Dog Owner Issues Warning Over Laundry Pods After 'Freak Accident'

"I just don't want another dog to suffer like Willow did," Jodie Forbes told Newsweek, as she shared her pet's harrowing ordeal in a bid to save other animals from a similar fate.

Forbes lives in the U.K. with her two-year-old Collie mix Willow who recently suffered a "freak accident" when some laundry detergent got into her eye.

She initially thought the consequences would be "no worse" than soap, but was horrified when she saw Willow's eye when she awoke the next morning.

Recounting what happened, Forbes said: "There was either a tear in the detergent pod or one of the pods in the packet, because when I lifted it out of the packed and carried it one foot to the washing machine it had left a trail on the floor and go into WIllow's eye as she stood beside me."

After noticing that Willow had some detergent in her eye, Forbes' first reaction was to try and wipe her face with a wet cloth to remove excess product before using some distilled water to flush out her eye—as recommended on the packaging.

"It was very late in the night when it occurred and I'm always the first person to call the emergency vet," she said. "But I had no idea that detergent would be any worse than soap, so I just followed the instructions and kept an eye on it."

After the scare, Forbes took to TikTok to share Willow's ordeal, hoping to raise awareness and prevent other pets from suffering the same accident. With over 200,000 views, the concerned owner detailed what happened to her pup.

The next morning, despite washing out Willow's eye, it looked much worse.

"I immediately took her to the vet," said Forbes. "Her eye was glued shut. I rinsed it to reveal her third eyelid pulled over, red and inflamed, and her eye blue and cloudy."

Senior veterinarian for the pet care company Purina, Dr. RuthAnn Lobos, told Newsweek: "Pods, whether laundry or dishwasher, are brightly colored and often a fun squishy texture—which can make them attractive to pets despite their danger. They contain potentially irritating substances, like detergent and hydrogen peroxide."

She explained some of the potential risks to pets that come into contact with the detergent in laundry pods. "Pets can experience oral ulcers, inflammation of the esophagus, vomiting or diarrhea if they ingest them. The pods are usually 'packed under pressure,' so if a pet punctures it, the contents can spray into their eyes, causing serious ulcers on the cornea and conjunctivitis, or into their airways, causing bronchitis or pneumonia," added Lobos.

At the vet, Forbes' pet pooch was given three types of eye drops and painkillers. Initially, the damage covered over 90 percent of Willow's eye and they were all concerned she would lose her sight completely on that side.

"The vet was so concerned that we booked another appointment the same day to check the progress," said Forbes. "So far we have had five vets' appointments for her eye and we have another checkup booked this week."

Alongside their regular vet, Forbes also took Willow to see a specialist who gave her more information about what had caused the eye problems.

"The specialist vet said that detergent is extremely dangerous and worse than getting acid in the eye because it spreads," she said.

Thankfully, on Willow's most recent appointment, the affected area of the eye had shrunk back significantly to under 20 percent.

"We have been told that if we continue with the drops and it doesn't get infected, we should expect a good outcome," said the owner.

Forbes stated the packet instructions about what to do if the product comes into contact with eyeballs are "identical" to washing liquid and soap.

"I've accidentally had that in my eye with no lasting issues and just assumed this would be the same. I expected taking her to the vet would be the same as going to the emergency department over a bit of shampoo in my eye," she added.

But when she learned how dangerous detergent could be for pets' eyes, she knew she wanted to spread that message as far as she could.

"I shared so that people are more cautious using these products," she said. "Being a young, very fit dog who is accepting of handling and eye drops and actually enjoys going to the vet—it couldn't have happened to an easier dog," she said. "But plenty of dogs hate the vets and won't let their owners administer medication, which could have a far different outcome."

On TikTok, hundreds of pet owners shared their reactions and gratitude to the dog owner for sharing the experience. "Thank you for sharing your story to prevent this from happening to any other pets," said one commenter.

"Thank you for sharing, I had no idea how dangerous detergent is," said another reply.

Not all of the comments were positive, but Forbes explained she was still pleased that her video had managed to raise some awareness: "I've had so much hate from this—even people accusing me of intentionally doing it to hurt Willow and get social media clout." she said. "But despite this there were more people saying they had no idea of the dangers of these products, just like me."

If your pet has come into contact with a household substance and you are concerned about their health, always seek veterinary attention.

Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.