Pet Shampoo & FO's

[soycrazy]

I want to start making pet shampoo, but I have a question about fo's. Since pets lick themselves a lot after a bath are fo's safe to put in shampoo, what about flavor oils?

[Sherie]

Hmmmm, not sure if FO's are the way to go with pet shampoos. I know there are a few EO's that you can use for pets. You'd have to research it. I haven't ventured into that area yet but I have seen it discussed before. I have a teeny tiny long hair Chi and the shampoo and afterbath spray I buy for her has EO's incorporated into it. HTH

[Sugar & Spice Dog Treats]

Nooo...never use a FO on a pet.....only use EO's....FO's are poisonous to pets. Infact most FO labels say "keep away from children and pets".

Frangrance oils are NOT to by ingested...and this would happen with a pet.

PLEASE stick with EO's

[soycrazy]

I make ones with eo's, but I wasn't sure about the fo's the msds sheets didn't say anything about pets. What about the food grade flavor oils that are edible for lip balms would that work?

[Sugar & Spice Dog Treats]

Hmmm, not sure on those either. Pets can't consume a lot of the things we can...especially if they have certain sugars in them. I would check with a vet...better safe than sorry on that one.

Good luck on your quest...pet products are SO much fun to make!

[beau's mama]

I make ones with eo's, but I wasn't sure about the fo's the msds sheets didn't say anything about pets. What about the food grade flavor oils that are edible for lip balms would that work?

I'm no expert in the field,just an avid pet lover but I would steer clear of the FO's, even food grade ones. Animals are so much more sensitive, and you we never really know what's in the Fo's.

I agree w/ Sugar & Spice...maybe consult a vet, but..........not sure if I would go on the advice of a regular vet...you might stand a better chance of consulting a holistic/alternative care vet. Flavor oils should fall within their field of study. JMHO

HTH

Sharon

[Crystala25]

My mom just got a puppy this weekend for her anniversary and asked me to look in to making pet shampoos and such. That is a whole other area of research and maybe in a few years, but not now. Although, I did find a great site called cybercanine.com for dog shampoos, mists, salves, etc. maybe you can look at some of there ingredients just as a guide. It would at least give some direction on what can be included.

[mountainmadness]

I did some research before I made my dog shampoo bars. I use tea tree and peppermint EO's. The tea tree helps with itchy skin and the peppermint eliminates the odor.

I have heard of people doing blends of EO's to fight fleas and ticks but we don't have any here so that was not an issue for me.

I would stay away from the flavor oils.

HTH.

Jennifer

[happy_paws_haven]

Just be sure to never use ANY EO on cats (not even in shampoo bars). It can be deadly for them.

[blazerina]

This is what I was thinking... it's a different story when it comes to cats vs. dogs. You could get away with a lot more on a dog than you could on a cat since cats are really oral when it comes to their bodies. Even the products with EO's usually state to rinse it off or avoid open wounds, mucus membranes, etc. Very little of that is leave on stuff. I imagine the amount is so minute and is probably more for label appeal than anything. There ARE other natural less harmful ways to KILL odor, but I don't think anyone should expect their pet to be perfumey.

[Laura]

i worked for a couple of years in the dog grooming biz. we used diluted johnson & johnson's tear free baby shampoo.

my concern with flavor oils is it might encourage excessive licking,lol....seriously tho, a lot of doggie sprays and shampoos are fragrance based. i would try to research as much as possible and ask vetrinarians their opinions and advice.

[soycrazy]

Thanks for all your advice I appreciate it

[Jadryga]

Bit late, but...

A lot of flavor oils sold out there are unsweetened though, and are essentially tasteless. I read somewhere that it's really the sweetener + fragrance that tricks us into thinking we're tasting a real flavor. So maybe without sweetener (stevia, agave, saccharin, etc) there won't be taste, so that might not encourage licking so much? There's so much fragrance in commercial products as is anyhow, like Laura said.

Tea tree oils are toxic to cats though, and chocolate is supposedly bad for dogs (substitute with carob), so might want to stay away from those

Lots of natural pet shampoo recipes recommend citronella, lavender, peppermint and pennyroyal (small amounts) though all eos can be toxic if ingested in large amounts. I don't think it should be that much of a problem if they're rinse-off, no? I'd worry more if it was a leave-on.