# Ivory dish soap as shampoo?????



## omegastar

I was told by a vet that Ivory dish soap as shampoo. Doesn't dry out their skin and it's cheap. What do you guys think about this? Any type of dish soap for that matter.


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## onyx'girl

too harsh. I'd opt for a puppy or baby shampoo. Especially if there is a reason for the shampooing.
ACV is a nice rinse and is easy on the skin/coat. I'd rather use that than the commercial products out there.


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## Lucy Dog

Why not just buy shampoo made for dogs instead of dishes?

Earthbath makes a very good product.


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## msvette2u

Use dog shampoo. Oatmeal base is a good one. 
Mane N Tail is okay but we don't use it but maybe 2x a year.
The pH of our skin is different than that of dog skin.


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## robinhuerta

I had to laugh for a moment,...the post brought back childhood memories.....
My grandmother used to wash ALL our pets in the original Palmolive Dish Soap...and come to think of it.:thinking:...so did my mother. LOL!


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## onyx'girl

I use to use dishsoap for bubblebath when I was a kid...we never bathed our dogs, however. Palmolive was supposedly a good one to soften skin way back when.
Dawn is recommended, too, but I wouldn't use it on my dogs when other options are available.


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## Ronda

As a groomer I'll chime in... 

The only time I ever use dishsoap for bathing dogs/cats is when you really need to strip out the oils of a coat...like if a pet has been skunked, there is a great "recipe" of baking soda, peroxide, and dishsoap that works really well at getting rid of the stink (but it has its price though, will strip color out of a black/dark dog and is extremely drying and needs to be followed by a remoisturizing treatment at the very least). The baking soda/peroxide breaks up the skunk enzymes and the dish soap strips out the oily reisidue of the skunk spray. Sometimes pets that have skin/coat conditions that leave them extra oily or greasy get a dish soap bath first and then get a soothing type bath next. Other times you spot use it on cats with stud tail (no need to bathe the whole cat in it, just the tail), dogs with long, hairy ears that are being treated with greasy ear meds for an infection (cockers, springers) that leak all down the ear, and once in awhile on dogs who have lots of "product" build up in their coats (although you can also use a vinegar rinse for this too). I also use it on pets that are having a bad reaction to flea topicals and need them removed.

So it has a place in grooming but not really for the average pet and bath. Its too drying because it strips out the natural oils of the coat. Use a shampoo specific for dogs and what YOUR dog needs at the moment...for example don't use a flea shampoo to be on the safe side (actually don't use them at all, they cause all sorts of problems). Remember, no shampoo is going to fix a coat or skin problem, it starts from the inside out or trust me, groomers would be rich if we had a shampoo that magically cured the itchies, we can help it but not fix it.


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## jetscarbie

I know when I used Hartz flea products on my cat.....and he went into seizures and almost died......When I called my vet, the vet told me to wash the product off with Dawn Dishwashing liquid before bringing him in.

If you research the thousands of animals that have went into some kind of breakdown b/c of dangerous OTC flea and tick products......the first thing that is recommended.....wash the product off with Dawn Dishwashing liquid. I do believe that's the product they use to clean the oil off of animals that are caught in oil spills.

I'm not sure I would use it for just daily dog cleaning, though.


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## Holmeshx2

use regular dog shampoo however I do use lemon scented Joy on pups too young for flea baths that have fleas its good at killing them off.


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## Kittilicious

I've used Dawn on my persian cats, it helps keep them not greasy. (thats not a joke either LOL) 
The dogs... honestly, I use human shampoo & conditioner (usually Suave). Always have. Their hair & skin can't be any more sensitive than mine is. I get lots of compliments on how soft my golden's fur is, too


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## Chicagocanine

I wouldn't use baby shampoos. They are actually quite harsh as they are meant to get rid of the type of crud babies can get in their hair.... The only reason they are marketed as "gentle" is because they have a pH that won't sting the eyes.


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## Doc

A groomer advised me to use Dawn and baby shampoo if you were in a bind and needed to wash your dogs.


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## Liesje

I use the 99 cent Suave shampoo. Every summer we are at a cottage for several weeks. The dogs are swimming, digging, running through crap all day and it's very hot and humid so sometimes they never dry and get stinky. I shampoo them every other day but ran out of dog shampoo. The only grocery store around only had Hartz products which I refuse to use so I just get the cheap human shampoo. I've never noticed any problems.


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## SummerwoodSoaps

I would only use the dish soap if you need to remove a lot of oils, because they have a lot of degreasers in them, that is what they are made for.

I bought a bottle of the earthbath everyone reccomends but I have not liked it all. 
For the price, I didn't think it was any better than the cheaper shampoos. I also have several issues with labeling(they do not list ingredients, mislabel other), they do not have preservative listed but they have to be using one, they say you have to shake before each use, and I wated a higher quality scent than what I got. Granted, I am very picky because I make this stuff too (not dog shampoo, yet). But it annoys the ever living crap out of me that they can't formulate it right to make it not seperate. That to me is poor workmanship.

I also would not use handmade soap on dogs. Only because the ph is very high. I make the stuff, love what it does for MY skin, but a dog has different skin and hair ph than we do.


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