Shampoo and grooming your dog

I phoned the local expert groomer and asked her about baby shampoo for dogs.   Had remembered getting some information way back about not using it, and here is what she told me.

 We buy our shampoo and ear cleaner ( all organic) from the Yuppy Puppy at the Y in Spokane. ( We really like thier shampoo's too.)

Baby Shampoo is harsh for a dog, because all humans, even babies have 15 layers of skin, dogs have 7.   ( Didn’t know that)

She said to buy something that says all natural, at a pet store.  She gave me a few names, Avoderm, Bio Groom, Show Sheen.  Just nothing for a grocery store like hartz or any of those brands. And now at Petsmart and Petco a LOT of the shampoo products are made in China, read lablels please.

She indicated over time the baby shampoo will take a toll on the dogs skin.

She also said to dilute all the shampoos, 1/4 part Shampoo to 3/4 parts water.  We do ours half and half.

Your dog can be carrying a substantial toxic load. Now add a shampoo with toxic ingredients into the mix…even if that shampoo is only used a few times a year the bad ingredients are absorbed through your dog’s skin - resulting in further toxic load.

Don’t be fooled by labels that say ‘all natural’, ‘safe’ etc. As dog shampoo is not considered a drug, there are no regulations to govern the term ‘all natural’, ‘safe’. Many manufacturers’ take advantage of this gap in regulations, therefore the one and only way to protect your dog is to know what to avoid.

Take a look at this list below - if the dog shampoo you are using contains any of these, throw it out! If you are looking to purchase a product take this list with you, or compare it to the product you are buying if purchasing on-line.

You can also make your own dog shampoo - to do so is simple and you will be 100% sure you are using a safe, truly natural product.

Remember to refer to out favorite products post!

Things your shampoo should not have!

Ingredients to Avoid in Commercially Manufactured Dog, Pet Shampoo

• 1,4-diaminobenzene
• Artificial colors (i.e. blue 1,2,4, disperse blue 1; green 1,2,3; red 4,9,17,19,22,33,40; yellow 5,6,8; disperse yellow 3 - will be shown as D =&C or FD&C…i.e. FD&C Red No.6);
• Benzalkonium Chloride and Benzethonium Chloride - synthetic germicides, long term use may affect immune system, cause asthma;
• BHA;
• BHT;
• Coal Tar Dyes;
• Diethanolamine (DEA);
• DEA-Cocamide & Lauramide & Oleamidecondensates;
• DEA-cocamide/lauramide condensates;
• DEA-MEA/Acetame;
• DEA-Sodium lauryl sulfate;
• Dioxins;
• Fragrances (Parfum) - unless from a truly all natural source;
• Methylisothiazolinone (MIT);
• Methicone;
• Triethanolamine (TEA);
• Sodium Lauryl Sulphate (SLS);
• Sodium Laureth Sulphate (SLES);
• Paraphenylenediamine;
• PEG-compounds (1,4-dioxane, propylene glycol and other ingredients with the letters "eth" , i.e.polyethylene glycol);
• P-phenylenediamine;
• Propylene Glycol (used in anti-freeze!);
• Phthalates;
• Petrolatum or Mineral Oil (can be contaminated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons);
• Sodium Hydroxide;
• Triclosan.

Although this list is lengthy, it represents only a portion of the harmful ingredients - toxins and carcinogens that can be present in off-the-shelf shampoo products for dogs.

 

Make your own safe shampoo

 

Also don’t forget the ear cleaner, alcohol free.

We really like this brand and order it online.
Love 2 Pet No Dirty Ears Wash 8 Oz 
We ordered some from ABC Wholesale and it never shipped, beware of that merchant.

Most dogs will need thier anal glands expressed, by a vet or a groomer on occasion.  Also, if you don't do nail trims at home, they need to be done every two to three weeks on a small dog.

We just found this link about tear stains on white dogs.
Tear Stain Guide

© 2011