What's the straight dope on pet shampoos?

In My Humble Opinion
1

Last night I did what I thought was a very normal thing – gave my dog a bath using the Herbal Essences shampoo that’s in the shower for washing people hair. My wife was aghast, as evidently it’s “unsafe” to use human shampoo on dogs. (We do have dog shampoo but I only use it for our fancy dog that has hair instead of fur.)

I googled it and sure enough, literally every website on the first few pages explains that it’s not safe to use human shampoo on dogs. The reasons cited seem to be 1) dogs’ skin has a less acidic pH than humans and so needs specially formulated shampoo, and 2) dogs’ skin is generally more sensitive and doesn’t response well to certain chemicals found in human shampoos.

My skeptic alarm is going off at this point, but it’s tough for me. On the one hand, the rationale doesn’t make much sense to me, and on the other hand, there seems to be unanimous agreement among groomers and even some vets. I have so many questions, though – why does the pH balance of the shampoo matter? How is the pet shampoo market regulated? Why is my dog seemingly handling normal shampoo without issue?

I started looking for some science based articles about dog shampoos, and came up fairly empty handed. And then I found this:

Concerns and warnings about shampoo pH and using a shampoo balanced for the pH of the dog seem to be driven more by business and marketing than by science. There is no scientific evidence that shampoo having a pH of 5.0-6.0 is harmful to pet skin. In fact, many pet shampoos share that pH range with human shampoos. There are, however, good reasons to use a good pet shampoo on dogs: Shampoos formulated for canine hair are designed to clean well and are often geared toward specific jobs or coat types. Human shampoos are designed for daily or weekly use and may not clean a dirty dog well. They are also mostly formulated to soften hair, which may not be desirable when scissoring a Bichon or maintaining a terrier coat. Human hair shampoos are less likely to have ingredients for whitening, promoting deshedding, or serious deodorizing.

Now, this is a well-cited article, but it’s the only one I could find and it’s written by a dog groomer, not a scientist. It’s also not exactly in a peer-reviewed publication. And, worryingly, it confirms what I wanted to believe. That said, it’s well-written and convincing.

What’s the straight dope? Has the entire (pet) world gone mad?

2

The American Kennel Club agrees with the pH difference:

Human skin has a normal pH balance of 5.5-5.6, which is on the acidic side. Dogs, on the other hand, have a normal pH balance of 6.2-7.4, which is more neutral. Using a human shampoo on dogs disrupts the acid mantle, leaving your dog vulnerable to parasites, viruses, and bacteria. It also makes their skin feel dry and flaky, which can lead to repeated scratching and abrasions. This makes it easy for bacteria to invade. - SOURCE

Also, I think dog shampoos tend to be no-tears shampoos which is probably a good thing since they may be likely to get a little in their eyes when being bathed.

Is it all true or just marketing? I do not know.

3

We use different shampoos on each of our three dogs. Our oldest dog, Loki, has some skin issues. I’ve found that using an antibacterial shampoo containing benzoyl peroxide works very well. It is drying, but I only use it once a month. She looks and smells lovely.

Our Coconut Retriever, Simi, likes to roll in things that shouldn’t be rolled in. I bathe her as needed using OTC human baby shampoo. She looks and smells like a baby.

Our agility star, Kizzy, is out in public frequently. She needs to look and smell her best. My gf bathes her in her shower, using a bath mat designed for dogs. She uses a dog shampoo that a dog groomer recommended. She looks and smells like a celebrity.

The most important thing I’ve found is to rinse well. Rinse, then rinse some more.

4

Yes, the AKC page was the first one I linked to. But as the article I posted pointed out, dog shampoos are largely in the same pH range as human shampoos. So if they’re right, the manufacturers didn’t get the memo.

5

Growing up with adventurous labrodors, this was our motto.

But only because they used their superior nose skills to locate the worst possible dead animal/dead animal shit/human shit they could find. And cover themselves in it.

We never used shampoo, my mother got my brother, me, a hosepipe and a bar of hard soap all together, and watched us clean the dogs from a safe distance.

6

Moderating:

This is more of an opinion thread than a great debate. As such, let’s move it.

7

A week ago Simi began sniffing the air and wanting to head off, but we kept stopping him. It’s cool the way he lifts his head, sniffs repeatedly, and does a Flehmen response.

Yesterday, a solid week later, I could just barely smell dead animal when there was a breeze from the direction he kept eyeballing.

Today my gf took Simi on a tracking leash and he took her to the dead deer. After dinner I’m taking a few loads of soil and old hay to cover it up. My gf’s Arctic Cat comes in handy.

8

I note that there’s general consensus that dog skin tends to be more in the neutral range than human skin, though that depends on the part of the dog analyzed and there’s overlap with the acidic range in dogs.

We’ve bathed our dogs over the years with human shampoo and even conditioner with no problems, though awhile back Pluto developed a skin rash after I shampooed him with a hemp-based human shampoo (he has since been switched to a hypoallergenic dog shampoo with no problems).

9

I’ve always used human baby shampoo (no tears/Walmart version) on our dogs. They’ve been fine.