Asking for recommendations for a good anti itch shampoo and conditioner

2525 Views 24 Replies 8 Participants Last post by townferret, Mar 21, 2020

Charlie's Person

Discussion Starter · Feb 6, 2020

We are trying to relieve our Spoo,s constant itching. His skin is dry, he scratches frequently and is constantly chewing on his feet. Our vet says it is allergies and we are trying different things. $100/bag organic food, no gluten, no chicken, formulated for sensitive skin and stomach (we finally found something that doesn't trigger diarrhea) I supplement with organic probiotic yogurt and a few spoons of pumpkin puree and organic hemp oil. I give Charlie allergy tabs, and Scoot Stop tabs because he often worries at his butt/anal glands. I will probably need to buy online in Canada because we are in a little mountain town and the highway is often closed due to avalanches, the nearest bigger town is an hour away. Suggestions gratefully received.

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PeggyTheParti

· #2 · Feb 6, 2020

Poor Charlie

Gracie had chronic dry skin and I found this product didn't trigger any additional scratching:

https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/burts-bees-for-dogs-itch-soothing-shampoo-16-floz-2149909

But if it got really bad, I'd probably eliminate all commercial products my dog could come in contact with (including ones in our home, such as floor cleaners, fabric softeners, etc.) and just use water for bathing and small doses of fish oil to moisturize from the inside.

Really hoping you both get some relief soon! Have you tried limiting food to a single ingredient for a week?

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PeggyTheParti

· #4 · Feb 6, 2020

I just read this today, while researching hypoallergenic shampoos for Peggy:

"Oatmeal may be soothing to the skin, but many animals have grain allergies and are likely to have problems with oatmeal in shampoo. Grain-based shampoos may also feed yeast and bacterial conditions."

Do This Several Times a Week to Slash Your Pet's Bacterial Load

Many pet parents believe that too frequent baths can dry out their pet's skin and coat, and that's just one of the myths about baths that still persist today.

healthypets.mercola.com

And Peggy's groomer just texted me to say "NO OATMEAL!!"

So perhaps disregard my suggestion. I'm assuming oatflour comes with the same concerns.

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PeggyTheParti

· #9 · Feb 6, 2020

I'm considering this one for Peggy:

EARTHBATH Hypo-Allergenic Dog & Cat Shampoo, 16-oz bottle - Chewy.com

Buy Earthbath Hypo-Allergenic Dog & Cat Shampoo, 16-oz bottle at Chewy.com. FREE shipping and the BEST customer service!

www.chewy.com

See any red flags?

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PeggyTheParti

· #11 · Feb 7, 2020

Skylar said:
As someone with very sensitive allergic skin I don’t think any of these are good suggestions. Honeysuckle (Berts Bees) can be a skin irritant and Tropiclean has fragrance in it.

You only want gentle detergents with no fragrance, scents, floral etc. If you can’t find anything for a dog then use a product for humans such as Free And Clear sensitive skin by Pharmaceutical Specialties. Don’t worry that it’s for humans, it doesn’t stay long on the skin and you rinse it out Do rinse extremely well, any detergent left on the skin is irritating no matter what it is or what kind of shampoo you used.

For the dry skin use a cream rinse again with no irritating ingredients. If you cannot find a dog one, use for human, Free and Clear has one. Rinse it out following directions, unlike shampoo it shouldnt be irritating if some is left on.

The things you are giving in addition to his food could also be a problem. Hemp for example can cause allergies as well as irritation.

Do you think the Earthbath one looks bad, too?

I've read in sooo many places that human shampoo is bad for dogs due to the pH level. But I do always wonder if that information perhaps originated with folks looking to make a buck on speciality products.

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PeggyTheParti

· #12 · Feb 7, 2020

And yes, I agree re: all extras. In fact, feeding extremely simple homemade food for a week or two could be a valuable first step.

So if Charlie's currently tolerating a duck and potato kibble (I assume it's kibble?), try—with your vet's blessing—foregoing the kibble and just preparing and serving these ingredients on their own. Kind of a pain, but hopefully worth it in the long run.

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PeggyTheParti

· #15 · Feb 7, 2020

Skylar said:
when you have allergies , either you or your dog, its best to limit as much as possible all potential allergens, at least as much as you can. And that would include even Earthbath”s sensitive skin. It’s good that it doesn’t have any fragrance but it does have aloe and oatmeal. Oatmeal has a low chance of allergic response, aloe is more likely to be a problem...so why introduce more complications when you’re trying to eliminate allergens.

Ingredients like aloe and oatmeal for most people are really helpful and useful additions to products but not for everyone nor every dog.

If you can get your dog to not suffer from allergies by eliminating the problems then you can experiment adding back in something like Earthbath and watch for a reaction.

Interesting article on pH in pet and human shampoo. Keep in mind the largest volume of fluid on the skin is water which has a slight range of pH around 7. No one talks about pH when recommending tomato juice baths for pets who had an unfortunate experience with a skunk. (Hope none of us have to deal with that problem).

A Study of the pH of Pet and Human Shampoos - PetGroomer.com Magazine

a study of the pH of pet and human shampoos for groomers

petgroomermagazine.com

.

The one I linked above doesn't contain oatmeal, but I didn't realize aloe was a concern as well. Gosh. It was hard enough finding one without oatmeal!

Thank you very much for your insight.

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PeggyTheParti

· #17 · Feb 7, 2020

Skylar said:
PeggytheParti if I remember correctly you are also dealing with some allergies? Get things down to as basic and minimal as possible to try to eliminate them, then you can slowly add back in things and watch for reactions. Basics with shampoo is just the gentle detergents used to wash hair.

Yep! That's why I'm on the hunt for a shampoo. I've been working with Peggy's groomer, trying to figure out what's been triggering the reaction. It happens like clockwork after every grooming.

She says she uses a fragrance-free, soap-free shampoo, formulated for sensitive skin. But I can definitely smell it for a week after she shampoos Peggy (which, perhaps not coincidentally, is roughly how long Peggy's reaction lasts).

So I need to find a good shampoo to bring to her next appointment at the end of February. The groomer is going to give it a try.

I'm also going to ask that she put nothing but water on Peggy's face.

I've never actually used any products on Peggy at home. It's not been necessary with her frequent groomings. Perhaps that's why I was able to draw such a clear connection between the grooming appointments and the reaction. Just wish I'd figured it out a little sooner!

Here's poor Peggy's eye today, 5 days post-grooming:

She gets a runny nose, too.

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PeggyTheParti

· #19 · Feb 7, 2020

It really broke my heart the last time it happened, as she couldn't open one eye in the morning. It was completely sealed shut when I let her out of her crate.

But that's the only time she's seemed bothered by it, and really she mostly just seemed confused. No pawing or head butting or any signs of discomfort. She's a tough poodle.

I'm extremely sensitive to fragrance, so I agree that's the first thing to eliminate. It's really gotten out of control, all the junk we're exposed to daily.

I don't think my groomer would agree to use a human shampoo unless we'd exhausted all options, but I'm going to bookmark this thread just in case. I might like to try that Free and Clear myself.

Sorry to have hijacked your thread, Charlie's Person! Allergies are clearly a hot topic for poodle owners.

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