Human shampoo on dogs?

[Jenje!]

I have a 3 year old miniature poodle that is due to whelp on the 25th. It's been a while since she's been to the groomer (groomer is my sister in law, and am having trouble scheduling) and so she's got a few matted bits (tiny little pieces) and a few tangles.

I've got some doggie deodorizing shampoo from Premium to use on her, but nothing from that brand (I've found) has been particularly good at detangling.

On a whim, I picked up a bottle of Suave Kids conditioner +detangler (smells like grape!) because I remember using is a bit a few years ago when my mom was still buying all of the shampoo... it was GREAT for detangling. It's the tear-free, "extra gentle" kind and I've been wondering if it would be okay to use on my dog. Of course I'd be careful around her eyes (but that goes for any shampoos).

Here are the ingredients:

water -- cetearyl alcohol -- cyclopentasiloxane -- stearyl alcohol -- behentrimonium chloride -- behentrimonium methosulfate -- amodimethicone -- fragrance -- ceteareth 20 -- cetrimonium chloride -- disodium EDTA -- DMDM hydantoin -- trideceth-12 -- methylchloroisothiazolicone -- methylisothiazolinone

They are (as one would expect) very different from the list of ingredients on the shampoo made specifically for dogs, which is why I'm asking.

Thanks everyone! I've also posted this on HGS, but thought it should have a go here as well.

[koni]

I heard in terms of human shampoo, baby shampoo is ok. Human shampoo can dry out the skin and irritate the dogs.

[Luvmyjob]

Sorry no. I reccomend no human shampoo at all. There is no product that will "magically" make the tangle dissappear. You need a mild dog shampoo and either conditioner rinse or spray on .If the matts are too big to gently comb out, try splicing them vertically with scissors several times, then comb. Do this before the bath, water and drying first makes the matts tighter.

[Jenje!]

I'm not necessarily looking for a product that will make anything "magically" disappear. But in terms of effectiveness, of course I'm always looking for something a little better! The mats are tiny and will be snipped off. But as far as the rest of her coat, I thought using a detangler like this might make it a touch easier to get through with the comb.

Thanks!

[Deb's Tiny Dogs]

They make conditioner and detanglers for dogs that would be better.

[SalemWitchChild]

NO! Absolutely not. Human shampoo has the wrong PH level as well as contain ingredients that will strip the coat. And baby shampoo is absolutely the worst! Just because it says tearless and gentle does not mean it is gentle on your dog. Baby shampoo is formulated to help with cradle cap. Therefore it is bad for your dogs skin.

There are detangler shampoo's for dogs out there. Do a search online for some.

[micki]

I use my Aussie Mega shampoo on my shihtzu, it works great and since we used it 4 years I haven't seen any problems. I do use conditioner too. But on my other dogs that shed I use tea tree dog shampoo. and I have used a product called D-Mat to detangle my Woodie (aussie) and Pookie(pom).

[merrow]

i have used human shampoo and condioners on all of my dogs and a lot of groomers use the same bulk shampoo as a hair dresser dose it is important for dogs with a dry coat that u use one for them so it dosnt dry it out any more a doggie condioner is grate for getting nots out but matts it wont touch the only thing i would think about is that if she due for a littler that a smapoo might react so i would use a gntal one like everning primrose coz even some women react with hair products and things when they r pregnant

[rottiegirl]

Do NOT use human shampoo! Before you even get her wet get matts out by brushing!

I like Best Shot for poodles.

[AWAll]

My groomer does not recommend human shampoo on my 2 Toy Poodles so we use a gentle puppy shampoo. But, my grandmother uses human shampoos and conditioners on her Mini Poodle with good results.