5 Toxic Ingredients to avoid in your pet care products and shampoos
Picture a cozy evening. Pizza đ has just been delivered, the TV remote is working for once, you slump gratefully onto the couch. Fluffyđ¶Â jumps up onto your lap to cuddle⊠perfect right? Except that, your dog 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, donât 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 â ïž;
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. Itâs best to look for products that are marked âParaben freeâ. For example, Maw and Pawâs entire range of pet care products.
Mineral oil
This ingredient can be misleading to many because of itsâ 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 doesnât 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 doesnât 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. Thatâs because each artificial fragrance can contain hundreds of chemicals.
Studies have shown that many of these chemicals have scary levels of toxicity and carn cause harm to pets. They can cause itching, allergies, excessive shedding, dry and inflammed skin in Dogs and Cats. 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 dogâs endocrine systemâs natural balance. Very often all these chemicals are disguised by just writing â fragrances â not mentioning specifics. It is safest to buy pet care products that use IFRA certified allergen free and natural plant based fragrances.
Synthetic dyes and colours
Unfortunately in todayâs instagrammable times, ingredients are often added for marketing gimmickry rather than for your petâs wellness. Colours can add a â feel goodâ factor to the bathing process. Ironically artificial colouring is often added to make the product look ânaturalâ. 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.
Whatâs worse is that the artificial colours used in Dog shampoos and perfumes are most likely to be cheaper, synthetic colours that contain alcohol and chemicals. These can cause a host of side effects long term from dry skina nd coat, itchiness and allergies to eczema. Itâs best to use products that are clear or specifically state they contain only colours naturally derived from plants.
Formaldehyde
This ingredient got such a âbad repâ for being harmful to the skin that manufacturers decided to reformulate it. It is now mentioned as âslow-releasing compoundâ 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.
To summarise (yes these names are hard to remember), lookout for products that are paraben-free, free of mineral oils, artificial fragrance and colour free. Also, watch out for ingredients that are vaguely labelled fragrances (phthalates), and slow-releasing compounds (formaldehyde).
Educating yourself about ingredients is worth the time and energy when it comes to avoiding side effects for both your pet and you. Stick to brands that use only IFRA certified allergen free and naturally derived fragrances and colours in all their products like Maw and Paw. So that when you sink your nose into fluffyâs fur, all you need to worry about is how many calories that pizza was.
Â