Shampoo for Dogs... People vs Dog

[Guest Anonymous]

I have a friend who just got a Yorkie and she told me today that she's baithing the dog with Pantene. I told her she was crazy - that our hair is different from dogs. (which is of course why they invented shampoo for dogs and shampoo for people)

Anyhow, after I said that she said, "But that's what my groomer told me to do... dilute a good people shampoo with water"

So I tell my friend, "Stop taking your dog there because they don't know what they're talking about!"

That can't be right!!!!!!!!

Can anyone help me with better advice for my friend? Also, any recommendations on a good DOG shampoo.

Thanks in advance.

[Guest Anonymous]

I use this NATURAL Outmeal stuff... I'm not sure what the brand is... I know it's something to do with the world "natural" :lol: :roll: I'm not expert on grooming, I know the basics of how to keep a medium length coat healthy and clean, but I'm PRETTY sure that the human shampoo is bad... However, I used this stuff once when we ran outa dog shampoo (it fell over and went down the drain :roll: ) and it was this alo stuff, was supose to be like all natural, smelled like grass... it made my hair really straw like, but it made my dog's coat pretty nice!

[Guest Anonymous]

Eeek! You're right! I'd never use Pantene on a Yorkie. It's da bomb on Poodle coats, though (a lot of Poodle exhibitors do use Pantene for curly hair on their show Poodles). :lol:

Seriously, I know about the ph thing and how it works, but I also know that it is often misleading in regard to advertising. Did you know that the ph of many dog shampoos is similar to that of many brands of dishwashing liquids? I know I have no life, but I love studying the chemistry behind shampoos and other products and dogs.

Still, if it's worrisome, just about any mild dog shampoo should be fine. I do avoid anything with Hartz on the label, though. I also would not recommend any tea tree shampoos for tiny breeds. People like the appeal of tea tree because it's touted as "natural," but it has been known to be toxic to small animals.

Other than that, just pick a mild, general purpose shampoo. My personal favorite brands are Nature's Specialties and Pet Silk, but there are many others I like as well. It's just a matter of personal preference. :)

Just a side note... I've been using dog shampoos and conditioners on my own head for years :oops: and I've never had a problem. The basic chemistry is the same.

HF

[Bensam]

Having had a number of different breeds of show dogs I found that different shampoos suited different coat types and textures, some human, others dog shampoo. I had a dog with a skin condition a while ago and was using a medicated shampoo from the Vet. who was treating him. This particular brand went off the market and my Vet. said to use 'Selsun' human shampoo as it had exactly the same ingredients and did the same good job. I feel it depends on the dog, the coat, etc. as long as you know the makeup of the shampoo and get the good ones.

[Guest Anonymous]

Bensam! :popcorn:

[Guest Anonymous]

the skin of a dog generally has a different ph level than that of a human, so most people shampoos tend to be too harsh on dog skin, but it really depends on the product.

unless you notice that your dog has excessively dry skin/coat or has other problems tolerating the people shampoo, it's not a problem to use at all - it won't make your dog sick or kill him, so no reason to freak out over it. :) a lot of folks in the show circuit use people shampoos on their dogs, so the groomer might not be all that wrong recommending it, especially for a dog witht he coat type of a yorkie. diluting the people shampoo well is important tho, do not put it on the dog straight from the bottle or it might irritate the skin.

for regular baths it's better to use a good dog shampoo tho. i very much like the earthbath products ([url]www.earthbath.com[/url]), because they are all natural, biodegradable, don't have chemical colorings or fragrances added (like most pet shampoos) and are free of harsh detergents. they smell very good too, i especially like the oatmeal shampoo bar.

[Guest Anonymous]

One other thing... rinse, rinse, rinse, and when she thinks the dog is rinsed thoroughly, she should rinse some more for good measure. The easiest way to cause skin irritations on a dog is to leave any shampoo or residue behind, regardless of what kind of shampoo is used.

[Guest Anonymous]

We use Hylyt (I think that's how it's spelled?), my mom gets it for cheap at work (she works for a groomer). Goo used to sometimes get mild skin irritation after a bath, so I started rinsing with a vinegar/water mix (after someone on another board posted about how it had helped their dog) after the shampoo was out, then rinsing again. She hasn't had any post-bath itchies since. I do have one question though pertaining to grooming/bathing... she has a spot on her tail where she got it caught between the window guard and sill, riping out all the fur and some skin, which left it all raw and oozy. Then to make matters worse, everytime it would start to scab up, she would smack it off the walls, stove, etc, and it would be open again. It took over 2 months for it to completely go away, and in the 3 months (give or take) since, the fur hasn't grown back! In certain spots, she has gotten little "baby hairs", about 1 mm long, and she has a few normal furs scattered over the spot, but nowhere near "normal". I'm guessing that the scar tissue from the spot healing, then being opened again, so many times, is keeping the fur from growing in. The skin there is pretty soft now, and isn't unusually thick. I was just wondering if anyone has any ideas for how to get some growth back, so the other dogs stop ridiculing her for going bald in her old age :lol:

[Bensam]

Raleigh's Medicated Ointment, well rubbed into the bare spot, seems to grow hair on billiard balls :lol: BUT perhaps you can't get over there, so another supposedly good one is Vitamen E cream rubbed in to the spot.


Hi. HF! Will join you in that drink, been lurking but keeping my mouth (fingers!) closed. Just seems to be taking too long to get over losing Ben, the get up and go, seems to have got up and went :-? It's nearly next year, so maybe look out!

[Guest Anonymous]

Is this the stuff Bensam?
[url]http://www.rawleigh.com/product/rems/index.html[/url]

[Guest Anonymous]

Hi, Gooey, yes that's the one 'Antiseptic Salve'! Friend with hunting dogs swears by it both for healing and bringing the coat through again. I used it on a Min Pin who had ripped his side on something or other. Had it stitched, healed fine but no hair. I was told about this and started using it about a month after the injury and presto! there came the hair. . Massaged well in a couple of times a day then wiped over to get rid of any excess, it doesn't hurt the dogs if they lick it. So worth a try.

[imported_Kat]

Most human shampoos are not suitable for dogs' skin as dogs' skin has a different pH in comparison to us. In saying that however some of the more natural tea tree oils and oatmeal shampoos are fine. I bath Meg in Johnstons baby shampoo, so she is a Johnstons baby puppy :D

[Guest Anonymous]

Drat, that's me, Bensam, above, will have to try the log in again!

[snowpaws]

Hey guys,
I work at a dog grooming salon and we use specialty dog shampoos,
eg there is blue pearl which is a whitening shampoo,ridasect for dogs with fleas, first aid for bad skin, aromazone for smelly dogs etc etc.
And then we have a special conditioner for poodles and a dematting one.
I'm not sure about the whole being able to use human hair products on dogs, we have never recommended it to people simply because we dont know and dont want to give out wrong advice.
We do have a yorkie (strangely enough) :-? that comes in and doesn't have a bath before it is groomed because it takes a shower with its owner :o and she uses pantene on it. Mind you the dog has the most beautiful coat so I assume it is doing no harm!
We also have quite a few people who bring their own shampoos with the dogs for us to use, johnsons baby shampoo is quite common which also makes the coat beautifully soft, and because it is so mild I doubt it can do harm. We do always dilute them anyway.
Alot of dogs with bad skin (quite often westies) get prescribed a shampoo from the vets called Malaseb which is very good at clearing up sore flakey skin.
We have a good shampoo for dogs with bald patches or thin coats.
It is a protein one, I think made by the company Groomers.
Anyway, I occasionly wash my hair at work with the dog shampoos and conditioner :oops: and then dry it with the blast dryers :lol: which is an amusing sight. I cant hear anything for about an hour afterwards, but they leave your hair really soft and dead straight after blasting it! hehehe!
I know I'm sad...

[ellieangel]

[quote]Anyway, I occasionly wash my hair at work with the dog shampoos and conditioner and then dry it with the blast dryers which is an amusing sight. I cant hear anything for about an hour afterwards, but they leave your hair really soft and dead straight after blasting it! hehehe! [/quote]

Oh Lannie I can just see you doing that :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

[midori115]

I use Biogroom Oatmeal. It's fantastic.

[sheltielover]

I use Biogroom Extra body for Honey and regular Biogroom for Licky....it's done wonders for Honey's coat! It's always so nice and fluffy.... :D

[Guest Anonymous]

i've been known to use human shampoos on my dogs...they never went into respitory distress or anything, but i've got fairly healthy dogs, and they might have that "hybrid vigor" i've heard so much about. :D . Anyway, one year, I decided to try a high protein food. (yuck) Buddy and India got flaky skin. I tried everything to wash it away, and in desperation, grabbed my head and shoulders (in fact, it was knock off head and shoulders) and shampooed away, just like with a regular dog shampoo...no more flakes! ta da! Fang developed flaky skin due to weather conditions...good old H&S to the rescue. I've used cammomile on my golden/lab mix, I've used sea breeze suave on my maltese/tzu/schnauzer mix. My sister, a groomer, freaks out at me for it, but I honestly and objectively study the condition of coat and skin after trying a new shampoo and so far, one doesn't seem to be better than the other--in a pinch, i've used lemon dish soap to kill fleas and it works. Lambert Kay Snowy Coat will kill fleas, too. I prefer using dog products, but I think it's a case of wanting to spoil my children, er, dogs, rather than it working better...they get just as clean from my daily clarifying as they do from Lambert Kay. However, yorkies, from what I've read, have a different coat and skin than most dogs, and maybe human shampoo is not good for them...I would not know, though--i've never bathed a yorkie.

[Guest Anonymous]

I use baby shampoo on my dog..and his coat is soft and shiny....

[Guest Anonymous]

I have to agree that people shampoo should not be used on dogs. Our hair is very different from dogs (ph balance, texture, etc.) so we need to treat it properly.

"If it's good enough for my dog then it's good enough for me" TRUE, however, that doesn't necessarliy work the other way.

Think of baby products... food, shampoo, etc. Sure, we can eat baby food, use baby shampoo, and even use their perfume. Now, would you give your baby chili, bathe him/her with paul mitchel, spray CK 1 so he/she can small good? HECK NO!!!

Same for dogs! When I rescued Pluto, my Schnorkie, he was FULL of knots - and I mean FULL! I too tried different shampoos becuase some shampoos work better than others according to breeds. (Just like some of us use Herbal Essence while others of us use Finesse - for what ever reason)

It's NOT about being toxic to dogs or 'what ever works'. It's about a good coat AND scalp. For example, if you're drying-out your pets scalp, medicated ointments can and will harm your pet.

And how could I forget... a proper diet helps too. A healthy coat begins with proper diet.

As for Pluto, anyone who sees him and/or pets him always complements on his coat. How shiny is soft it is. What do I say...

Pluto, is who is part Yorkie, uses Oatmeal shampoo/conditioner and eats Nutro-Max as a part of his diet.

Tell your friend to try it out... better yet, buy it for them - that way no excuses :)

Hope this helps

[mouseatthebusstop]

I WOULD USE A MILD HUMAN SHAMPOO IN AN EMERGENCY :)

[Guest Anonymous]

SchnorkieYorkie,

I just looked at the picture of your dog at the left side of your posting.... My God! That is one shiny dog! :D The Oatmeal shampoo must definitely agree with him!

Anyway, I also believe that dogs require their own special shampoos. I mean, they're made for a reason and it is true that a dog's pH sensitivity is different from ours. For my Yellow Lab I use a Medicated shampoo because she has skin allergies and her coat has been so much improved since I've done that -- it's amazing!

Also, I believe you're also right in that diet is one of the most important, if not THE most important factor in a good coat and skin. I also feed Nutro and, IMO, it is the best out there (and I've tried Solid Gold from Hund N Flocken as well as Z/D and a variety of other speciality foods -- Nutro for Skin & Coat - dark green bag - still wins over all of those). So many people feed junk like Iams or whatever the cheapest is at the store, and it's all full of crap ingredients basically -- not to mention animal by-parts. *I* certainly wouldn't eat stuff with animal by-parts -- I would never even DREAM of giving my dogs that to eat. Yuck! But I digress, these same people are the ones complaining about a poor coat... well duh! Garbage in = garbage out.

[Guest Anonymous]

Thanks for helping me out with this :)

[Guest Anonymous]

I work at a grooming shop as well...we use a variety of dog shampoos...the groomer likes organic shampoos...I can't remember the brand name of most of them...she mixes them seperate in bottles as they must be diluted some are about 20-water to 1-shampoo so of course she doesnt have the brand names on the bottles at the bath tub...there is one she uses called Fur-st aid for dogs with problems skin, pro-glow for black or white dogs, oatmeal for dogs with problem skin etc. she gets these products from pet supply house.
I have to say I don't find any thing wrong with using human shampoo on dogs...if you are worried about the ph balance mix in a little white vineger and only use mild shampoo's.
I am around many many show people many of them use human shampoo's on their dogs...their favorites are usually Joico and pantene and many buy their shampoos from the local beauty depo for humans and buy the large 1 gallon bottles of honey and almond - just a cheap human shampoo. These dogs have lovely coats and do very well in the show ring...many of them are bathed weekly in it.
Any way, the thing I find the funniest is one lady who started bringing her Sheltie in to us.....the Sheltie had major skin problems...she gave us a recipe to use for the dog as she heard it was great for dry skin...here it is and it has worked great for this Sheltie...the dog has a wonderful coat...this is also good for getting out grease in a coat (we use this for all those white dogs which belong to motor mechanics! :wink: )

1/3 cup Glycerin
1 cup palmolive dish detergent
1 cup White vinegar1 quart of water

this makes about a liter of shampoo...we have now been using this recipe for 8 years on different dogs...and this is all I use on my Newfoundland dogs...its even good for dogs with sensitive skin.

[Guest Anonymous]

I have two Yorkies myself and coincidently I used to use Pantene on my dogs. So of course I started laughing when I saw this posting. Anyhow, my daughter, who is an animal lover, came to my house one day and was playing with my dogs. She went on an on of how my dogs had the worst coat she had ever seen. When I told her I used Pantene she went crazy. My daughter told me to buy this Natural Oatmeal shampoo (I think it's the same one someone mentioned earlier) Well, to get her quite I went and bought that Natural Oatmeal shampoo. Can you believe after a month my daugher was right. I had noticed that my dogs hair was actually tough and almost greasy when I used Pantene. Maybe some people use Pantene on their dogs and maybe is works for them but I think Yorkies should stay away from it.