Our fur babies’ skin is their largest organ. Have you considered whether what you use to lather, rinse, and repeat on your fur child’s skin is all that good for them? Not all pet shampoos are created equal, and moreover, many of them could harm your dog.
Here’s what you should look for and avoid in dog shampoos:
Rule of thumb: You probably shouldn’t lather Fido in it if you can’t pronounce it. Many eco-friendly shampoos are on the market these days, but not all are created equal. For example, biodegradable shampoos indicate that the soap residue will not harm the water supply. However, what about Rover’s coat?
Here’s a tip: Ignore the front of bottles and sprays. Instead, flip the product around and read the ingredients, as the fluffy white dog on the shampoo bottle does not necessarily mean your pooch needs to lather in this stuff. You should know what is happening in their coat and into their bloodstream. Synthetic ingredients can irritate and aggravate dogs’ skin, so avoid anything less than “certified organic”. The skin will absorb any residue chemicals left behind, which can cause redness and itching, and the same can happen with conditioners, detanglers, and crème rinses. Follow the same principles as above; sometimes, too much of a good thing can be a bad thing.
To avoid harming your dog be sure you know what ingredients shampoos contain, all manufacturers tell us their products are the best ones for your dog which is not necessarily so. We put a high level of trust in the manufacturer of our dog’s grooming products, as yet there are no manufacturing standards for ingredient purity or verification of “natural or organic” claims or disclosures of their manufacturing processes. If you are purchasing shampoo, it is imperative to make sure it is a “Certified organic” product; manufacturers can call it organic without verification. Certified organic products go through a much higher level of scrutiny, and go through rigorous reviews throughout their lifecycle – from where and how they are grown, harvested, processed and packaged. Certified organic dog grooming products also verify that there are no GMO ingredients, no pesticides, herbicides, artificial colours, or synthetic fragrances.
Bottom line: When searching for your next dog shampoo, search for “certified organic dog shampoo” as “all natural or organic shampoos or conditioners” may not be tested to prove this, and we could be paying a high price for a product that is not substantiated.
