It was bad enough a few years ago when some people subjected their poor dogs to the otherwise worthy Ice Bucket Challenge that raised over $220 million dollars to fight ALS, aka Lou Gehrig’s Disease.
But the latest social media craze is downright crazy. And all it raises awareness of is just how cruel to animals some people can be.
The purpose of the TikTok Hot Sauce Challenge is apparently to show how brave you are by eating this spicy stuff. Unfortunately, losers who should never own pets are posting videos of their dogs being fed chicken coated with hot sauce.
Not only is this a terribly mean thing to do, but, as you can imagine, it can make dogs very sick.
“Well, this little guy got chicken with hot sauce on it,” says veterinary technician Peter in a video with over 300,000 likes posted March 2 on the popular Peter & Jaycee TikTok account. He’s scratching the head of a small dog in an animal hospital. “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.”
@vet_techs_pjSome trends can be fun with pets, but let’s remember safety first. #vet #trend #vettech #fyp #fy #pet #pets #chicken #dogsoftiktok #dog♬ Married Life (From “Up”) – Sergy el Som
Amen! Feeding a dog hot sauce or spicy foods can cause everything from heartburn to ulcers, Dr. Mary Altomare, the head veterinarian at New Jersey’s Mount Pleasant Animal Shelter, told Insider. “Once it passes through the stomach, pets are likely to experience intestinal cramping and diarrhea,” she said. “Depending on how sensitive of a stomach your pet has, you may also see some vomiting and subsequent dehydration.”
Fortunately, this godawful trend appears to be short-lived. In response to the growing backlash, most of the disturbing videos have been removed from TikTok. Here’s hoping the idiots who posted them won’t subject their dogs to any future cruel challenges.
Photo: Pezibear (This photo is not from a TikTok hot sauce challenge!)