Bathing a pet is always challenging yet fun for pet owners. Bubbles everywhere, escaping trials, and wet surroundings make the process of bathing a dog becomes extraordinary. If you experience difficulties in bathing your dog, you can check the tips on the ways to make your dog loves to bathe.
The use of pet-friendly shampoo is one important key in the bathing process. The correct choice of dog shampoo is one of the 10 ways of preventing hair loss in your beloved dog.
I am sure as a dog owner, you want to give your best to your pet, including the shampoo that will be used for bathing. The ingredients in the shampoo must be designed for your pets, not for anyone else.
You should be very aware of the ingredients as some ingredients are harmful and dangerous for your pets and sadly to say, some products still use these harmful ingredients. Some ingredients have really harmful effects on pets, including cancer and reproductive problems.
Let’s see the 10 harmful ingredients on your pet’s shampoo that should be avoided:
- Artificial Fragrance
You might be wondering, what is wrong with fragrance? Why can’t you have a good smell shampoo for your pet? Well, your pet does not need any fragrance, unlike humans who need perfumes to smell good and nice.
Artificial fragrance is not good for your pet as it is formed from thousands separate ingredients that might lead to the possibility of cancer and reproductive and developmental toxicity.
- Sulfates
This is one of the ingredients that should be avoided in your pet’s shampoo. The original name of this ingredient is Sodium Lauryl Sulfate or Sodium Laureth Sulfate or Ammonium Laureth Sulfate. This ingredient is commonly included in human and pet shampoos as they are believed to be able to create rich lather.
However, the use of this ingredient is also harmful as it might create skin and coat harsh and believed to be absorbed to the internal organ. So, you’d better avoid the products which have this ingredient in it.
- Artificial Color
Ingredients labeled “artificial” should be avoided as they are chemically made. Most chemical ingredients have some harmful effects on your pet’s body. Artificial colors are synthesized from petroleum.
This ingredient has harmful effects on your pet’s body, such as birth defects, allergic reactions and even organ damage. If you see a shocking pink shampoo, then you’d better avoid that!
- Mineral Oil
When you see mineral oil on your pet shampoo ingredients list, you might think it sounds great. However, it is not. Mineral oil is believed to create better moisture on your pet’s skin by creating a protective barrier.
In fact, it also prevent your pet’s skin from releasing the natural oil and eliminating toxins. Does it still sound great?
- SD 40 alcohol
This ingredient is commonly written as “isopropyl” or “SD-40”. This ingredient has a drying effect on both your pet’s skin and hair oils. Moreover, it also enhances the skin absorption that gives easier access for toxic ingredients to enter through the skin.
Alcohol is also one of the delicious foods that actually are toxic for your dog. So, any type of alcohol is harmful for your beloved pet!
- Propylene Glycol
Another harmful ingredients on your pet’s shampoo that should be avoided is propylene glycol. It is a type of conditioner for the skin. It is suspected to be an immune system toxin, neurotoxin, reproductive toxin and skin toxin. So, make sure this ingredient is not present in your pet’s shampoo.
- Paraben
It is a kind of preservative in dog’s shampoo and grooming products. The use of paraben is to extend the shelf life and prevent the growth of micro bacteria. Most products use this as one of their ingredients due to its cheap price.
There are several common names for paraben, such as methylparaben, propylparaben, ethylparaben and butylparaben. The use of parabens in pet’s shampoo has some harmful effects on skin and reproductive issues. Besides, it is not environmental-friendly product.
- Formaldehyde Preservatives
Formaldehyde preservatives are commonly believed to have bad effects. This ingredient is having harmful effect on triggering the immune system response, such as itching, blistering, scaling or burning skin.
Some researchers still try to find out the possibility of this ingredient to cancer, but there is not fixed result yet. If you see any of these names appear on your dog’s shampoo bottle, then you’d better not use it: Bromopol, Doazolidinyl urea, DMDM Hydantoin, Imidazolidinyl urea, Quanternium-7,-15,-31,-61 and Sodium hydroxymethylglycinate. Never put your pet at risk!
Those ingredients create goosebumps with their harmful effects! So, as an owner, you need to be very attentive to every detailed ingredients on your pet’s shampoo.
Keeping a pet is not only making sure that it gets sufficient food but you need to maintain its health, including its hygiene by using the suitable shampoo that is safe and specially made for your pets.
Regular grooming is also important for your pet, such as dog, make sure you enrich your knowledge about facts worth to know about dog grooming for beginners. They are worth reading!
If you want to have some tips about the health issues of pets, such as dogs and cats, you can see easy ways to make a cat’s coat healthy and fluffy or simple exercises for your dog to maintain its health.