The dog whose collar was so tight that its head swelled to twice its normal size has made an incredible transformation after a period of treatment.
The poor dog, whose head was visibly swollen to twice its size, was discovered wandering the streets of Baitang in Putian City, Fujian Province, Southeast China, on December 5.
Local residents believed the dog was injured and called the Putian Animal Protection Association.
The association sent volunteers to bring the dog in for examination. The volunteers named the dog Datou, meaning “Big Head” in Chinese, due to its alarming condition.
The dog with a severely swollen head sat sadly by the roadside, drawing attention from locals.
A video shared on the Douyin account of the Animal Protection Association showed Datou resting by a wooden bridge, struggling to open its eyes and lift its head due to the swelling.
When the volunteers found Datou, they discovered a red collar so tightly wrapped around its neck that it had deeply embedded into its flesh. A volunteer gently held Datou’s head and removed the collar, hoping to ease the dog’s pain.
Huang Qian, director of the Putian Animal Protection Association, told Daily Star, “We believe Datou was a stray since puppyhood, but we’re not sure whether it was abandoned or lost. The collar was fastened tightly and stayed stuck there as Datou grew, gradually cutting deeper into its neck.”
Huang said the rescue team took Datou to the nearby Aibao Animal Hospital, where veterinarians began treating the injuries. However, Datou’s condition deeply worried both the vets and the rescue team. They couldn’t place a cone on him to protect the wound because it was located right on the neck.’
“The vets also discovered a blood clot in Datou’s brain,” Qian added. “They administered anti-inflammatory medication to ease the pain and discomfort, allowing the swelling to subside naturally.”
In a follow-up video, hospital staff were seen shaving the fur around Datou’s neck and cleaning the wound in the treatment room.
The vets told Qian that healing would take time, as they couldn’t bandage the wound and Datou kept licking it.
Miraculously, after just two weeks, Datou showed the first signs of recovery. In the latest video, the swelling had reduced, and the dog’s head appeared to return to its normal size.
Datou’s story has been widely shared on Chinese social media, and Qian now hopes to find him a new home.
“We’ve received over 100 adoption applications for Datou, but the successful applicant must reside in Putian so our volunteers can visit and check on Datou’s health in the future. I was shocked by the number of applications—we don’t even have that many followers on Douyin,” Qian revealed.