Don't buy expensive dog shampoos for bathing your dogs. I use Suave and some of the other inexpensive brands for people and have great results. Just be sure to rinse them well.
By Robin
I know you're trying to save money, but human shampoo is way too drying for a pet's skin, even if it's a so-called "gentle" shampoo. I buy Natural Animal and it's concentrated so you get a lot of shampoo out of it. I'm sure it costs me less over the long haul and it's very good for them and has nothing bad in it. I buy it from their site, but I'm sure that some might find it in the local stores. (11/19/2004)
By Vic
Do not use this on dogs. My vet said the PH in their skin is nothing close to ours. You are taking a huge chance to save a couple of pennies.
My dogs' shampoo comes from PetSmart or the Vet. I have two big dogs and believe me it does not cost that much.
Jennifer (11/20/2004)
You can just dilute the dog shampoo. It will still work. And I found out something recently. I keep diluted dishwashing liquid in a spray bottle similar to the one with diluted dog shampoo. I use the diluted dish liquid to mop my floor, or I did until I mixed them up and the floor was sparkling in half the time.
I reasoned that it's my cats and dogs who make most of the mess on the floor, so a shampoo meant to clean them will very likely clean up after them better. I use regular dog shampoo on the dogs sometimes, but for flea shampoo I only use cat flea shampoo as dog flea stuff is too strong for cats and my cats and dogs are crazy about each other. Cat flea shampoo still kills a mighty amount of fleas.
By Linne
I have always used Dawn or Lemon Joy dishwashing liquid on my Sheltie. It kills the fleas. Her skin has never dried out or caused any problems. I have told many people about this and no one has said anything about their dogs having any skin problems. Make sure you rinse it out good, because any shampoo left on skin could dry it out. (02/16/2005)
By Jeanette
Dish detergent strong enough to dissolve the nastiest grease on dishes is too harsh for animals. Think about it. Even if their skin doesn't appear dry or there's no flaking, it's common sense. You wouldn't use laundry detergent on them? Would you use dish or laundry detergent to shower with? Then you shouldn't use them on your animals either. (02/21/2005)
By Vicki
I bought a puppy flea shampoo for my rat terrier and it was harsh for his skin. He didn't want to be touched after I used it. I found some other non tear shampoo for dogs which he likes much better. I have also used Dawn dish soap mixed with aloe gel, this also works good to wash the dog. I liked it better than dog flea shampoo. (02/21/2005)
By Cork
My dog is pregnant and my vet highly recommended me to use Dawn for fleas. (01/13/2006)
By Tina
I use only handmade lye soap on my dogs. The ingredients are only water, lye, and olive oil (or lard). You can find these soaps on the internet. It's natural and non-toxic. It's very gentle, but does a great job. It rinses easily.
Then as a conditioning rinse, I put a pinch of citric acid (not ascorbic acid) into a quart or so of water. I pour this over my dog after the soap is rinsed out and leave it on for a minute. You can give your dog a massage for this time if you want. Then I rinse him again. Your won't believe how soft this makes them. You won't be able to stop petting them.
My dogs have no skin problems whatsoever. I am a health fanatic and won't even use most of the products at the health food store. Please try this method. It's amazingly cheap and lasts a long time. Your dogs will be so happy. (02/22/2006)
By Zoe
As a bather of over 5 years experience, I think Dawn dish soap is the best shampoo for the relief of fleas, ticks, very oily coat, and bad skin. I highly recommend Dawn for Cocker spaniels (esp. the ears), Chows, Shih tzu, and really any dog that needs it.
Dogs with bad skin are usually oily or smelly, or the skin is flaky. I use Dawn to clean the dog before the medicated treatment. If the coat and skin is not clean then the medicated treatment will not be able to work.
I have used Dawn on too many dogs to count and it's hard to tell people my secret, because there is a taboo about using dish soap to bathe dogs, but I use Dawn and Dawn only. No other brand of soap and not the ultra concentrated version of Dawn. Dawn is used to save wildlife from disastrous oil spills. The oil on dogs is much like an oil spill. So I highly recommend Dawn, but only for dogs that really need it. (07/25/2007)
By Crystal
Main and Tail shampoo and the conditioner are designed for horses, pets, and their owners. They are inexpensive and do a beautiful job. (10/14/2008)
By Laura
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