i have to wash my dog tonight beacuse she jumped in the pool and i found out that we ran out of dog shampoo. is it ok if i use human shampoo? can i use pantene or triple moisture neutrogena? she is a sheltie and i only need to do this once. thanks!

NO! Dogs have a different skin pH than humans. Human shampoo is way too harsh for your dog. Washing the dog really well with water is what is best anyway. Make sure you really rinse, scrub and then rinse again.

Water is best for your dog, if you have to bathe them. If you don't have to bathe them, then don't. Dogs have natural oils in their skin and fur that bathing removes. It isn't good for them unless it is absolutely necessary.

Good luck.

Dogs have a different PH balance than we do so if you use "people" shampoo on your dog it will dry out their skin and cause them to itch like crazy.

NO! Dogs (and cats) actually have much more sensitive skin than people do, and their fur is much less oily than human hair. Shampoo that is designed for people would strip a dog's fur of essential oils and nutrients and dry out its coat and skin very badly. You would do much better to simply wash the dog with clean water and not use any shampoo at all than to use human shampoo which would likely damage the dog's skin and coat.

I honestly woulnd'nt. You would need to use dog shampoo. It might cause the dog to break out. And it may cause the dog to be itching alot. So maybe just wait until you can get some dog shampoo.

i have used pert on mine and everything was fine just rinse well

Yes you can use people shampoo on your dog , i was told by my Vet to use baby shampoo or use a dandruff shampoo such as head and shoulders , do not get water in their ears or soap near the eyes , rinse thoroughly and towel dry i find blow drying a dog just drys them out even more. try you will see dog will have a beautiful coat!

you'll be fine. When I first got my dogs I could not justify spending 8.00 on 12 oz of "dog" shampoo when I could buy pantene on sale for 1.99 and get 24 oz. of it. Dilute the shampoo (you don't need a gajillion suds) 50/50 with water. The big reason that dogs have a reaction to shampoo is you don't rinse all of the soap away. (which is why dog shampoo is what it is, it doesn't suds as much, and it is more "dilute" than people shampoo). So diluting the shampoo will help and just make sure to rinse rinse rinse. And make sure to keep it away from their eyes. Dog shampoo is really more like baby shampoo (the previous post is correct). And so you don't want the soap in their eyes.

Again, rinse rinse rinse.

I have a dog with skin irritations and he was FINE when I used human shampoo. In fact, I was out of dog shampoo yesterday and so I used Dial's Almond and Milk body wash (for humans) they are all fine, no itching, no redness, nothing.

I am a chemist and I can tell you, the shampoos are going to be nearly identical in terms of content.

And skin is skin. We are all mammals so dog's skin and hair is made up of keratin proteins just like human skin and hair. All people have slightly different pH values to their skin and hair and we all shop in the same aisle for shampoo and soap. Scientifically speaking, you will be fine!

Believe who you want. At my vets office we recommend any shampoo made for dogs. They do have a different PH to their skin and most human shampoos, even baby shampoos, tend to dry them out too much. Using is once diluted shouldn't hurt, but don't make a habit of it. My 0.02cents.

its pretty much ok to use the shampoo , but read the back to see if it is toxic or can harm animals in any way. its probably been tested by animals even though i am completely against so it would be ok. but even so don't rub it in too much. and like always be careful to stay away from the ears and eyes. it might be especially bad if human shampoo gets inside their bodies. hope this helps .