Why Veterinarians Ban Gentian Violet for Pets

Stop it if you're doing it!! The false belief that "purple medicine" can treat skin conditions in dogs and cats.

Originally, purple medicine, known to everyone as Gentian Violet, was a common household remedy used on children with oral thrush. But as times have changed, applying purple medicine to children has become far less popular -- so why, oh why, do we still see this purple dye on our dogs and cats? If you're wondering too, let's find out together right here.

It's because there's still a belief that purple medicine can treat skin conditions or wounds on dogs and cats -- and this belief is simply wrong. To put it simply, when we apply purple dye to skin with a wound or skin condition, it prevents the veterinarian from being able to actually see the real wound or the fungus causing the skin condition. That's because the purple color sticks firmly to the skin and hides the actual lesion. In some cases, even after shaving the fur where the purple medicine was applied, the wound still can't be seen, because the purple dye has soaked all the way through the fur down to the skin. When we can't see the underlying infection, it just festers further, increasing the risk of an infected wound -- and this can also lead to other health problems for our dogs and cats.

Even though purple medicine is a common household remedy, we don't recommend using it on pets. So please stop applying purple medicine to dogs and cats in hopes of treating their skin conditions and wounds. Instead, when you notice your pet has a wound or skin condition, it's much better to bring them to see a veterinarian for a proper diagnosis of the skin condition and to receive medication that can actually treat it. If pet parents keep insisting on applying purple medicine, not only will it fail to heal, but your pet will also end up embarrassed in front the neighbors as the talk of the town -- the purple dog or purple cat!