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Monday, August 8, 2016

Shampoos That Are Safe For Your Pet

Everyone has their own favorite routines to bathe their pets. Many owners just use human shampoo to maintain a fresh smelling coat. But there’s a reason why pets have their own special shampoo, and no, it’s not just because of marketing purposes.

Good pet shampoos are superior to human products, and here’s why. Most human shampoos can be very harsh on your pets, even for us humans! The chemicals and fragrances in most brands are actually working against your pet’s natural ability to maintain their beautiful skin and coat. They may smell better, but it’s negative damage overall. Often the damage is so gradual that many pet owners don’t notice the effects.

The fact is, pets have more sensitive skin than we do and human shampoo is much more likely to dry them out and make them itchy. In fact, some owners are quick to suspect allergies when the real culprits are the types of products being used for bath-time!

If your pet has rashes, or has somewhat irritated, dry, flaky, and/or peeling skin then it may be time to re-evaluate what you’re using on them. If that’s already the case, try a natural oatmeal shampoo, also made for pets, which can relieve such irritations.

So now we’ve talked about human versus pet shampoo, but what makes one pet shampoo better than another? There are so many different options that it can be very overwhelming. When in doubt, read the label. An ideal pet shampoo will contain no soap or detergents, and even better if it has either low fragrance or no fragrance at all.

“But I want my pet to smell really good!” I know, we all do. But understand that a pets sense of smell is much higher than ours and adding to much fragrance to your best friends coat can be irritating and make them uncomfortable. I promise, if the pet shampoo you pick out does what it should, your furry friend should smell great even without a fragrance. “What about baby shampoo?” Believe it or not, your pets skin is actually more sensitive than a baby’s because it is covered in fur.

Back to the no-soap talk. “But isn’t soap what cleans my pet?” Well, yes, it does, but that’s because soap is a powerful surfactant that removes oil secretions from the skin. Is it needed in a pet shampoo? No. Why? Some breeds and species are prone to sensitive skin and others suffer from allergies. A soap-free shampoo will help soothe itching and keep your best pal clean at the same time. Plus, if you are using a flea treatment, only soap-free shampoos will not remove the treatment from your pets because the flea treatment needs the natural oils of your pet to absorb into the skin.

Avoid commercial shampoos with polyethylene glycol, a petroleum used as a base for cosmetics that can be an irritant; sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) and sodium laureth sulfate, both detergents frequently found in canine shampoos.
Good pet shampoos made without soap generally contain ingredients such as oatmeal, coconut, essential oils or aloe vera. Look for labels that read ‘organic’ or ‘natural’, but always check the ingredients to be sure the product doesn’t contain soap.

“But wait, what about conditioner?” It’s not needed. A conditioner’s main purpose is to cover up the damage done by shampoo by replacing natural hair oils with artificial oils. If you are using a soap-free shampoo, you are already using a wonderful product to clean your pet without removing all of its natural oils, so there is no need to ‘cover up damage’. Conditioners stay on the hair and get absorbed by your scalp. Imagine how much fur your pet has compared to your hair. That is a lot of absorption!


Looking for a great start to soap-free shampoo? Mickey’s PetSupplies has some wonderful shampoos for every need!



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