Special Dog Soap

[Evangeline]

The thing that made me first interested in soap making (still not made any but I will soon) was that I couldn't find a good shampoo for my Cairn Terrier Buster, he has a horrific skin problem (yeast infection) he has had it for 4 years probably now, been to the vets several times and they help it initially but then it always comes back.

I've tried many shampoo's that are designed to help with yeast infections but none work, maybe for 6 hours after the shower but from then on its back to the constant scratching, biting and rubbing himself on furniture.

For Buster in particular I'm interested in a simple goats milk soap with maybe some Shea in it (I've seen a video online where a woman uses goats milk and Shea in her soap) I don't want any EO's or FO's that could irritate him even more but does anyone know a good recipe for a plain soap with a low ph? This is not to sell as I will need as much soap for him as possible as he will need weekly baths for the rest of his life. Rather than 'cure' the yeast I'm just wanting to stop the itchiness for the minute, so if you have any other idea's they would help too

 

[Ruthie]

There are a number of threads that talk about dog shampoo. As for low PH, that will not happen with soap. That is just in the nature of it being soap. Have you asked your doctor about Benedryl or some other ongoing treatment? I had a greyhound with skin problems, and I feel for both of you!!

 

[Birdie Wife]

You could try neem oil. I made a salve with 5% neem for my excema which flared up last weekend and it sorted the itch almost straight away. Calendula and oatmeal are also soothing for troubled skin.

 

[la-rene]

From what I've read, calendula infused sunflower oil, and some neem oil would work good. There are several fixed oils that are antibacterial and antifungal, like coconut. I think the goats milk soap with a selection of good oils sounds wonderful for your dog's skin. Or a buttermilk soap. I found a recipe for a bastille (coconut and olive) buttermilk and carrot puree soap. (if it is from someone on this forum, thanks! It's a great recipe!!) Unsweetened natural yogurt (the kind with all the good bacteria, no yoplait or such. Find something from a farm) is a natural yeast killer, on the skin and eaten. Does your dog like yogurt/milk baths?? lol!

Have you tried diluted apple cider vinegar on his spots? This will kill yeast, too. I would just test to make sure it won't burn as apple cider vinegar can be used for an acid peal on your face. (gives you a great sunburn look when used full strength. I speak from experience) You can put it in your dogs water, to fight from the inside out, but do your homework on how much. We give it to the horses in their daily grain. A holistic vet might be able to help you with this. I have used both applecider vinegar and neem oil on athletes foot, which is just yeast and it helps. Especially the neem, it feels really good, stinks, but good. I know that there are products out there for dogs with neem oil in them.

What kind of food is he on? Have you tried changing that up? Maybe he is allergic to a component of it, like wheat or something. My cat is allergic to chicken, so I know how this goes.... I'd like to get him on a diet that I make, but he's just uber finicky and frankly I've been lazy (and haven't asked my vet to ask UC Davis for a custom made diet) so he gets a limited ingredient, expensive commercial diet.

 

[DeeAnna]

Also tamanu oil may be helpful as an alternative or in addition to neem.

 

[judymoody]

Please consult with your vet before using CP soap on your dog. Dog skin is very sensitive (as your experience with your own dog shows) and the pH range they can tolerate is different than human skin.

 

[AngelMomma]

I have this problem with my little spoiled puppy. All the products on the market have TONS of chemical stuff in them. It gets them clean but I can't see how that is helping my poor baby. I'm thinking of making a plain shampoo bar for myself and trying it out on him. Everytime I check the ph on my soaps it is always in a great range. I tried one of my regular gentle bars on him before and it worked great, just left his hair just a bit stiff because that one had a bit of beeswax in it. Thats why I'm thinking the shampoo style would work a little better. I do think that precautions should be taken. Like ph testing to be sure its not lye heavy and testing on a small area if it has any EOs in it. There are TONS of 'dog shampoos' on the market that obviously are loaded with FOs and chemicals and people use them without a second thought just because its on a store shelf!

 

[AngelMomma]

We also switched all the dogs food to one with meat as the main ingredient......so lower carb. And they get apple cider vinegar in their water and a dab of coconut oil as a treat. We haven't been doing all 3 for too long so I'm looking forward to see if these things help him.

 

[AngelMomma]

My curiosity was piqued on the ph issue. The 2 bottles of store bottled dog shampoo in the house-7. Four of my CP soaps 7.25-8.0. My puppies saliva 9.5!!! And he is always chewing!

 

[la-rene]

According to PetMD, dogs have a higher alkaline level in their skin than humans. http://www.petmd.com/dog/grooming/evr_dg_shampoo_for_dogs

this information was also noted at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC227028/ in a scientific paper. It looks like this paper is about your dogs skin problem too. So, yes, their ph is different and in the paper it states that yeast grows in a slightly more acidic environment but an acid environment of 4 may kill the yeast (apple cider vinegar has a ph of around 4.25. (I will check this yeast/acid connection with my BioChem Ph.D sister and get back to you) Apple cider vinegar has been used traditionally to kill the yeast fungus, but not regular vinegar which is grown with yeast (malt). I would wonder if, since cp soap is slightly more alkaline, and so is dog skin, that it may be better balanced for dog skin, than human skin.

However, a chat with a vet will not come amiss. But, maybe a holistic vet would listen better than one who has only ever prescribed medication. I can't get my vet to think out of the box, either. He actually got mad at me for wondering if there were something other than Flagyl to help with my cat's diarrhea. Which, after careful observation, we found out that it was just that he was eating his catnip and my roommate and I were doubling up on it unaware, not any other sickness or disease. Flagyl not needed. Go figure.

I have used a simple, unscented cp goats milk soap on horses with great results. But that is only my experience. There was no skin infection at the time.

 

[Ancel]

My dog also has systemic yeast issues. We changed him to a raw meat diet last June and the change in him is phenomenal. If it really is yeast, cutting out all carbohydrates will starve it. He also has seasonal allergies and scratches during rainy seasons. When his scratching gets really bad we give him steroids at the lowest dose we can get to give him some relief, and then an anti-yeast medication - Ketoconazole - I tried for 6 years to not give him steroids, but now that he's doing so much better on the raw diet I feel it's okay to just ease his itching for a few days. Apple Cider Vinegar is good, and they usually like it. I also put Grapefruit Seed Extract in his drinking water. I have shampoo from the vet, Himalaya Brand (more natural) which has sulphur and clay in it. Coconut oil is good in their food and they love it - or fresh coconut if you ever get the chance.

As for the soap, to make this more on topic cooling or soothing ingredients would work better - oatmeal, aloe, nettle, maybe turmeric, the goat's milk sounds great. I make a basic soap with added neem oil and some local flea deterent herbs which seems to work well, but not for your issue.

The very best of luck with this! It's so hard to see them scratch so much.

 

[AngelMomma]

I forgot to mention that the Apple Cider Vinegar we are putting in their water is not pasturized with the "Mother" in it. I was excited that I found some like that.

Maybe when I make that shampoo bar I will use Aloe juice as the lye liquid.

I also put the aloe juice on any especially irritated spots he gets and that helps.

I hope we all find solutions for our sweet four legged friends.

 

[Mockingbird Ramble]

Go for diet first, low carb and high protein and you will probably be happy with the results. Add fish oil pills and you will be VERY happy with the results.

(I took 58 credits to a veterinary tech degree)

I have a wirehaired dogs as well and would not use a home made soap on him, just because the texture of the wirehair is so important in the breed and most people soap/shampoo strips all the good oil he needs on him.

 

[BillyJoe]

In my humble opinion a simple oatmeal pine tar bar should be all the poor little bugger needs. Anyone that has ever asked me for a dog soap I always give them a bar of my pine tar (all my soaps have a fine oatmeal in them) and the all have not only come back for more but have told me about what a "miracle" cure it is. The oatmeal soothes the itch and the pine tar fights the skin issue. Doggy needs to be bathed daily for a week or two but after that normal week to two week intervals should be enough.
Just my opin!

 

[Evangeline]

Sorry I haven't replied been so stressful here!

Well the way Buster is kept makes me sick altogether. He gets any kinds of scraps off of plates, a slice of toast for breakfast (I have told them many many times to nit give him scraps especially with cereals/gluten and sugar in). Its my boyfriends dog but it lives with his grandparents as we have a Labrador and the 2 dogs do not get on at all.

I buy him gluten free food but when I do they won't give it to him as they say they can't afford it even though I've offered to pay for it for his life (my Labrador is on the raw diet and his grandparents think he will get food poisoning, the most stupidest thing I've ever heard) he is fed on Morrison Value dog food (for US people that's our supermarkets lowest quality dog food, I wouldn't even call it food tbh). He is also allergic to chicken (but thought it may be because its grain fed chicken I'm not sure) so I can't give him chicken wings/legs/carcasses for bones, lamb bones are too hard for him as he is about 12. The easiest option is gluten free kibble.

What is a yoghurt/milk bath? I have put natural yoghurt on his spots before but he just licked it all off, if I tried to stop him he bit me so I can't really try that. Suppose I could put it on him when he gets fed, depends how long its meant to stay on for.

The only worry I have with oatmeal is it has gluten in it so won't that just feed the yeast directly? I know its soothing as I've used it myself on eczema. BillyJoe are you in the UK?

 

[Birdie Wife]

Hmm, it really sounds like you need advice from the vet about his allergies. If the dog is gluten intolerant they can give you a formal diagnosis and maybe your boyfriend's grandparents will listen to the vet's advice if they won't listen to you. I know from experience how difficult it is when close family have different ideas about animal care so ((hugs)), it's a tough one.

 

[TeriDk]

We also switched all the dogs food to one with meat as the main ingredient......so lower carb. And they get apple cider vinegar in their water and a dab of coconut oil as a treat. We haven't been doing all 3 for too long so I'm looking forward to see if these things help him.

Something causing the problem and I agree with AngelMomma, it's likely the food but it could be something else in the environment (carpet for example).

 

[AngelMomma]

Sorry I haven't replied been so stressful here!

Well the way Buster is kept makes me sick altogether. He gets any kinds of scraps off of plates, a slice of toast for breakfast (I have told them many many times to nit give him scraps especially with cereals/gluten and sugar in). Its my boyfriends dog but it lives with his grandparents as we have a Labrador and the 2 dogs do not get on at all.

I buy him gluten free food but when I do they won't give it to him as they say they can't afford it even though I've offered to pay for it for his life (my Labrador is on the raw diet and his grandparents think he will get food poisoning, the most stupidest thing I've ever heard) he is fed on Morrison Value dog food (for US people that's our supermarkets lowest quality dog food, I wouldn't even call it food tbh). He is also allergic to chicken (but thought it may be because its grain fed chicken I'm not sure) so I can't give him chicken wings/legs/carcasses for bones, lamb bones are too hard for him as he is about 12. The easiest option is gluten free kibble.

What is a yoghurt/milk bath? I have put natural yoghurt on his spots before but he just licked it all off, if I tried to stop him he bit me so I can't really try that. Suppose I could put it on him when he gets fed, depends how long its meant to stay on for.

The only worry I have with oatmeal is it has gluten in it so won't that just feed the yeast directly? I know its soothing as I've used it myself on eczema. BillyJoe are you in the UK?

Ugh!! That really sounds like a tough situation! I hope you are able to come up with some solutions

 

[shabaity]

Hmm thank y'all for this post we have a similar issue out of one of my dogs 2 vets have done everything short of an allergy test (which we are not doing both us and the vet feels she is to old for the stress) and testing for a yeast infection. We were about to chalk it up to her being a coyote mix and having a nervous condition. This gives us a new direction to look.

 

[Ancel]

Evangeline, really feel for you, it's hard enough asking grandparents not to feed kids candy, but dogs . . . even harder. The very best of luck with the situation, you know you'll always have support here on the forum. Maybe though they would go half way and just feed him frozen turkey pieces, at least those are 'people food': simple, clean and better for him.

Shabaity, try for the yeast infection test, it shouldn't be so hard and good luck!