Quote:
Originally Posted by meghf  I might be wrong about this, and others with more knowledge can reply but I thought it wasn't good to use human shampoo on dogs because the ph is different? For my standard poodle I usually buy a dog shampoo from petsmart or petco. He's white so sometimes I do a brightening shampoo and I switch off with a moisturizing one. And I usually also get a dog conditioner and/or a dog spray conditioner. I might be doing this incorrectly and others can comment.
For puppies they have specific puppy shampoos. Like I said, I have been told and I've read not to use people shampoo on dogs. |
That's a myth. The most important thing is to RINSE THOROUGHLY. People tend to use WAY too much and not rinse long enough. Shampoo remnants left on the skin is what causes problems in dogs. If you use a gentle, hypoallergenic product it will work fine on a puppy, they don't need specific formulas. Also, if your dog tends to dry skin, conditioner helps as well. A good article on dog shampoos and conditioners is
here and
here.
For example, here is an ingredient comparison of
dish soap, and a brand of commercial dog shampoo:
Quote:
IVORY DISH SOAP
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (detergent surfactant)
Water
Sodium Laureth Sulfate (detergent co-surfactant, milder than SLS)
Cocamidopropyl Betaine (foam builder, thickener, anti-irritant)
Lauramide DEA (foam builder, foam stabilizer, thickener)
Sodium Sulfate (thickener)
Sodium Chloride (thickener)
Citric Acid (pH adjuster)
Tetrasodium EDTA (chelating agent, preservative)
DMDM Hydantoin (preservative)
Fragrance
TOP PERFORMANCE PROCLEAN 35 (a professional dog grooming shampoo)
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate,
Water,
Sodium Laureth Sulfate
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Glycol Stearate (emollient/pearlizing agent)
Fragrance
Methylchloroisothiasolinone/Methylisothiazolinone (preservatives)
Sodium Chloride (thickener)
Cirtric Acid (pH adjuster)
FD & C Yellow No. 5; FD&C Blue #1
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That comparison is from the article I linked to above. It's very informative!
Icesis' breeder uses
Aussie on all her dogs, and they're gorgeous. Chinese Cresteds are a breed where if ANYTHING was harmful about using human shampoo on dogs, it'd be completely obvious. People who sell pet shampoo say the thing about pH for the same reason dog kibble companies say it's wrong to feed your dog anything but their product.
As with anything, some dogs might be allergic to certain ingredients in a shampoo, but that's a separate issue. Avoiding products with added perfumes or artificial colors is all you need to do, generally.
