What’s the best shampoo to use on your dog?
According to Dr. Barbara Royal (author of The Royal Treatment – A Natural Approach to Wildly Healthy Pets, founder of The Royal Treatment Veterinary Center, proponent of both Eastern and Western medical practices, and a terrific person) it’s something that’s probably been sitting in the cabinet under your kitchen sink forever – Murphy’s Oil Soap!
We’ve known Barb for years – she used to come to our bookstore and give our ancient cat, Merlyn, acupuncture treatments for his arthritis. We’ve always known her to be practical, logical, and sensible. When she gave a talk to our dog obedience club last year about canine nutrition (which was wonderful and you should read her book), she was gracious enough to take questions from our group.
Like dog owners everywhere, many of us deal with dogs with allergies. Everything we’ve heard says that most dogs’ allergies and/or skin conditions are not food-based, but related to things they breathe or touch. Personally, our Boston Terrier, Ceilidh, had a constant and ongoing battle with yeast infections of her skin. She was fur-challenged to begin with, and her condition caused her skin to feel tacky.
Weekly baths were the answer for Ceilidh – and we tried every dog shampoo out there! Since we’ve taken Dr. Royal’s advice and been using only Murphy’s Oil Soap for our dogs – we’ve had no problems at all. Everybody looks clean and shiny. The dog’s fur feels wonderfully soft – and they smell like Murphy’s Oil Soap – the same old stuff that grandma’s house always smelled like.
We understand from our friend Lori, whose Havanese dogs are patients of Dr. Royal’s, that another step is advisable for dogs with long, soft hair. Use a bit of conditioner after the Murphy’s Oil Soap – otherwise combing out after a bath can be challenging.
