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This blog post was originally written and published in February 2017. It has been updated with new information and republished.
The other day a friend shared an article that warned people not to use dish detergent to bathe their dogs. I've heard of people using dish detergent as dog shampoo for a while. Dish detergent is an inexpensive, simple way to clean your dogs. They use Dawn to get the oil off the birds after an oil spill. Dawn is one of the ingredients in the DIY skunk smell remover we use on our dogs. I've even seen DIY dog shampoo with Dawn as an ingredient. And I've been told that Dawn is a great product if your dog has fleas.
So it's obviously safe, right?
Not necessarily!
Why Dish Detergent May Not be Safe for Dogs
The reason Dawn is used on birds after an oil spill is because they need to quickly remove the oil from their bodies so that they can then start treating the damage done to their skin. The reason Dawn is used in the skunk smell remover is that a skunk's spray has an oily consistency that clings to a dog's coat and skin – Dawn breaks it up, helping us to remove the majority of the spray quickly.
The common denominator is that dish detergent can be very harsh; it has to be to get the job done. And for some dogs, it may be too harsh for regular bathing. With regular use, you may see your dog's skin become irritated and dry.
If you've been using dish detergent, don't kick yourself for not knowing. I did a quick Google search and found two DIY recipes for dog shampoo, both recommending up to a 1/4 of dish detergent. If Google says it's safe, many of us don't question what we find. But maybe we should because we all know that not all dogs are the same.
After reading about using dish detergent, I began to believe that although it may be fine for some dogs, using dish detergent may not be a great idea for dogs with dry, irritated skin or dogs that should maintain a naturally oily coat.
So, instead of using it regularly, if I were to use dish detergent on my dogs, it would be for a particular reason – they ran into a skunk or they have fleas.
Natural, Organic Dog Shampoo
I'm a helicopter dog mom. I obsess way too much about my dogs, so it's not much of a surprise that their shampoo is all natural (yeah, really “all natural,” not the marketing “all natural”) and certified organic. I alternate between using a DIY dog shampoo and 4-Legger unscented dog shampoo, and Snook's Herbal Shampoo, all of which contain less than ten ingredients.
Before switching our dogs to raw, Rodrigo had very sensitive skin and developed skin rashes all the time, which inspired my transition to raw feeding. The antibiotics the veterinarian prescribed weren't working. The rash vanished quickly after switching him to raw dog food.
Because of my dogs' history of skin issues and everything I learned about dog shampoo when reviewing another brand, I became a bit careful about dog shampoos and decided to look for natural options. They are safe, non-toxic, and any fragrance is from natural sources instead of chemicals. I also prefer to buy shampoos that are free of parabens, sulfates, and other artificial ingredients that contributed to irritated skin.
- CLICK HERE for DIY recipes for dog shampoo and other products
- CLICK HERE to order 4-Legger Dog Shampoo for your dog
- CLICK HERE to order Snook's Herbal Shampoo for your dog
DIY Skunk Smell Removal (Deskunk) Dog Shampoo
If you live in an area where you might encounter a skunk, it's great to have the ingredients for a DIY de-skunking dog shampoo on hand. Unfortunately, you can't make this in advance and store it; the ingredients might explode over time.
- 1 quart 3 percent hydrogen peroxide
- 1/4 cup baking soda
- 1 teaspoon Dawn dish detergent
I make this in a bucket and wash the dogs over and over again. It takes three to four shampoos (lather, rinse, repeat) to cut down the skunk smell so that you can tolerate your dog. After that, I bathe the dogs using a regular shampoo and then spray their coat with a skin conditioner (I like products by 4-Legger).
The skunk smell sticks around for about a month, but it's faint.
“Whatever I Do What I Want”
Bonus points to anyone who knows the source of that quote. Oh, I'm sorry, you can't read my mind? SouthPark.
As with many things about our dogs, there are always going to be people who visit this post and comment, “this is stupid, I've been bathing my dogs with dish detergent for years, and there's nothing wrong with his skin. Blah Blah Blah.” I'm okay with that because EVERY DOG IS DIFFERENT, and every dog owner will have a different experience.
And for those of you who are dealing with a killer flea infestation, Dawn dish detergent may be your only option. If this is the case, my recommendation is to limit the use and try and find a Dawn product that doesn't use Borax, which can be harsh on a dog's system (it is with my dogs).
Do you have other recommendations for what we should use to bathe our dogs that's safe? I'd love to hear your suggestions.
I wrote this post after reading the Weekly Tips from Jun the Groomer (shared by my friend, Katrina) and her advice made sense to me. I followed it up with more research that I found compelling and I'm sharing that with others.
Interested in Essential Oils for Dogs?
We have a house full of dogs and keeping the house clean is paramount and essential oils are helpful. Not only do they freshen the house, the fabric on the furniture, and rugs. I can make conditioners, shampoos, and other products for my dogs.
Thanks for the heads up,, after watching them Dawn an oil soaked bird I got the impression it was some ok stuff,, now im gonna pay closer attention…………
Soap maker here. For regular bathing of our 5 dogs, I make a liquid bastille (70% or more olive oil) soap. All of their hair and skin are great with it. I also use it when one of our dogs or cats get skunked, we live on acres and it happens several times a year. I only wash them once and all is fine. I do put in essential oils, but lightly. We got fleas recently, I washed them once, now I only see one here and there. My friend told me about Dawn. I’m guessing since it’s drying, it’s mainly coconut oil. You said it had borax… I need to search for ingredients. I’m thinking of just buying it and use it once to see the difference. Supposedly it kills all of the fleas first time. Then, I can figure my own recipe I’m satisfied with my pets for a regular base. My friend uses Dawn only for baths and doesn’t need to use any flea and tick control. They live on acres too.
I alternate between Wondercide and Cedarcide products. But these don’t work for everyone. This blog post is for people who use Dawn as an alternative to shampoo, not as a solution to flea infestations.
So what is your suggestion for a flea infestation for bathing and maybe yard treatment? I’ll admit that Dawn worked wonders on fleas when I tried it but my poor Sydney(my dogs name too) had super flaky skin because of it. I didn’t do enough research but she constantly get fleas and she has a natural regular dog shampoo but the natural flea shampoo did nothing. HELP!
Great point, Linda – what do you do to help the dry skin? Do you use a skin conditioner? Thanks.
Sometimes you need to weigh what’s the worse off of the two issues. Dryskin or blood sucking bugs that may give you or your dog bad diseases like Lymes.
Recently i went through a terrible time here with fleas and resorted to dawn as recommended by a dog warden.
Ŷes it does kill fleas, yes it does make dry skin.
The question is which is the worse off the 2 problems?
I think a lot of people use dawn as an emergency flea shampoo if they are in a pinch. It does work ok for that but is likely not best for consistent use, just like flea shampoo is probably not best for consistent use- just for helping if there are flea problems
I have worked with pet shampoo products a lot of my life being a pet groomer. And have been told tha PH balanced refers to being as close to neutral in Ph which would mean neither higher in acidic or alkaline and unless your vet is a dermatologist, I am sure he or she had only small amount of time learning about hair and skin products for pets.
By the way has anyone looked st the ingredients of any of the Science Doet Pet Food ? Read the ingredients and then ask your Get why they don’t carry a food that is healthy for your pet.
I looked high and low for a good flea shampoo. Even the vet recommended shampoos tell you to avoid contact with skin!?!? If you get it on your skin wash thoroughly. I think I will take my chances with a small amount of diluted dawn followed by head and shoulders for the skin. Of course people who have interest in the dog shampoo industry will put out a lot of misinformation to secure their place in the market.
I like Dawn, it takes grease and fleas out of the way.
The PH is far more acidic in human shampoo/soap products. I spent just 10 minutes searching this subject and found over 20 articles stating clearing NOT to use human soaps on dogs and why; none of those 20 were promoting any type of shampoo or cleanser. 7 of them were written by vets.
… there is your scientific data and from a Vet btw.
Why attack the blogger?
So a veterinarian is always completely utterly honest as well as educated in the area of ALL Dog skin issues & shampoos?
A dog’s skin is very close to a neutral pH, and significantly more alkaline than human skin, so the kind of shampoo you use on your dog should be much more neutral in pH than the typical pH value of shampoo formulated for human hair (“pH balanced” shampoos for humans are around 4.5-5.5, making them much more acidic, and ultimately very irritating to a dog’s coat and skin). Over time, acidic shampoos also strip away the hair’s protective qualities, removing valuable oil from the coat and skin, resulting in dry, irritated skin and a dull coat. Never use human shampoo on your dog…
Being a dog groomer for the last 25 years, I have found that in the case of fleas, ticks, oil contamination, skunk spray, or even a case of seborrhea in pets, Dawn dish detergent is extremely helpful. Yes, you must be careful about getting it in the eyes and mouth, but it defiantly works.
After bathing with Dawn, a complete rinse and a gentle soothing shampoo and conditioner should be used before drying.
For these extreme circumstances Dawn will help, but for a regular bath with no problems, a gentle, preferably non detergent shampoo should be used.
Never use shampoo for people on dogs (not even baby shampoo) because the pH for people is the opposite for dogs, and MAY be the cause of some skin problems in dogs.
Of course, we all have different opinions and I don’t agree that dish detergent is safe to use on dogs. This blog isn’t telling anyone that they have to make changes – you do what you feel is right for your dogs. I, however, believe that the ingredients in dish soap are too harsh for our dogs’ skin and with so many better options out there, I would rather go for something that is certified organic on my dogs than risk their health by using something that is toxic.
Thank you for your comment.
The only people who say you shouldnt use dish soap on fido, are either promoting some dog shampoo, or know a guy who knows a guy who knows a vet who said you can’t.
To be blunt… Bull shit.
Tulle of thumb is (and any independent vet will agree… And by independent I mean a real vet, not some schmuck who has a supermarket in his vet office of product) will agree, that if its gentle enough fornyour hands its gentle enough for your dog.
Just don’t get it in their eyes… Not because they are a dog but because soap hurts all of our eyes.
We went to a vet for years who was very good about suggesting economical ways to treat our many rescue dogs. Our lab had allergies, and the vet suggested Dawn and it worked great!! I know all dogs are different, but it did work for ours :))
Ingredient Health, Environment, and Disclosure Concerns Score
METHYLISOTHIAZOLINONE High Concern: acute aquatic toxicity; Some Concern: skin irritation/allergies/damage D
FRAGRANCE Some Concern: skin irritation/allergies/damage, acute aquatic toxicity, nervous system effects, respiratory effects, biodegradation; Disclosure Concern: non-specific ingredient D
FD&C YELLOW 5 Some Concern: cancer, acute aquatic toxicity, chronic aquatic toxicity, general systemic/organ effects D
BIODEGRADABLE SURFACTANTS No data, some concern; Disclosure Concern: non-specific ingredient
SODIUM LAURYL SULFATE Some Concern: chronic aquatic toxicity, general systemic/organ effects, acute aquatic toxicity C
SODIUM LAURETH SULFATE Some Concern: chronic aquatic toxicity, damage to DNA, respiratory effects, developmental/endocrine/reproductive effects, digestive system effects, nervous system effects, acute aquatic toxicity, damage to vision, cancer C
PPG-26 No data, some concern C
PEG-8 PROPYLHEPTYL ETHER No data, some concern C
PEI-14 PEG-10/PPG-7 COPOLYMER No data, some concern C
FD&C BLUE 1 Some Concern: skin irritation/allergies/damage C
D&C RED 33 No data, some concern C
ALCOHOL SULFATES, SODIUM SALT No data, some concern C
ALCOHOL ETHOXYLATES (C10-C16) SODIUM SALT Some Concern: chronic aquatic toxicity, damage to DNA, respiratory effects, developmental/endocrine/reproductive effects, digestive system effects, nervous system effects, acute aquatic toxicity, damage to vision, cancer C
This isn’t a scientific website; it’s a personal blog where I share what I’m learning about feeding raw and raising my dogs. The information I have about using dish detergent versus dog shampoo came from someone I trust who survived cancer and now only uses natural products for herself and her dogs. She does create a product, 4-Legger, which I mention because I think it’s an amazing shampoo. Especially the fragrance-free.
No one can tell you what to do with your dog and if you and your veterinarians believe that regular use of dish detergent as a shampoo is best for your dogs, then that’s what you should do. I choose not to use a product like dish detergent because it’s drying, it strips the coat of natural oils, it’s harsh on the skin, and painful if it gets in their eyes, nose, or mouth by accident.
Best of luck and thanks for your thoughts.
I have checked with 4 veterinarians in my area about the claims in this article recently. All all four vets said it was fine and 2 of them actually recommend it to their clients regularly. If I am mistaken, then excuse me, but it seems that I have found minimal citing to the claims of how bad dish shop is but I see plenty of links for products and DIY idea.
I ask vet what was good for bathing puppys when it’s flea seasons he told me to use cheap dandruff shampoo and it work good
To be honest, I don’t know. I’ve been told that dish detergent is too drying for a dog’s skin and coat.
What if it is an all natural or toxin-free dish soap? I try to buy only natural, organic, and toxin-free products, but don’t have any flea & tick shampoo for my dogs. This is a Really bad tick year and we’re getting desperate. Our golden is getting eaten alive. Can we use the “hippie” dish soap as a one-time bathing solution?
Good point. I’ve used shampoo as body wash, because of the suds and the scent. I’ve been tempted to use my shampoo on my dogs, but never did, because they already have their shampoo (it’s good to be a blogger), but if I didn’t know to question using human stuff on dogs, I would totally do it. I love my shampoo/body wash.
When I was growing up my friend Beverly always bathed in dish detergent! I was so jealous because the bubbles were bigger and they lasted longer. My momma wasn’t having it, so I could only live in envy of dear Beverly. My point is – if people would bathe their children, what would make them not try it with their pets? Thanks for clearing it up for those who might still be out there thinking it’s okay!
That’s interesting; I nearly bought baby shampoo for our dogs when they were puppies, but chose puppy shampoo instead.
Whenever I write about shampoo I think of you. Last week, Sydney’s vet said that her coat was very oily and I wondered if it was supposed to be that way and now I’m doing some research on the natural state of a lab’s coat. Of course, she’s mixed breed so I don’t know what she is beyond Blue Heeler (her mom). The lab is a guess. I gave her a bath with a mild shampoo and her coat has been “normal” every since. So now I’m going to research what an oily coat means for dogs.
Thank you so much, Colby! Someone else told me the links weren’t working, but I thought they meant the link to the post. Fixed! You’re my hero!!!
Ahhhh, don’t feel like a dummy. I’ve heard that Dawn is great against fleas too and I look at what you did the same as what I did when our dogs were skunked. So to share something I did – I heard that Febreze is good against fleas and sprayed my entire apartment (I was a cats only home then) with the stuff to stop an infestation. It worked; but I didn’t think about the impact that could have on my cats. They were fine, but now I know the Febreze isn’t the safest for pets.
Oh boy!!! I have to make a confession now LOL!
So…. I would never use dawn for regular bathing purposes, as I know it can dry out their skin etc etc… BUT I have used it before… 2 years ago, my huskies brought fleas in the house from our yard, – which we also had to treat – I had tried numerous natural remedies to try and rid our house (containing 3 huskies AND 3 cats) of the fleas. They only got worse, so I turned to Dawn. Now… first, I will say, Dawn worked. It really helped us battle those little buggers, and we have been flea free ever since. But at the time, I didn’t realize how harsh it could be on the pets. This is a great post, and thank you for bringing attention to this for those of us who thought it was ok to use. I feel like a dummy!!! lol
ღ husky hugz ღ frum our pack at Love is being owned by a husky!
Fortunately, I haven’t had to deal with the skunk removal shampoo, but we do have skunks in or neighborhood so I’m guessing it’s only a matter of time. I’ve never used dish detergent on my dogs, but I’m thinking it might be helpful when they step in tar at the dog beach. By the way, the “CLICK HERE” links above the skunk picture aren’t clickable. Thanks for sharing!
When Storm was skunked we used the homemade mix but as I do not use Dawn I substituted another dish soap which worked fine at 4am. Once the store opened I got some Nature’s Miracle de-skunker and followed with a mild natural dog shampoo. That worked best. Of course as you know we don’t otherwise bathe them. 🙂
I’ve read about using Baby shampoo on their dogs too. That isn’t as harsh as dish soap, but still not a good idea.