Puppy's Mystery Illness Perplexes Owners for 5 Years—Then a Theory Emerges

Newsweek

12 hours ago

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
A puppy's mystery illness, which left her with severely swollen eyes, has struck a nerve among viewers online, sparking a flood of responses and a wave of speculation from fellow pet owners about the unexplained condition.
Asia, a three-legged chocolate Labrador retriever from Yorkshire, England, captured the attention of millions on TikTok when her owner, Jared Power, shared haunting photos of the mysterious illness she went through five years go to the platform.
The images, posted July 2 under @asia.the.choccy, have been viewed more than 1.9 million times and liked by over 62,000 users to date.
Viewers were able to see then-puppy Asia struggling with puffed-up eyes and an unclear diagnosis, set to on-screen text reading, "we came home from work to find our dog like this … She was still a puppy at the time … We took her to the emergency vets … Some medicine to reduce the swelling … Five years later, still no clue what caused this."
Speaking to Newsweek, Power, who owns Asia with his partner Scott Oldridge, recalled the night that began what remains an unsolved mystery.
"We had just come home from a shift at work to find something had happened to our dog Asia; she was still a little puppy at the time," Power said. "Her eyes had swollen, and she was not feeling very well at all.
"This was quite late at night, so we had to rush her into the emergency vets," Power added.
The medical team provided treatment to reduce the swelling but was unable to offer a concrete diagnosis.
"This was such a scary situation as Asia was still so young, and nothing had happened like this before," Power said. "The vets could not give a definite answer to what caused this leading to my TikTok post as I wanted to find my own answers."
Asia made a full recovery, and the episode was never repeated, but the mystery has lingered for years. TikTok users quickly responded to the photos, with many sharing stories of their own dogs experiencing similar unexplained reactions.
"Hundreds of comments flooded in from other dog owners, including photo comments too, sharing their experiences and similar stories of their dogs having reactions like this and never finding out what caused it," Power added.
From left: Asia the chocolate Labrador looks at the camera during her mystery illness; and afterwards.
From left: Asia the chocolate Labrador looks at the camera during her mystery illness; and afterwards.
@asia.the.choccy
Theories from commenters range widely, suggesting everything from insect stings to food allergies.
"Happened to my puppy when we got her 3 years ago, the vet luckily caught on that it was something called 'puppy strangles'," one viewer said. Several commenters mentioned "puppy strangles," an uncommon skin condition that can affect young dogs.
"My dog's whole face was swollen one day like this," another viewer added. "Turns out she was allergic to the down feather pillows we had."
"There are also lots of theories ranging from bee or wasp stings, spider bites, allergies to all sorts including carpets, pollen, air fresheners, cleaning products, even chicken, pork; and someone even said vaccinations," Power said.
Though the episode remains unexplained, Power said that Asia is currently thriving.
"Asia is all good now and doing well," the owner said. "However, recently she was diagnosed with cancer at 5 years old, a histiocytic sarcoma in her back paw, and the leg was amputated.
"She has been given the all clear of cancer and is living the best happy life ever," Power said.
Asia, now 6, continues to appear in TikTok videos under @asia.the.choccy that document her recovery and day-to-day life with her owners. And despite the traumatic memory, Power said he was stunned by how widely the post about her past mystery illness resonated.
"I went to bed last night, and the post went to 1 million views," he said. "I was shocked when I woke up in the morning."
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to [e-mail] with some details about your best friend, and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.