Last week I got a telephone call from someone asking a novel question: “Is my own dry shampoo safe for my pet?”
My initial reaction was that it sounded ok, but I knew I had to investigate the list of ingredients in dry shampoos. I found there are a wide variety of dry shampoos – some powder based and some aerosol. I would be willing to bet all cats and most dogs would not be happy about being “shampooed” with the aerosol variety and I made a mental note to find some powdered dry shampoos to check on ingredients.
Top ranked dry shampoos for people
Next, I looked at a Vogue ranking of dry shampoos and every one was in a spray bottle! It was impossible to find the ingredients and one product actually said the ingredients were subject change at any time! As a pet owner, that didn’t give me much confidence regarding dry shampoo safety for my pet. Another dry shampoo contained a list of chemicals worthy of the answers on a multiple choice AP chemistry test. Thinking rationally, human dry shampoos are not made to be ingested, and I guarantee you if you put them on your pet they will be! In the end, I cannot recommend human dry shampoos for pets.
Emergency pet shampooing
If you need a clean pet in an emergency situation – your dog smells and you have dinner guests on the way or the cat looks greasy and you have a big date in one hour – I suggest opening the kitchen cabinet. Dry shampoos work by absorbing the oils from your hair. A sprinkle or two of corn starch on your dog, followed by vigorous brushing, may do the trick. No corn starch? Open the bathroom cabinet and try some baby powder on your cat. Keep both cornstarch and baby powder out of your pet’s eyes and nose.
For the do-it-yourselfers, here is a link to a homemade dry shampoo made with all safe ingredients. I find lavender oil included in this recipe to be very calming for dogs who are anxious in the exam room.
Stock your pet cabinet
The easiest solution to getting your pet clean and fresh without a tub bath is to keep a pet-safe dry or waterless shampoo on hand. The Wahl product line is one I use in the clinic to spot clean my messier patients – both dogs and cats.
A quick internet search located many other commercially available dry shampoos made specifically for pets.
Dirty dog search
Got a photo of your dirty dog? Wahl and Petfinder Foundation are sponsoring a contest to find American’s dirtiest dog. Enter your dirty dog photo and you could win a year’s supply of Wahl pet grooming products, a $100 gift card, plus $5,000 and grooming supplies awarded to the animal shelter or rescue group of your choice. Now you and your dirty dog can help America’s shelter pets become clean, happy and more adoptable. Photos must be entered by October 31st.