Picture a cosy evening. Pizza has just been delivered, the tv remote is working for once, you slump gratefully onto the couch. Fluffy jumps up onto your lap to cuddle… perfect right? Except that, fluffy smells and feels more like the damp, kitchen rag you forgot to dry out again!
Reluctantly you decide not to put off that bath again. But in your haste, don’t forget to take a good look at the ingredients on that dog shampoo bottle you just pulled out. Put on your reading glasses if you must, this is more important than Netflix subtitles.

These are some of the potentially toxic ingredients found in dog shampoos;

Parabens

These are often found in shampoos with compound names like butylparaben, methylparaben, propylparaben, benzyl paraben, ethylparaben and isopropyl paraben. Studies have shown that these can be rapidly absorbed through the skin. This is potentially harmful since Parabens have been linked to growth response in cancer cells. Parabens are often missed because there are so many different types. It’s best to look for products that are marked ‘Paraben free’. For example, Maw and Paw’s entire range of pet care products.

Mineral oil

This ingredient can be misleading to many because of its’ moisturising properties. What is not commonly known is that mineral oil is a mixture of liquid hydrocarbons made from crude oil. Mineral oil creates a barrier over skin that helps retain natural moisture. However, there is an extremely harmful side effect as well. It doesn’t allow the skin to eliminate toxins naturally. These trapped toxins can cause multiple health and skin issues.

Artificial fragrances

Even the most devoted of pet parents have to admit that their fur baby doesn’t always smell like roses. Especially after a romp in the rain, or a stealthy search through the garbage. It is tempting to use a strongly fragranced shampoo that promises to banish that rank odour for good. However these strongly scented products could end up causing a lot of long term harm. That’s because each artificial fragrance can contain hundreds of chemicals. Studies have shown that many of these chemicals have scary levels of toxicity. They can cause itching, allergies, shedding, dry and inflamed skin. They have even been linked to cancerous growths.
Also chemicals known as phthalates are often used to bond artificial fragrances to the other ingredients. They can disrupt your dog’s endocrine system’s natural balance. Very often all these chemicals are disguised by just writing ‘ fragrances ‘ not mentioning specifics. It is safest to buy pet care products that use IFRA certified allergen free and natural plant based fragrances.

Colourants

Unfortunately in today’s instagrammable times, ingredients are often added for marketing gimmickry rather than for your pet’s wellness. Colours can add a ‘ feel good’ factor to the bathing process. Ironically artificial colouring is often added to make the product look ‘natural’. Or to match an ingredient in the shampoo for e.g. for a lavender based shampoo, synthetic lavender colour could be added. Similarly not all green shampoos are made of natural components.
What’s worse is that the artificial colours used in pet products are most likely to be cheaper, synthetic colours that contain a lot of impurities. These can cause a host of side effects long term from itchiness and allergies to eczema. It’s best to buy products that are clear or specifically state they contain only colours naturally derived from plants.

Formaldehyde

This ingredient got such a ‘bad rep’ for being harmful to the skin that manufacturers decided to reformulate it. It is now mentioned as ‘slow-releasing compound’ on labels. While it could be less toxic than before, it has still been linked to skin blistering, scaling, and itching. Studies even suggest a link to cancer. It would have been wiser to leave this ingredient out of formulations completely, yet many manufacturers continue to use it for commercial convenience.