Is Dawn Dish Soap Safe For Dogs?(Key Details)

Bathing your dog has lots of benefits that don’t just involve getting rid of the stench that is coming from them after a muddy walk. But Is Dawn Dish Soap Safe for Dogs? Continue reading to learn key details

Giving your dog a bath will give you the opportunity to search their body for sores, lumps, and wounds that you otherwise would not have been able to see or feel if their hair is long and fluffy.

It also removes potentially harmful toxins and debris from your dog’s paws such as shards of glass, grass seeds, and pesticides.

If your dog is a big shedder, bathing them will prevent them from shedding as much because the combination of rinsing and brushing them dislodges loose and dead hair.

With all of these great benefits in mind, you are probably itching to give your dog a much-needed bath, but the only thing you have in the house at the moment is dawn dish soap.

We use dawn dish soap to clean a lot of things around the house, but is Dawn Dish Soap safe to clean our dogs with?

Can I Use Dawn Dish Soap to Clean My Dog?

When we use dawn dish soap to wash the dishes, our skin doesn’t seem to react to it, but our skin has a different pH level compared to dogs which means that it is more sensitive to chemicals.

Using dawn dish soap on a dog can lead to irritation, inflammation, and skin infections.

There are a lot of chemicals in dawn dish soap that is good for getting rid of oil but not all oils are bad and bring more harm with stripping it than good.

Having the natural oils stripped from your dog’s coat will make it dull and dry, with the skin also being dry, flaky, and irritated which makes it less able to fight bacteria, allergens, and yeast problems.

What if My Dog Ingests Dawn Dish Soap?

Sometimes whilst washing your dog, some shampoo or soap accidentally makes it into their mouth, or they lick it off of themselves before you have rinsed it off, and they end up ingesting it.

Depending on how much your dog swallowed, they might experience vomiting and diarrhea, but their body should be able to pass it through in the following hours.

If your dog is showing symptoms such as swelling of the tongue, difficulty in breathing, and stomach pain then you need to take them to the vet as soon as you can because they might be experiencing soap poisoning.

How to Make Homemade Dog Shampoo

To save your dog from having dawn dish soap used on them, you can make your own dog shampoo at home with things that are already sitting in your cabinets.

You can also alter the recipe to cater to your dog’s individual needs whether its dry skin, sensitive skin, allergies, etc.

Basic Shampoo Recipe

For a basic dog shampoo that will get them nice and clean, you will only need three ingredients which include half a cup of vinegar, two cups of water, and a quarter cup of soap that is oil-based and unscented.

Vinegar is used because of its antibacterial properties that will rid your dog’s coat of stubborn smells especially after they have rolled in something dead.

To make the shampoo, the first thing to do is gather the ingredients together and combine them all in an empty clean bottle that you will use to store it in.

Once you have put all three ingredients into the bottle, give it a perfect shake so that they are well mixed together.

Shampoo for Dry Skin

Dry skin can be caused by multiple things and when it is particularly bad, it can leave dogs with rough, dry patches that get irritated and inflamed.

However, this shampoo will help heal these patches and make the skin feel nice and soothed.

The ingredients you need are four cups of water, one cup of vinegar, one cup of unscented, oil-based soap, a third of a cup of glycerine, and two tablespoons of aloe vera gel.

The glycerine is a thick, clear liquid made from either soybeans, coconuts, or palm oil and adding this along with aloe vera gel gives this shampoo the ability to restore the skin

To make this shampoo, simply combine it all into a clear bottle like in the basic shampoo guide.

Shampoo to Kill Fleas

When a dog has fleas, they are in constant itchiness and discomfort that will lead them to itch so much that it breaks the skin and leads to infections and more parasitic infestations.

Fleas are treated with topical shampoos that your vet may prescribe to you, but you can make your own and achieve the same results.

The best way to get rid of fleas once and for all is to give your dog spot-on every two to three months as this will kill any fleas as soon as they make contact with the skin.

You will need two cups of water, a quarter cup of oil-based, unscented soap, half a cup of apple cider vinegar, and two to three drops of lavender or organic rosemary essential oil.

Make sure that the essential oils you use in the shampoo are safe for your dog as some can cause dizziness and illness.

You should never use 100% essential oil directly on the dog’s skin and never allow the dog to ingest it.

Can I Use Human Shampoo on My Dog?

If you don’t have the means to make homemade dog shampoo, you are probably thinking that human shampoo is suitable as an alternative.

It can be very tempting to use your strawberry-scented shampoo on your dog to get them smelling fresh, and the shampoo will clean them but unfortunately can have the same effect as dawn dish soap has on dogs skin as our skin is not as sensitive as theirs.

Can I Use Baby Shampoo on My Dog?

Baby shampoo is much more gentle than both dawn dish soap and human shampoo which makes it much safer to use on your dog.

They are also usually water-based and have a pH level of around 7, fitting well with the dog’s pH level that ranges from 6.2 to 7.4.

If you do use baby shampoo to bathe your dog, make sure that you do not use it too often, and it is not fragrant as this can lead to an increase in irritation of the dog’s skin and hair.

As well as this, be careful to avoid the dog’s ears, eyes, nose, and mouth when using it as you would with any shampoo because it can still cause problems if ingested.

Stop using the baby shampoo if your dog is showing adverse effects because it may still be too strong for them if they have particularly sensitive or dry skin.

How to Bathe Your Dog

It may sound straightforward, but bathing your dog properly will give them lots of benefits, so it is worth learning how to do it.

To begin with, you should not bathe your dog every day, instead, aim to bathe them only when they need it such as after splashing in a muddy puddle or rolling in a dead animal that they have found.

About once a month is a general guideline of how often you should be bathing them, but if they are prone to getting muddy every time you take them out, you can try putting a waterproof coat on them or give them a thorough towel dry when they get in the door, and they should be able to take care of the rest.

Depending on how big your dog is, you can either wash them in the sink, bath, or shower as long as they fit comfortably.

You can also get bathtubs that are specifically made for dogs that will make it much easier for you as the dog will be secured in place, allowing you to focus on the washing part.

As well as this, using a dog bath will save your drains from being clogged from dog hair and grime.

Once you have found the right area and have gathered the appropriate shampoo and towel, it is time to coax your dog into the bath with treats and praise.

Get the water to run warm before thoroughly wetting your dog’s hair. If the water feels too hot on your skin, then it is too hot for your dog.

Having your dog wet before applying shampoo is best because it makes the shampoo much easier to lather into the coat. Rub the shampoo in well and rinse out thoroughly.

If it is store-bought shampoo though you should read the instructions on the back beforehand because some will say that you should leave it in for a few minutes before rinsing especially if they are for treating dry skin or allergies.

Lather and rinse with the shampoo once again.

This is important because the first time that the shampoo is used, it will remove the dirt and grime, but the second time it is applied will wash the skin and get rid of the more stubborn debris and oil.

Make sure you pay attention to the harder-to-reach places such as the pads of the feet, stomach, and armpits.

If your dog is struggling and feeling very anxious with the water, you can turn it off for a few minutes to give them a chance to calm down before continuing.

It should be fun for your dog and the next time you give them a bath, they will jump in without a second thought.

After they have jumped out of the bath, towel dry them as much as you can. If your dog is okay with it, you can use a hairdryer instead that is on a cool setting.

It is advised to brush your dog’s hair as you dry them to make it smooth and shiny.

You must ensure that all the shampoo has been rinsed out because it can make your dog’s skin very itchy and irritated afterward if there is still product sitting on their skin.

To wash your dog’s face you will need to be more tactile and careful because it is a very sensitive place, if your dog doesn’t like baths in the first place then washing their face will probably bit more of a challenge.

The most important thing is to prevent shampoo from getting into their face so the best thing to do is use a damp washcloth or your fingers to get rid of things such as eye gunk and slobbers.

Vet Answer: Is Dawn Dish Soap Safe For Dogs?

Conclusion

Now that you read, Is Dawn Dish Soap Safe For Dogs? you may know that Dawn dish soap has a lot of chemicals in it that make it great for stripping oil from coats, but this is not always a good thing because dogs need some natural oil in order for their skin and coat to stay healthy enough to tackle bacteria and infections.

Therefore, since making homemade dog shampoo is so easy and only involves a handful of ingredients, there is no reason why you shouldn’t use it as it is much safer for your dog.

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