Coronavirus Pandemic breeding creativity in pet industry
In March, analysts projected non-medical pet services like grooming, pet sitting, pet insurance, boarding and training to fall by as much as 45 percent. Nearly a year later, those services are fortunately proving everyone wrong.
A vet has warned TikTok users of the dangerous consequences that can come from canine hot sauce challenges.
The PSA video showing a small dog in what looks to be an animal clinic’s care was shared by a veterinary technician named Peter, who is one half of the popular TikTok account Peter & Jaycee.
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"Alright so you know that trend where you give your dog a piece of chicken with hot sauce on it to see what their reaction is," Peter began while showing a clip of the viral video that started the TikTok trend.
Peter then flipped the camera’s view to show a small dog wrapped in a blanket.
"Well, this little guy got chicken with hot sauce on it," he explained in between head rubs. "And then he got another piece of chicken with hot sauce on it. They just kept giving him more and more because I guess his reaction was just so funny but now he's in the hospital with pancreatitis. So, stop doing trends with pets."
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@vet_techs_pj Some trends can be fun with pets, but let’s remember safety first. #vet #trend #vettech #fyp #fy #pet #pets #chicken #dogsoftiktok #dog
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Peter and Jaycee’s video has received more than 296,600 likes and several thousand comments and shares since its original posting on March 2.
Most commenters expressed their disappointment with the TikTok trend.
"Why would anyone do that to their dog? That’s just mean," one person wrote.
"People doing that should not be allowed to have animals," another user chimed in. "That is not right!"
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Many of the TikTokers who participated in the trend have deleted their videos showing dogs being fed hot sauce and hot sauce-covered food, including the originator @hundohustle, who shared his viral video received more than 8.9 million views.
It is not immediately clear if Peter and Jaycee’s response video played a part in the mass deletions. Their TikTok handle @vet_techs_pj has more than 1.2 million followers as of Thursday, March 18.
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Pet health experts say large servings of spicy food can cause health complications for dogs. (iStock)
Other health issues that spice can cause dogs include stomach pain, diarrhea, gas and excessive thirst, according to Rover.com – an online pet marketplace and resource.
Aside from the controversy that the hot sauce challenge has caused dogs and pet owners, the trend remains popular on TikTok.
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The hashtag #hotsaucechallenge has more than 21.3 million views attached to it at the time of publication.
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