Can Dog Shampoo Be More Hazardous than You Think?

In recent times there has been a great buff in dog products, some offer harness while some offer bathing care.

There has been tremendous competition in shampoos. Every other firm is trying to provide maximum benefits to your dog, but the question arises, is your Fiddo really ready for it?

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Are Dog Shampoos Hazardous?

Are Dog Shampoos Hazardous?

Yes, you read it correctly there are some products that can harm your dog in a serious way. Have you ever skim through the content at the back of the shampoo, no right? Clean dog on the sticker is not always going to be the condition with your dog.

Not all the shampoos out there are bad, some of them are really good, but at last, it all depends on your dog skin how well it can adapt to the liquid you are providing to him/her.

Shampoo can Cause an Allergic Reaction to Your Dog

An allergic reaction occurs due to the reaction between specialized immune cells to allergens. These allergens transmit through the liquid you are using. As when you use shampoo, your dog skin absorbs it. In some cases, the coat will react negatively as the shampoo does not suit the skin.

This irritation or reaction can increase with repeated applications. Some of the common allergies include red rashes near the ears or bottom of the body, itchiness for a prolonged period of time, bumps on the skin.

It reminds me of an incident that happened to my neighbor, Mrs. Smith. When she took Scooby, to the nearest vet clinic as her dog skin near the ears was red. The reason behind this side effects was the use of shampoo that had benzyl alcohol as one of the components.

I recommend as an owner always choose a shampoo that is rich in natural components rather than chemical ones. Or you might end up like Mrs. Smith. You might be wondering what about fleas and ticks, these bugs need a special treatment. There are shampoos available that can cure fleas without even applying a single drop of toxics on your dog skin.

What to Look When Buying a Dog Shampoo?

As a consumer, always look for a shampoo that consists of natural components as a natural cure is the best cure that you can provide to your dog.

Here are some of the components that make a good shampoo:

  • Soap Free.
  • Biodegradable plant extract.
  • Aloe Vera.
  • Natural Essence.
  • Coconut Extract.
  • Tree oil.
  • Oatmeal.

These are some of the ingredients that will not harm your dog in any manner.

Some of the Preventive Measures

Do not use synthetic components for the bathing purpose. As these materials can cause irritation and in some cases allergies to the skin. Moreover, some of the chemicals make the skin dry.

Use of human shampoos on dogs is a strict no-no condition. The shampoo used by human contains harsh ingredients that can cause allergic reactions to your dog skin.

Don’t wash your dog with shampoo more than 2 times in a week as more of anything is not good.

Dog Shampoos & Human Shampoos: Facts You Must Know

Don’t confuse yourself with human shampoo same as dog shampoo. Both are like the different faces of a coin. A shampoo is to treat hair, right? Dog hair differs from us in many ways.

Try to avoid the use of human shampoos on your pooch. The shampoo used by us is not mild in nature and dog skin is sensitive to the use of any kind of harsh shampoo is an invitation to problems.

The various factors that come into the picture are as follows:

Difference in pH

There is a difference in pH level of humans and dogs. We have a pH value of 5.5. On the other hand, dogs have a pH of 7.5. Apparently, you might think there is not much of a difference, so whats the matter?

Our shampoo is not for dog skin, even the most expensive shampoo will not meet the condition of 6.5 to7.0 pH level values. Cheaper shampoos mostly consist of chemicals and application of such shampoo for quite a period will result in a reduction of oils from your pooch coat.

Skin

The reason, why dog skin is sensitive to our shampoo lies in the type of the skin. Our skin is thrice as thicker as the dog, so out skin can bear the chemicals but dog skin sensitive in nature is not able to adapt to those chemicals.

Different Types of Shampoo

The third reason is the difference in the type of shampoos. As you know there are varieties of shampoo available for us i.e shampoo for oily hair, dry hair, scalp treatment, baby shampoo etc.

In the same way, there are different types of shampoo for dogs some deal with sensitive skin or some contains insecticides to remove fleas and ticks. Furthermore, specialized shampoos are there for dogs suffering from odor issues or skin issue.

In nutshell we should be using the shampoo that suits us and dog shampoo for them, using them interchangeably will create a problem.

Its all About the Ingredients

Dog shampoo consists of the ingredients that are formulated for their skin, as dogs have issues with their skin these shampoos comes with a variety of ingredients to solve the issue. For instance, to deal with fleas and ticks the available shampoo has a composition of chemical toxins that help to remove fleas and ticks.

Dog shampoo also has glycerin and plant extract to make the skin smooth. The shampoo used by us lacks all these ingredients which are essential to keep skin healthy and soft.

Ingredients You Don’t Want In Your Dog’s Shampoo

Your love your pooch, right? and you try to do the best in order to keep your pet healthy and away from any sort of trouble. But to your surprise, you might be unknowingly hurting your dog by means of the shampoo you are using. Just flip the shampoo and look at the ingredients, some of those are causing serious problem to their health and skin.

But how to know which ingredient is safe for your pooch and which is not? You will after reading this article on which ingredients to avoid in a shampoo.

As a consumer, we are not aware of what methods the manufacturer uses to manufacture the product. The same chemical can be classified as safe in nature and the same as a source of a serious problem. If we are known with the process then it makes it easy for us to judge.

Avoid these Ingredients

If you ever find these ingredients, try to avoid the shampoo. These ingredients can prove to be the testing material in deciding whether the shampoo is safe or not.

1). Artificial Color

These color are the outcome of petroleum products which can cause skin irritation, organ damage, birth problem and many more. Moreover, most of the times these color are the byproducts of contaminated chemicals, which implies that “there is no purity factor in color“. Just as other products these color are added to make the product look more appealing.

2). Phthalates

One of the ingredients that is not present on the label. But if you see a presence of artificial fragrance then phthalates is going to be there. Phthalates are used to bond the fragrance with other materials in the shampoo. Hormone side-effects are caused by this ingredient.

3). Isopropyl

Also commonly known as SD-40 or alcohol SD-40 is used in the grooming of dogs. This material increases the skin absorption and also makes the skin dry and itchy. As a result, it is easier for the chemicals to get in the skin.

4). Paraben Preservatives

It gets gather in the body and is said to have progressive effects on the body such as cancer, estrogen problem, and in some cases issues regarding the reproductive system. It would be labeled as propylparaben, Butylparaben.

5). Artificial Scent

Can come from various sources which would not be present on the label. Some cases have reported issues with skin problems as well as cancer problems.

6). Triethanolamine

Is a member of Cocamide-MEA labeled as Cocamide-TEA is used to balance pH level of the skin. But this component can be contaminated by nitrosamines.

7). Polyethylene glycol (PEG)

It moisturizes the skin but it is more known to irritate the skin. It is also a “penetration enhancer” which means that it carries other chemicals inside the body to the bloodstream, which can be dangerous for the dog.

8). Mineral oil

It is a component of the shampoo, it helps the skin to retain its oil and moisture. Don’t confuse yourself with its advantage, mineral oil is a byproduct of many hydrocarbons which are not cleaned properly and can cause infection on the skin. Don’t go for a shampoo that has hydrocarbon as its component.

9). Propylene glycol

This is the second “penetration enhancer” in this list. Also known as a skin solvent, and skin conditioner. It is a toxin and can cause a problem to the immune system as well as reproductive system.

10). Cocamide-MEA

Comes from nitrosamine, a restriction is there in the use of cosmetic products. Nitrosamine is the contaminants that can form under a certain condition.

The pH value of Cocamide MEA came to be 3.5 which is enough to form nitrosamine. This toxin is said to have immune system issues, development toxicity. Even one of the high rated shampoo has Cocamide-MEA as one of the ingredients on the label.

11). PEG-40 Lanolin

It is a byproduct of lanolin. It can cause organ toxicity. The major concern is the contamination by ethyl oxide and dioxane.

12). Formaldehyde

You won’t notice it on the label as in most of the times it wouldn’t be there. Although it is present in the shampoo, as a slow releasing component. The effects will not be seen at the start but as time passes it will be an invitation to various other problems. It triggers the immune system and causes burning and itching problems.

Conclusion

All in all, next time if you buy a shampoo or any other product, look for these basic ingredients and try to avoid them.

Petlovesbest has enlisted the most basic ingredients and besides, there are so many sulfate chemicals that have no regulation on it and are being used in the shampoo.

Do look for the ingredients and then buy the product for the best of your pooch!

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