What is Shampoo Allergies ?
Contact allergies are caused by the aggressive response of specialized immune cells to an allergen. When an allergen activates the immune system, it manufactures a protein that causes the immune cells to release histamine, a naturally occurring compound that has an inflammatory effect on the tissues it comes into contact with. Shampoos for dogs can contain a number of ingredients that can cause skin irritation and even allergic reactions. These reactions usually occur rather rapidly after exposure and often become more intense with repeated applications.
Shampoo allergies are an overactive reaction of the cell of the immune system to a protein within the shampoo that the canine body sees as an intruder.
Symptoms of Shampoo Allergies in Dogs
- Bald patches
- Blister-like lesions
- Chronic ear infections
- Chronically inflamed feet
- Face rubbing
- Head shaking
- Hives
- Obsessive licking
- Paw biting
- Skin infections
- Skin rashes
- Swelling, particularly around the face
- Ulcerations on skin
Contact allergies can sometimes progress to anaphylactic shock. If the following symptoms occur, take your pet to the nearest veterinary office or animal emergency clinic
Types
There are several varieties of shampoo available that can help relieve symptoms related to allergies:
- Glycoprotein shampoos - Shampoos with glycoproteins help to soothe pain and inflammation caused by allergic reactions
- Hypoallergenic shampoos - Hypoallergenic shampoos are designed to be easy on the skin, and are generally free of the harsher chemicals; hey are often designed to be easier to rinse off and can contain products to ease itching, such as oatmeal and aloe vera
- Medicated shampoos - Shampoos that include antihistamines and corticosteroids are helpful in reducing swelling and itching; these types of shampoos should be used with caution as they may cause problems if ingested
Causes of Shampoo Allergies in Dogs
There are several chemicals and other compounds in dog grooming products that can cause contact dermatitis, through either irritation or allergic reaction.
Common irritants
- 2-Bromo-2-nitropropane-1,3-diol (a preservative)
- Benzyl alcohol (preservative)
- Cetearyl alcohol (conditioning ingredient)
- Coal tar (anti-dandruff ingredient)
- Cocamide DEA (foam booster and foam stabilizer)
- Cocamidopropyl betaine (foam booster, mild cleanser)
- Colorants
- DMDM hydantoin (preservative)
- Imidazolidinyl urea (preservative)
- Lanolin and lanolin derivatives (emollient)
- Propylene glycol (humectant)
- Sodium lauryl sulfate/SLS (degreaser)
- Sorbitan palmitate (emulsifier)
- Stearyl alcohol (conditioner ingredient)
- Tocopherol (Vitamin E)
Common allergens
- 1-Bromo-2-nitropropane-1,3-diol (preservative)
- Botanicals
- Cetyl alcohol
- Cocamide DEA (foam booster and foam stabilizer)
- Cocamide MEA (foam booster & stabilizer)
- Cocamide MIPA (emulsifier)
- Coconut oil (emollient)
- Essential oils
- Fragrance
- Glyceryl stearate (emulsifier)
- Isopropanolamine (preservative)
- Lanolin
- Limonene
- Methylchloroisothiasolinone & methylisothiasolinone (preservatives)
- Petrolatum
- Propylene glycol (emollient)
- Stearyl alcohol
Diagnosis of Shampoo Allergies in Dogs
The general physical should reveal allergy symptoms that will most likely prompt your veterinarian to collect a skin scraping. The skin samples obtained will then be examined by cutaneous cytology, a microscopic evaluation of the skin cells completed in order to search for problems like mites or yeast infections. Allergies to the compounds found in shampoos can manifest anywhere on the body, although true allergic reactions are often centered around the face and groin areas, as well as under the front legs and between the toes.
The timing of the response combined with the dog’s symptoms may help make a preliminary diagnosis, at which time your veterinarian may recommend a patch test, also known as an intradermal skin test. Miniscule amounts of the suspected antigens are injected under the skin so that a localized reaction can be induced. The antigens introduced in this situation are likely to be ingredients within the shampoo or other grooming products that your dog appears to be reacting to. Many doctors choose to try to diagnose which allergen is causing the reaction by eliminating suspected allergens from the environment first, in this case, changing to an entirely different shampoo.
Treatment of Shampoo Allergies in Dogs
If you are able to determine the cause of the allergic reaction, you may be able to treat it without a visit to the veterinarian. Any skin that had contact with the shampoo should be completely rinsed in cool water as soon as possible to minimize exposure. Your veterinarian may be able to recommend an appropriate dosage of over-the-counter antihistamine like Benadryl to give your pet to ease the symptoms, or may choose to prescribe topical or oral antihistamines or corticosteroids. Caution should be employed during application of hydrocortisone creams, as ingestion could cause gastric distress.
Medications such as corticosteroid injections or oral tablets are usually very efficient in reducing the signs and symptoms of allergy, but they are only recommended when other treatments have failed as they have some serious side effects. If your pet is showing signs of anaphylactic shock, treatment will need to begin before a definitive diagnosis is received. Epinephrine will be administered upon your arrival to the veterinarian’s office and supportive therapies such as IV fluids and oxygen are likely to be started at that time as well.
Recovery of Shampoo Allergies in Dogs
Canine contact allergies can be just as unsightly and uncomfortable for our canine companions as they are for us and continuing treatment can be more than just cosmetic. Skin that has been damaged by allergic reactions is prone to developing bacterial infections, and either oral or topical antibiotics will be prescribed if this occurs. It is essential that your pet completes the full measure of their antibiotic medication even if the symptoms seem to have subsided. Stopping the medication before the infection is completely eradicated may cause the infection to reoccur. Quite often a simple switch in the choice of shampoos is enough to ease the allergic response.
Shampoo Allergies Questions and Advice from Veterinary Professionals
Has Symptoms
My dog has developed bare spots on his rib cage area and flanks on both sides. His feet have also turned to a reddish color. We are not sure what is going on. I have been browsing the interweb and can't quite figure it out. Stuck somewhere between allergies, reaction to shampoo, and canine alopachea. Any help would be great.
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Shampoo ingredients that cause my dog to be extremely itchy after bathing are aloe vera and coconut oil (or derivatives of coconut). Fragrances also irritate him and we avoid any shampoos with oatmeal contained in it because it also makes him itch. He has an allergy to grains. I need assistance in finding a shampoo that is fragrance-free with no coconut or aloe. We found that the Chris Christensen Peace & Kindness shampoo works great for him but it should not be used near his eyes. So I'm also looking for a tear-less shampoo to use on his head and face. Any help would be great. We've tried numerous shampoos and even a medicated one from our vet, but the medicated one even had fragrance in it and caused him to itch.
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Medication Used
I used this foamy good smelling dry dog shampoo on Cooper this past weekend when we went to visit my dad before putting him in the car bc we played him hard and he was a little smelly. Then like 2 days later I noticed he had bumps on his skin. They don’t seem to hurt him he lets me look at them pretty good under the fur. The look kind of whiteish and crusty but from the surface when I let him they feel like “pimples or bumps” I guess. Could he have had a reaction to the dry shampoo? We r going to the vet tomorrow morning to have her take a look but should I give him a good bath tonight? I’m worried that the dry shampoo will give him cancer after some of the things I’ve read on other sites!
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Bathed my dog with a flea and tick shampoo. She doesn’t have fleas, just had that shampoo on hand and used it. She’s been scratching and biting ever since, for about 3 days now. It’s calmed down but I can tell it’s still bothering her. She’s mostly biting and scratching around the base of her tail. I noticed today that she has some dried bits of blood near the base of her tail. We gave her half a benedryl the day we bathed her and the next day I gave her an oatmeal bath. I’m concerned about the dried blood near her tail.
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I took my dog to a new groomer and now he’s been non stop scratching for weeks.. there are no signs of anything on his skin besides 1 scab that looked like it was scratched off and blood.. but how can I make this go away?
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Washed my dog with Purina medicated dog shampoo and now has raised bumps on a majority his body, not sure if it's an allergic reaction or skin parasite. He doesn't show any sign of discomfort
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My little brother showered my bulldog with human shampoo and his skin started getting red and irritated and he's getting bald spot on his legs and back, is there an allergy medication OTC we can give him
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Bathed in Malaseb earlier today - hours later her paws are swollen and sore and licking excessively . Face throat swollen with lesions to cheeks and gums swelling and sore.
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i showered my dig with hartz shampoo and she strated to get red skin and paws her paws look ablittle swollen I want to know if she's having an allergic reaction what can i do about without going to the vet her skin looks a little irritating and she bits her paws
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Thoroughly rinse Isabella’s body to ensure that all traces of the shampoo has been removed from her body; give her 1mg/lb of Benadryl twice per day to see if there is a reduction in the level of irritation. If you see no improvement by tomorrow (Monday) morning, take her to your Veterinarian. Regards Dr Callum Turner DVM
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