hi this is dr. Karen Becker and if
you're a frequent visitor here at
Mercola healthy pets you will know that
I'm a big fan of giving dogs Babs
regularly if they need them I believe
you should bathe your dog as often as
necessary to relieve itchy or inflamed
skin wash away dirt allergens pollutants
and pests and to manage bacterial and
yeast overgrowth bathing also gets rid
of dead skin and hair build-up and also
helps to keep your dog or cat very
comfortable and also non stinky some
dogs rarely need baths in fact some dogs
can go years in between baths however
other dogs and the majority of my
patients need baths very regularly in
fact some dogs need baths several times
a week to manage skin conditions without
having to use constant drugs it would
always be my preference to manage a
condition externally of course bathing
is basically cheap and free in most
situations other than the cost of your
shampoo but it's incredibly effective at
managing dermatological conditions so
when most veterinarians will pick oral
antibiotics in fact I have some
colleagues that will say just leave dogs
on antibiotics if they've got recurrent
skin or staph infections I completely
disagree in most of these scenarios with
chronic skin conditions you can
absolutely manage your pets dermatologic
condition externally without having to
use any oral medications and that's my
preference it's a pain but it's a really
nice all-natural choice
- constant drug use however it's
important that you're picking your
shampoo really wisely so it depends on
the type of coat that your pet has where
you live what your dog's chemical
exposure is what kind of lifestyle you
and your dog live as well as the food
you provide to your dog also your pets
immune system plays in to how often they
need to be bathed and how well your pet
actually manages his own level of
bacteria and yeast or how often he's
having recurrent outbreaks of itchy
irritated skin whenever I talk about
bathing a pet I always recommend using a
gentle all-natural shampoo specifically
created for pets I don't recommend using
human shampoos because human shampoos
are pH balanced for people and not for
pets
so not only are using natural shampoos
better for your pets skin and coat
they're actually obviously much
because whatever is being absorbed is
non-toxic and you have to think about
that whatever is listed on your pet
shampoo will invariably end up inside of
your pets body that's just what happens
they're going to lick and groom
themselves and so whatever shampoo you
purchase will inevitably end up in the
bloodstream of your dog or cat
unfortunately many popular shampoos for
both pets and people contain toxic
ingredients including pyrethrins which
is a type of insecticide d trans a
letter n' which is a suspected endocrine
disrupter res Mathurin which is a
classified likely carcinogen so that
just is the tip of the iceberg my rule
of thumb is if you read the back of any
shampoo bottle and you can't pronounce
any of the ingredients or know what
they're in therefore you should not be
putting them on your scalp and you most
certainly should not bathe your dog or
cat in them and you should know that
these these chemicals all of them are
highly toxic to both dogs and cats and
certainly have to be avoided
specifically for cats in fact some of
these chemicals that I just listed will
kill cats dead so I don't recommend you
even have them in the house if you own a
cat I also don't recommend oatmeal
shampoos and for a lot of people that
shocking oatmeal shampoos have become
incredibly popular through the 70s and
80s for use on dogs with skin conditions
but actually it's one of the worst
things I could ever suggest that you use
oatmeal was of course originally created
to help soothe irritated skin but what
you have to remember is that 80% of
allergic dogs are suffering from skin
infections whether it's bacteria or
yeast on their skin they're having
infection and we know that oatmeal
breaks down into a carbohydrate sugar
and sugar feeds both yeast and staff as
well as other bacteria growing on the
skin so I'm not a big fan of bathing
dogs in any type of oatmeal based
shampoo especially if they're having any
type of skin condition the only instance
where I do advocate using oatmeal would
be on the rare instances where dogs
actually have a sensitivity to either
poison oak or poison ivy so in those
situations where you have an
instantaneous allergic hyperemic
reaction or red itchy skin hives
maybe oatmeal would be appropriate but
those are one-time very rare conditions
all in all my recommendation is to use
only shampoos that are us
a certified organic that means you're
going to be safe when it comes to no
chemical load I also recommend that you
look for shampoos that are sulfite and
sulfate free and don't contain any harsh
chemicals obviously I also recommend
that you look for formulas that are
specifically blended together to help
soothe and support your dog's healthy
skin and coat look for products that
contain soothing organic herbal extracts
and rich moisturizers as well including
ingredients such as organic neem seed
oil and neem leaf extract neem is really
excellent as a natural anti parasitic
agent organic coconut is a super base
for a shampoo in fact that's what I tell
all my clients to do is just make sure
that it says coconut oil as one of the
first ingredients the smartest thing you
can do coconut oil is naturally
antifungal and antibacterial so you get
great benefits right off the bat using
that as a primary ingredient you can
look for shampoos that contain organic
sunflower and sesame oils these oils are
a mega six fatty acids which are very
moisturizing to the skin and coat but
also provide a nice shine to your dog or
cuts of burn skin organic jojoba oil or
jojoba seed oil is incredibly
moisturizing and so if you're bathing
your pet regularly so a lot of my dogs
can stay off of all allergy medications
all summer if they get a bath bath every
other day that's a lot of aiding and as
long as you're using a great shampoo
just like for our hair you can wash your
hair everyday or even once a week and
not over dry your hair if you're picking
the right shampoo same holds true for
your dogs or cats I also look for
products that contain some natural herbs
so organic horsetail leaf extract
organic aloe vera juice or organic shea
butter are all really nice additions
when it comes to soothing and
moisturizing your dogs or cats coats as
well all of these ingredients or any
combination of these ingredients have
been proven to be actually be very very
safe but also really effective and not
only cleansing your pets skin but also
help to restore the pH balance as well
as help keep potentially pathogenic
bacteria and yeast at bay the shampoos
and conditioners I use with my own pets
and patients are also eco friendly
biodegradable safe for outdoor use which
means you're not going to kill your
grass if you decide to bathe your dog
outside in the summer I also recommend
that you try and find a shampoo that's
made in the you
it states at a GMP facility so you know
that the quality of ingredients is
consistent and safe so now that you know
what to exactly look for when it comes
to what shampoo you should be using for
your pet what I would recommend is that
you just start reading labels if you
read labels you'll be armed with the
information you need to know what's best
for determining the shampoo that you're
thinking about purchasing not only so
that it's effective but that it's also
very safe you
you're a frequent visitor here at
Mercola healthy pets you will know that
I'm a big fan of giving dogs Babs
regularly if they need them I believe
you should bathe your dog as often as
necessary to relieve itchy or inflamed
skin wash away dirt allergens pollutants
and pests and to manage bacterial and
yeast overgrowth bathing also gets rid
of dead skin and hair build-up and also
helps to keep your dog or cat very
comfortable and also non stinky some
dogs rarely need baths in fact some dogs
can go years in between baths however
other dogs and the majority of my
patients need baths very regularly in
fact some dogs need baths several times
a week to manage skin conditions without
having to use constant drugs it would
always be my preference to manage a
condition externally of course bathing
is basically cheap and free in most
situations other than the cost of your
shampoo but it's incredibly effective at
managing dermatological conditions so
when most veterinarians will pick oral
antibiotics in fact I have some
colleagues that will say just leave dogs
on antibiotics if they've got recurrent
skin or staph infections I completely
disagree in most of these scenarios with
chronic skin conditions you can
absolutely manage your pets dermatologic
condition externally without having to
use any oral medications and that's my
preference it's a pain but it's a really
nice all-natural choice
- constant drug use however it's
important that you're picking your
shampoo really wisely so it depends on
the type of coat that your pet has where
you live what your dog's chemical
exposure is what kind of lifestyle you
and your dog live as well as the food
you provide to your dog also your pets
immune system plays in to how often they
need to be bathed and how well your pet
actually manages his own level of
bacteria and yeast or how often he's
having recurrent outbreaks of itchy
irritated skin whenever I talk about
bathing a pet I always recommend using a
gentle all-natural shampoo specifically
created for pets I don't recommend using
human shampoos because human shampoos
are pH balanced for people and not for
pets
so not only are using natural shampoos
better for your pets skin and coat
they're actually obviously much
because whatever is being absorbed is
non-toxic and you have to think about
that whatever is listed on your pet
shampoo will invariably end up inside of
your pets body that's just what happens
they're going to lick and groom
themselves and so whatever shampoo you
purchase will inevitably end up in the
bloodstream of your dog or cat
unfortunately many popular shampoos for
both pets and people contain toxic
ingredients including pyrethrins which
is a type of insecticide d trans a
letter n' which is a suspected endocrine
disrupter res Mathurin which is a
classified likely carcinogen so that
just is the tip of the iceberg my rule
of thumb is if you read the back of any
shampoo bottle and you can't pronounce
any of the ingredients or know what
they're in therefore you should not be
putting them on your scalp and you most
certainly should not bathe your dog or
cat in them and you should know that
these these chemicals all of them are
highly toxic to both dogs and cats and
certainly have to be avoided
specifically for cats in fact some of
these chemicals that I just listed will
kill cats dead so I don't recommend you
even have them in the house if you own a
cat I also don't recommend oatmeal
shampoos and for a lot of people that
shocking oatmeal shampoos have become
incredibly popular through the 70s and
80s for use on dogs with skin conditions
but actually it's one of the worst
things I could ever suggest that you use
oatmeal was of course originally created
to help soothe irritated skin but what
you have to remember is that 80% of
allergic dogs are suffering from skin
infections whether it's bacteria or
yeast on their skin they're having
infection and we know that oatmeal
breaks down into a carbohydrate sugar
and sugar feeds both yeast and staff as
well as other bacteria growing on the
skin so I'm not a big fan of bathing
dogs in any type of oatmeal based
shampoo especially if they're having any
type of skin condition the only instance
where I do advocate using oatmeal would
be on the rare instances where dogs
actually have a sensitivity to either
poison oak or poison ivy so in those
situations where you have an
instantaneous allergic hyperemic
reaction or red itchy skin hives
maybe oatmeal would be appropriate but
those are one-time very rare conditions
all in all my recommendation is to use
only shampoos that are us
a certified organic that means you're
going to be safe when it comes to no
chemical load I also recommend that you
look for shampoos that are sulfite and
sulfate free and don't contain any harsh
chemicals obviously I also recommend
that you look for formulas that are
specifically blended together to help
soothe and support your dog's healthy
skin and coat look for products that
contain soothing organic herbal extracts
and rich moisturizers as well including
ingredients such as organic neem seed
oil and neem leaf extract neem is really
excellent as a natural anti parasitic
agent organic coconut is a super base
for a shampoo in fact that's what I tell
all my clients to do is just make sure
that it says coconut oil as one of the
first ingredients the smartest thing you
can do coconut oil is naturally
antifungal and antibacterial so you get
great benefits right off the bat using
that as a primary ingredient you can
look for shampoos that contain organic
sunflower and sesame oils these oils are
a mega six fatty acids which are very
moisturizing to the skin and coat but
also provide a nice shine to your dog or
cuts of burn skin organic jojoba oil or
jojoba seed oil is incredibly
moisturizing and so if you're bathing
your pet regularly so a lot of my dogs
can stay off of all allergy medications
all summer if they get a bath bath every
other day that's a lot of aiding and as
long as you're using a great shampoo
just like for our hair you can wash your
hair everyday or even once a week and
not over dry your hair if you're picking
the right shampoo same holds true for
your dogs or cats I also look for
products that contain some natural herbs
so organic horsetail leaf extract
organic aloe vera juice or organic shea
butter are all really nice additions
when it comes to soothing and
moisturizing your dogs or cats coats as
well all of these ingredients or any
combination of these ingredients have
been proven to be actually be very very
safe but also really effective and not
only cleansing your pets skin but also
help to restore the pH balance as well
as help keep potentially pathogenic
bacteria and yeast at bay the shampoos
and conditioners I use with my own pets
and patients are also eco friendly
biodegradable safe for outdoor use which
means you're not going to kill your
grass if you decide to bathe your dog
outside in the summer I also recommend
that you try and find a shampoo that's
made in the you
it states at a GMP facility so you know
that the quality of ingredients is
consistent and safe so now that you know
what to exactly look for when it comes
to what shampoo you should be using for
your pet what I would recommend is that
you just start reading labels if you
read labels you'll be armed with the
information you need to know what's best
for determining the shampoo that you're
thinking about purchasing not only so
that it's effective but that it's also
very safe you
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