Many pet owners who are new to bathing their dogs might not have any idea about what's best for their animal's skin and coat. If you thought that human shampoo would be ok to use on your pet, then you'd be mistaken.Human skin and dog skin are totally different when it comes to their chemical composition, and so here are the 5 reasons why you should never use human shampoo on your dog:
Source: Pet Saver Superstore
The pH balance is the acidity or the alkalinity of anything, including human skin and dog skin. Anything that is below 6.4 on the pH scale is considered acidic and anything that's above it is alkaline. The human skin range is from 5.2 to 6.2 while the dog's skin has a range of 5.5 to 7.5, which makes it clear that dogs have a more alkaline skin than humans.Shampoos that are meant for human skin might not have the correct pH balance, which makes them too harmful or too acidic for your dog's skin and will upset his or her skin's pH balance over time. This damage can cause bacteria to spread more easily to your dog's skin, causing it to become dry or form abrasio?ns due to the constant scratching of your dog.
Source: The Contemporary Pet
One of the best (or worst) caveats of using human shampoo in dogs is the fact that it may contain some harmful substances for your dog’s skin, such as artificial colors, artificial fragrance (phthalates), formaldehyde, sodium lauryl sulfate among others. These are known to already be harmful to humans in some small way, so imagine if you use it on your dog's sensitive, alkaline skin.Instead of using human shampoo, you should steer clear and only entrust your dog's skin to actual herbal and organic solutions such as comfrey, colloidal oatmeal, tea tree oil, Aloe Vera and the like. If you do want something with fragrance, then make sure it is natural by looking at the label for the list of ingredients or asking the manufacturer.
Source: Dog Supply Plus
The sensitivity of a dog's skin is due to the fact that their skin layers are only between 3 to 5 whereas a regular human's skin layers would be up to 15 layers in its thickness. This is why dogs are more prone to getting skin problems if they get accidentally splashed with hot water.
Source: Dogsaholic
Dogs have a fur or coat that is greatly different from that of human hair. For instance, dogs get fleas but humans can only get lice, and that requires a different formulation. In the same way, your dog’s coat won’t get healthier with human-formula shampoos because of the different ingredients required.
Source: Life with Bon Bon
Shedding can vary between dog breeds but most of them will shed a peculiar amount each month. Human shampoo will not get you anywhere to help alleviate the shedding but dog shampoos may be of great help, since they are specifically formulated for dog skin and fur/coat.If your dog is a heavy shedder then consider making the choice of using dog shampoo instead of the shampoo lying in your bathroom, filled with unnecessary chemicals for your dog’s skin.
Source: The Fun Times Guide
Here at ThinkofPuppy.com, Anna shares her dog-loving passion with the world. She likes to give her dogs the best of everything and bring helpful, interesting information to her readers. You can catch more of her through her Google+ or Twitter
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