Stop that Itch- Lose the Perfume!
by Wendy Steele, Keys CEO
How attentive are you when your dog is in distress?
- Do you hear the incessant scratch, scratch, scratch during the day or at night before bed?
- Do you visually examine your dog and investigate the area where the itching and scratching is centered before there is redness, irritation or raw sore patches?
- Have you had the nagging feeling, wondering why your dog is itching and scratching after a bath or grooming session?
Being attentive to your dog’s skin health is relatively simple, you just need to pay attention to all of the clues your dog is already giving you! Keep an eye on excessive itching and scratching, listen for and actively watch for any patterns (when and where itching occurs) and begin investigating the possible sources of the problem.
As for that nagging feeling about the itching and scratching after your dog’s bath or after a grooming session? The most likely reason your dog is scratching and itching is directly related to the perfumes, artificial fragrance and harsh ingredients in dog shampoos!
If you are choosing a shampoo based on the smell or the type of fragrance in the product– you are most definitely contributing to your dog’s itching and scratching problem!
You can do a lot to stop the after bath itch – first and foremost – ditch the perfume!
Here are the label-reading basics when determining what shampoo to buy for your dog’s baths and grooming. Carefully read the product label before buying for your dog.
- If the label mentions any kind of fragrance – don’t buy it!
- If the label mentions any kind of sulfate or pseudo sulfate – don’t buy it!
- Sulfates are aggressive foaming agent chemicals that are difficult to rinse out of your dog’s fur/hair and the residue that cannot be rinsed out will further irritate your dog’s skin causing more itching and scratching after a bath
- Fragrance and sulfates are a double whammy for your dog and are known irritants that can cause a dog to itch and bite at their fur until there are sores or hot spots
- If the label mentions any kind of whitening or bleaching agents – don’t buy it!
- If the label mentions any kind of coloring agents or artificial dyes – don’t buy it!
- If the ingredients are not clearly listed on the label DO NOT BUY IT
Do not assume that your groomer is aware of irritating ingredients in shampoos and dog perfumes. In most cases they have no idea what is actually in the products they are using on your dog! Why? The reason is many manufacturers do NOT fully disclose or label what is actually in a product, nor are they required to be forthcoming by any law, rule or regulation. Often groomers and dog wash facilities are buying in bulk and buying cheaply made products, based on the lowest cost to them and without a thought given to perfumes, fragrances or harsh sulfates that can irritate your dog’s skin.
Here is a simple and effective way to communicate with your groomer before leaving your dog for a bath or grooming session:
1) Take your own “clean” shampoo with you to the groomer or dog wash facility-this is the product you have already investigated and reviewed the ingredients
- Hand your groomer your “clean” shampoo
- Tell your groomer that this is the only product you want used on your dog
- Show your groomer the label and let your groomer know that you are doing your best to eliminate potential skin irritants to your dog
2) Be specific – ask your groomer NOT TO ADD any fragrance or perfume to your dog’s coat after washing! (Spray perfumes and additives after bath are another cause of dog itching post grooming.)
3) Thank the groomer for only using the shampoo that you brought with you and for not adding any after bath products on your dog. Be sure the groomer acknowledges that they understand your simple request!
Reading labels and educating yourself about buying healthier grooming products for your dog is one of the most caring and loving things you can do for your best friend. Adopting a wellness philosophy, that is taking simple steps to avoid a skin problem before it starts, is a pro-active philosophy for your dog to enjoy a more stress-free, healthy and happy life.
Wendy
Excellent information, Wendy. So many of my customers come in with complaints about their pet’s scratching and itching. One other area is the food that the pet is given. Many pets have food allergies which translate into the itching and skin irritation. Being a pet owner is a responsibility and keeping an eye out for contaminants in the products used for grooming and also the foods can keep a pet (and pet owner) much happier and healthier!
I’ve always been impressed and appreciative of the Keys line, however, after trying most of your products, didn’t find a long term solution for my extremely dry skin and eczema. But it’s not me I am curious about: my 7 year old pug/shih tzu mix, Maggie. Last year, after two courses of antibiotics for a bladder infection, she has developed yeast overgrowth, candida and has progressed to black skin disease, with extreme itching and inflammation, in some spots, the scratching and chewing progressing to raw, bleeding spots. I am really trying to get this worked out and on board with Nzymes.com and it’s program for getting Maggie back to her former healthy and vital self. I see Keys MetaClean is mentioned for the suggested twice weekly bath suggested for the bathing portion. I’ve tried 2 of the five suggested products: Keys Meta Clean Shampoo and Healing Lotion will be the 3rd, and hopefully the last? Any further suggestions? I think maybe some allergic reaction to fleas might be part of the problem, tho seemingly only began after she developed yeast issues. I don’t believe food to be an issue, she’s eaten only Wysong products from day one, and now on her second bag of starch-free Wysong’s Epigen, which I think has helped, and thankfully she loves it. I am thankful she hasn’t progressed to some of the awful cases of candida shown on Nzymes’s website, and still hopeful for the excellent results shown there. Hopefully Keys will be part of Maggie’s successful recovery. We will both feel so much better!
Dear Sandra,
You might want to take a look at the National Institutes of Health project called the Human Microbiome Project. Drilling into it will give you some insights to your own problems as well as your pup.
The Enzyme therapy you are using certainly will not hurt. The antibiotic treatment will definitely disrupt all the probiome functions of the body and skin. I am surprised that Candida was diagnosed, but not surprised that there is a yeast issue.
Typically, the topical disruption of the probiome is caused by topical conditions which we usually trace back to sulfates in laundry detergents, carpet cleaners etc. These sulfates from detergents like Tide, All-Clear etc are the recent focus of a new EWG.org study. We have linked many chemical laden products back to elevated yeast levels in people and pets. Frankly, if a pet is exposed to high sulfate levels or fire retardants found in foreign made clothing (most pet costume are foreign in origin and are required to have fire retardants) are not helped by enzyme therapies.
Our new KODA pet line has two interesting products that may help. OmniClean adds oregano oil to a basic MetaClean product and was developed for dogs with mange and MRSA. OmniShield is similar to our RediCare, but also is amped up for pets. All of our products have a money back guarantee, so they are worth the try. It is important to continue your enzyme therapy and make sure that you pup is not exposed to any sulfates in any form.
All of the above is true for people as well. Too much Tide (or other high sulfate detergents) and nothing will work.
I hope this helps and please do check out the EWG.org new study.
checkout KODA at http://www.keys-koda.com and the blog at http://www.koda-karma.com
Regards,
Bob