Pet Shampoo Myths
Myth — “a widely held but false notion” (Readers Digest Oxford Complete Wordfinder)
“an ill-founded belief held uncritically, esp. by an interested group” (Webster’s Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary)
Myth #1 — The pH of pet shampoos is different from that of human shampoos.
Absolutely not true. The pH range of pet skin is different from the pH range of human skin (pet=6.2–7.2 pH; human=5.2–6.2 pH), but the pH range of the shampoo products is pretty much the same, with most products being in the 6.0–7.5 range. In our G-TNT test, the pet products actually covered a wider spectrum of pH than did the human products tested. Dawn dish soap tests at 7.0 pH, which is the absolute neutral point. “Balanced pH” on a label usually means the pH is neutral — 7.0, the balance point between the acidic side and the basic side of the pH scale. It does not mean that the pH has been adjusted to the pH of pet skin.
Myth #2 — Pet shampoo products are tested and proven on dogs and cats.
Simply not true. The cost of scientifically valid animal trials is astronomical, and there is no requirement that manufacturers do so. If you think about it, we probably would not want animal testing to be a part of shampoo development, although it might provide jobs for bathers.
Myth #3 — The ingredients in pet shampoos are different than those in human shampoos.
NOT. Pet and human shampoo manufacturers are shopping and mixing from the same pool of available ingredients. The same surfactants, emulsifiers, foaming agents, and preservatives show up in human and pet products in various combinations. The similarities are far greater than the differences. The biggest difference is that human products are required to show the ingredients on the label. If pet shampoos listed the ingredients, you would not be able to identify the differences.
Myth #4 — Pet shampoo manufacturers will back up a groomer in a legal dispute if a product harms a pet.
Not likely. More likely is that the company will blame the groomer for not following directions or improper application of the product. They will not accept the blame in an “isolated instance”. They will not pay medical bills or legal fees, nor will they stand by your side in front of Judge Wapner.
Where do these myths come from?
Part of what makes a myth is that the source cannot be identified, so the belief is accepted as truth. One source of these myths is the pet shampoo manufacturers, especially their sales reps, who are targeting our market. They want consumers to feel comfortable using their products, and one technique of sales is to make the consumer uncomfortable about other choices. They throw out just enough technical information, such as “pH balanced”, to make us bow to their knowledgeable authority. Their purpose is to narrow our choices, and they prey upon our ignorance. They sell to our desire to appear professional.
Being professional means making informed, responsible choices. Exercising blind faith based on myth and sales pitch is not my idea of being professional. Nor is accepting something just because it is written on the Internet, by the way — or even said at a seminar. As professionals we are responsible for making choices of the products we use on the pets in our care. Personally, I like to have a wide spectrum of choices, based upon my knowledge and experience, and the body of experience in our field that I draw from through my connection to a network of my colleagues.