I've had people tell me I can use people shampoo on my dog, but I just want to double check. I bought some dog shampoo from petsmart but it doesn't smell good. It says coconut scent...but I don't get that at all.
A lot of people have said that it is ok and that they use human shampoo. My vet told me not to use it because of the PH factor. I can't remember exactly what it will do. Maybe dry the skin out???
Here is something I found on line about it:
Using human shampoos on dogs leads to an imbalance of sweat, and they would be likely to develop dry, itchy skin. Having said that, using mild human shampoos is fine used at a frequency of once per month. However, I would personally recommend dog-specific shampoos and these will have a recommended usage detailed on the bottle, but this would definitely not be more than once every several weeks. In some cases shampoos can be medicated, such as for specific skin-disorders, and the frequency of use for these would depend on the condition.
I do it all the time and none of mine have dry flakey skin. With whatever shampoo you do use, water it down ,put some in an old shampoo bottle and put maybe 1/4 shampoo the rest water. When you try putting straight shampoo it ends up harder to spread. I'm not a coconut lover myself. LOL
I guess it depends on the dog because people shampoo gives mine dandruff. I believe that pit bulls are prone to dry skin anyhow, so it may be totally different for breeds with different fur types or skin types.
Oh, I forgot to mention. I know a gal on another forum a poodle forum. She is a mod there and also works in a vets office. She is like a walking encyclopedia of the vet world. She has two pure maltese. She often uses Pantene along with alot of the other poodle owners. I also use that and Mane and tail products. Best thing after a shampoo is to rinse like you think its all out then do it again.
I have read on different breeders websites that they use Dawn dishwashing liguid.My Mother in Law uses it on her schnauzers with no problem.
this is from a vet site
Shampoo for dogs
Question: Dear Dr Mike,
I have searched your site and the only references to bathing or shampoo I can find have to do with skin problems. Do you see any problem with using "people" shampoo on dogs, especially if it's a premium type like that sold in hair salons? Our dog does not have any type of skin or fur problems.
Thanks, RTV
Answer: RTV-
I saw a study once, which I couldn't find to supply the reference for, which was a review of the ingredients of various pet and people shampoos, as well as a test of factors like pH and eye irritation. In the study, the authors could find no significant differences between pet shampoos and people shampoos. So I tell my clients to use whatever they like, or have on hand.
I am sure that some shampoos work better on any particular dog than others but that the brands that work well for that one dog may not be the best for another dog.
I think that this information is probably also true for conditioners but have not seen any reviews of the various conditioners to prove or disprove that.
When medicated shampoos are indicated there is some variation between the availability of some ingredients between pet shampoos and people shampoos so it is important to follow your vet's recommendations if a medicated shampoo is called for.
My mom raises maltese and is a dog groomer and she uses dog shampoo but people conditioner oh ner dogs. Sometimes she uses baby shampoo beacuse it is much less harsh. So.....IMO.....i would say to try to get another dog shampoo but baby shampoo should be fine. If you have to use people shampoo, just look for one that is a mouisturizing shampoo.
Oh my!! I use whatever on Mollie and Chopper!! Of course, it is all salon stuff, lol. I'd been using Biolage, then switched Mollie to Bed Head Dumb Blonde shampoo with some other conditioner, and Chopper uses American Crew men's daily shampoo and the same conditioner as Mollie, usually. I have like 4 different kinds of shampoos and conditioners in my shower, so I just use whatever I feel like at the time. lol. I think I remember that when we got Chopper, the "breeder" (puppymill), gave us a paper with puppy care tips on it and it said to use people shampoo because dogs like to smell like their humans. I don't know how true that is, could be something the "breeder" just made up, I don't know, but I've pretty much followed that. Neither of my dogs, nor Eli, ever had a problem with people shampoo and Chopper is prone to skin allergies, so I must be doing something right!! I also don't bathe them very often..........maybe like once every 6-8 weeks is all. Unless they stink real bad, then it's sooner, lol.
