Have you decided to switch to natural pet care products?
Are you having a slight panic attack?
The skin is a dog’s (and our) largest organ. It protects our dogs from microbes and the elements, helps regulate body temperature, and permits the sensations of touch, heat, and cold. It also provides a natural way for the body to shed toxins. Skin rashes and breakouts are signs from the body telling us that something isn’t right.
Diet is the biggest contributor to wellbeing and feeding a dog healthy dog food is really important. By avoiding processed food in our dog’s diet and feeding them nourishing, species-appropriate food instead is, in my opinion, the best thing we can do for them.
Saying this though, it’s equally important what we put on their skin. The choice of shampoos, conditioners, flea and ticks treatments (and even perfumes) need to be carefully considered. Knowing this, perhaps you’ve decided to switch to a natural pet care routine. And you’re now having a slight panic attack on what to throw away and what to get instead.
When going green in your pet care it’s important to know where to start.
1) Check what you’ve got already.
There’s no need to throw away your shampoos, conditioners, and other pet care products all at once. You can start by replacing them slowly once you start to run out. Replacing all the products at the same time can be a bit pricey.
2) Check the ingredient label on the insecticides you have.
When I decided to develop insect, flea, and tick repelling products I wanted them to be safe. Not only for our dogs and us but also for the environment. Commercial repellents contain synthetic ingredients that repel insects, fleas, and/or ticks. Many of them have been linked to skin irritation, negative respiratory effects, and rashes. Not only this but they are known to have a negative effect on bees, fish, birds, and the environment in general. Find out here what to avoid.
3) Don’t rely on the front label.
Many manufactures and marketers rely on the fact that people don’t read labels. One will find flashy bold prints on the front of the bottle claiming to be “vegan” or “sustainable”. But it’s often not the case.
A vegan product is a product without the addition of any animal products or by-products. It’s important to remember that vegan doesn’t necessarily mean natural. Some of the animal-derived ingredients are not always replaced by botanical, plant-based ingredients. They are instead often substituted with synthetic ingredients made in laboratories.
Sustainability is the ability to exist constantly. Sustainable products are those products that provide environmental, social, and economic benefits. While protecting public health and the environment over their whole life cycle. From the extraction of raw materials until the final disposal (Wikipedia). When products are labeled as sustainable is it just the content or is the packaging sustainable as well?
4) Don’t assume that anything “natural” is also safe.
Natural and safe are not synonymous and a lot of people mistakenly think that natural ingredients are safe ingredients. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Many natural substances are irritating and some are even highly toxic. For example, citrus oils are phototoxic. When applied to the skin undiluted or not diluted properly and then exposed to UV light, they can cause damage to the skin that can look like a rash or even sunburn.