Dogs with dry skin and dogs with allergies are likely to scratch just as much, regardless of which one plagues them. In some circumstances, the dog is suffering from a combination of both dry skin and allergies. If your dog has dry skin, you will have the urge to clean out form under your fingernails after scratching him. On dark surfaces, he may even leave behind flakes of doggie dandruff. It’s not very pleasant, but it is part of the package sometimes.

Dogs like this often benefit from a specialty shampoo, since washing their fur strips away a lot of their essential oils and dries them out further. Some dogs actually require the use of a conditioner as well. A conditioner for dogs is designed to replace the essential oils that you just removed from the bath, often with a base of oatmeal. Oatmeal shampoos and conditioners are highly recommended for dogs with dry skin problems.

Dogs who have the basic signs of allergies benefit from shampoos for either dry skin or for those with skin allergies. Not all markets carry shampoos for skin allergies, and in a pinch, dry skin shampoo should help. If your dog seems to be in increased discomfort after a bath, scratching himself to oblivion, follow his shampooing with an oatmeal conditioner whether he has dry skin, allergies, both, or neither.

All shampoo is going to try to appeal to your sense of smell. After all, the main reason we go through the hassle of bathing our pups is because they stink. Replacing his hard earned dog aroma with something more pleasant is a natural desire. When selecting a dog shampoo, try to avoid shampoos that are too heavy on the perfume. This will not only encourage your dog to try to roll the scent off his body, but it often leaves him oily in an unnatural way.

Shampoo cleans by stripping sebum from the hair. Sebum is an oil secreted by hair follicles that is readily absorbed by the strands of hair, and forms a protective layer. Sebum protects the protein structure of hair from damage, but this protection comes at a cost. It tends to collect dirt, styling products and scalp flakes. Surfactants strip the sebum from the hair shafts and thereby remove the dirt attached to it.

Shampoo for animals (such as for dogs or cats) should be formulated especially for them, as their skin has fewer cell layers than human skin. Cats' skin is 2-3 cell layers thick, while dogs' skin is 3-5 layers. Human skin, by contrast, is 10-15 cell layers thick. This is the main reason why one should never use even something as mild as baby shampoo on a cat, dog, or other pet.

Shampoo intended for animals may contain insecticides or other medications for treatment of skin conditions or parasite infestations such as fleas or mange. These must never be used on humans. It is equally important to note that while some human shampoos may be harmful when used on animals, any hair care products that contain active ingredients/drugs (such as zinc in anti-dandruff shampoos) are potentially toxic when ingested by animals.

Special care must be taken not to use those products on pets.

While both soaps and shampoos contain surfactants, soap bonds to oils with such affinity that it removes too much if used on hair. Shampoo uses a different class of surfactants balanced to avoid removing too much oil from the hair. The chemical mechanisms that underlie hair cleansing are similar to those of traditional soap. Undamaged hair has a hydrophobic surface to which skin lipids, such as sebum, stick, but water is initially repelled. The lipids do not come off easily when the hair is rinsed with plain water. The anionic surfactants substantially reduce the interfacial surface tension and allow for the removal of the sebum from the hair shaft. The non-polar oily materials on the hair shaft are solubilized into the surfactant micelle structures of the shampoo and are removed during rinsing. There is also considerable removal through a surfactant and oil "roll up" effect.

Our pet hair care salon is stocked with products to give your pet a healthy and shining coat. Products to soothe and help heal dry itchy skin hot spots and skin problems. If your dog or cat is shedding, itching or has dry flaky skin, try one of our medicated shampoos formulated to treat skin problems. Did you know that you can reduce excessive shedding in dogs and cats by using the proper shampoo and conditioner? We care several products just for hair shedding!

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