nails might seem like a fun activity for you and your kids but nail polishes often contain toxic materials even when dry. You need to keep in mind that a dog has MUCH highers sense of smell than you do and the toxin in that nail polish or hair dye can cause them great duress or even sickness if it is inhaled over a long period of time.
If you would like to see how you can help out or simply spread the word, please visit our website at
http://krabianimalwelfare.org
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