You can use dawn to wash your puppy in certain situations such as exposure to oil spills or skunk sprays. For regular bathing, you should use specialized dog shampoo to avoid causing your puppy skin problems, eye pain, or soap poisoning.
So you got a bottle of Dawn dish soap sitting on your sink and you’ve run out of dog shampoo for your puppy or you simply don’t feel like paying extra on cleaning products?
You’re probably tempted to grab that Dawn bottle and use it to bathe your furry baby, but should you?
Is Dawn Dish Soap Safe for Puppies?
Whether or not you can use Dawn to wash your puppy comes down to safety concerns regarding the use of this dish soap on your pet.
Generally speaking, you can safely use Dawn to clean your puppy as long as you use the dish soap as a cleaning solution in emergency circumstances involving stubborn oil stains.
Other than using Dawn in emergencies, you shouldn't consider this dish soap as an alternative for puppy shampoo and should never use it in regular bathing scenarios for your little pawed friend.
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Possible Side Effects of Using Dawn to Wash a Puppy
If you insist on using Dawn to wash your puppy, then you're risking the safety of its health due to the following adverse effects:
Skin Problems
Skin problems are the main safety concern for washing a puppy with Dawn.
You see, Dawn is a strong dish soap when it comes to degreasing action. This means it can remove oils very efficiently.
The issue starts when Dawn doesn't stop at eliminating unwanted oil stains from your puppy's coat.
Like us, your puppy's skin has sebaceous glands that secrete natural oils. These oils are responsible for the soft skin and smooth, shiny coat of your puppy.
Dawn can't tell good oil from bad oil, and can easily end up stripping your puppy's skin of its natural oils. The chemicals in this dish soap are formulated to be gentle as in specialized dog shampoos.
Without those natural oils, your puppy is likely to suffer from itching and irritation because its skin and coat are all dried up.
To avoid this scenario if you use Dawn in an emergency, you should apply a moisturizer to your puppy after washing.
Another problem that appears with using Dawn to wash a puppy is creating unbalanced pH levels on its skin.
Unlike dog shampoos that are specially formulated to preserve the proper pH level of a puppy's coat, Dawn dish soap doesn't recognize this aspect.
An unbalanced pH level, especially when it's tipped to the acidic side, can lead to severe irritation and inflammation of the skin.
Not to mention, the reduced pH level of a puppy's skin after washing with Dawn can interfere with the beneficial bacteria and microorganisms residing in the coat.
Additionally, it can produce a favorable environment for certain parasites to attack your puppy's skin and coat.
Eye Issues
In addition to skin problems, Dawn can also harm your puppy's precious eyes.
Think about the burn and pain you feel when shampoo gets in your eyes.
Now, imagine how much worse it'd feel if it was dish soap that got into your eyes with its extra harsh chemicals.
It won't be pretty, will it?
Unfortunately, it'd be even worse for a young puppy's sensitive eyes.
Dawn can be very irritating to your puppy's eyes, causing pain, burning, congestion, redness, and swelling.
If Dawn dish soap accidentally finds its way into your puppy's eyes, immediately and gently rinse out its eyes with clean water.
If the irritation symptoms persist for more than 15 minutes after exposure to Dawn, contact your vet right away.
Detergent Poisoning
A more serious consequence of washing your puppy with Dawn is the possibility of it suffering from soap or detergent poisoning. This can happen if your furry baby ingests the dish soap.
Your puppy can lap up dish soap from the bottle when you're not looking. Your pet can also lick its coat before you wash off the detergent.
Symptoms of detergent poisoning include:
- Excessive drooling
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Laziness
- Loss of appetite
If you suspect that your puppy ingested Dawn, you should first figure out if it ate concentrated dish soap from the bottle or drank the diluted soapy water.
This information provides clues to the expected severity of symptoms and the appropriate way to treat the issue.
Other factors that have a role in determining the potential level of harm due to soap poisoning are the size of your puppy and the amount of dish soap it swallowed.
Not addressing such an incident can lead to evident health deterioration in your puppy. Once you see your pet show symptoms, a trip to the vet is necessary.
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When Can You Use Dawn to Wash Your Puppy?
You can use Dawn dish soap as a cleaning solution when your puppy gets exposed to an oil spill.
This product has excellent degreasing properties, so it'll effectively remove oil residue from your puppy's skin and coat in less time and with less effort compared to dog shampoo.
Additionally, Dawn can be a lifesaver if your puppy falls victim to a skunk's spray. This spray consists of oil that sticks to surfaces it lands on.
The rotten smell associated with a skunk's spray is due to organic sulfur compounds present in the oil. By washing your puppy with Dawn, you can get rid of this oil, and consequently, the foul odor.
How to Use Dawn to Wash Your Puppy
- Start by filling up your sink, bathtub, or a large enough container with warm water.
- Mix 1 teaspoon of Dawn soap with about 2 tablespoons of water.
- Use the mixture to lather around your puppy’s neck while still out of the water.
- Place your puppy in the water and work the lather into the rest of its coat.
- Wash your puppy thoroughly with water until none of the Dawn is left.
- Apply an appropriate moisturizer to your puppy’s coat and skin.
Paul has been creating content for the dog niche for many years. The information he shares comes his first hand experience growing up in dog lovers household and then owning multiple dog breeds of his own as an adult. Paul enjoys doing the hard research to collect, analyze and present our dogtemperament.com readers with the best answers to their questions.