Tar shampoo: benefits and harms for dogs

Composition and properties of laundry soap

The main component of laundry soap is fatty acids (palmitic and lauric). A high quality product contains at least 72% of these substances. In second place in percentage terms is sodium (20%). It is precisely because of the high alkali content that this soap cannot be used for dogs.

In addition to sodium and acids, the composition includes:

• kaolin (porcelain clay);
• rosin;
• sodium silicate;
• lard and soapstock.

Laundry soap actively breaks down fats and has an antiseptic effect. The product is used for the following purposes:

• washing dishes;
• removing stains from clothes;
• fight against oily hair;
• disinfection of small wounds;
• processing of personal hygiene products;
• treatment of runny nose;
• preventing blisters from burns;
• removal of fungus on the feet;
• gardening work.

Contraindications

There are practically none - natural tar soap is safe even when licking wool after washing. But they, like any drug, should not be abused .

You can use this soap for dogs no more than twice a week; it is advisable not to get carried away with prevention and alternate with something else. Otherwise, the fur will lose its shine and become drier and unruly. In the future, you can even achieve shaggy and shabby hair.

This will also have a negative impact on the skin : there will be a feeling of tightness that will bother the animal.

When you decide to try tar soap on your pet, watch his reaction. If the dog expresses strong dissatisfaction with the smell, there is no need to force it; today there are many other means . If everything is fine, then using environmentally friendly soap will bring exceptional benefits to your pet.

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Consequences of using it to wash dogs

Laundry soap effectively removes dirt. But along with it, the layer of fat that protects the pet’s skin from pathogenic microbes is also washed away. The destruction of the protective barrier entails the entry of infections into the body.

Exposure to alkali leads to dermatitis or eczema. Diseases develop due to the fact that the detergent greatly dries out the skin.

Also on the list of unpleasant consequences:

• the appearance of dandruff;
• hair loss;
• dull color of the cover.

In an emergency case of severe contamination and lack of suitable shampoo on hand, you can use laundry soap once. But for regular bathing procedures, purchase shampoo from a line suitable for your pet from a veterinary pharmacy.

How to bathe your pet?

To begin, prepare :

• leash;
• container for washing if the pet is small;
• bowl for foaming - soap does not foam well;
• flea comb;
• insect collection jar;
• towel.

Now that everything is ready, you can begin the process :

1. Place your pet in the bathtub and tie it to the faucet with a leash.
2. Spray your dog with water to get his fur wet. Then lather with a foam solution and rinse the fur, paying special attention to areas on the stomach, chest, and armpits. You definitely need to treat your head! Otherwise, the fleas will move onto it and safely wait out the procedure.
3. Rinse the animal. Some of the fleas will already be washed off.
4. Repeat the procedure with soaping. After this, the dog should stand for five minutes - during this time the pet should be calmed or entertained.
5. Comb out the fleas with a comb - they will make the task easier by jumping out on their own. It is better to collect them in a jar, otherwise they will spread throughout the apartment.
6. Rinse off the foam by rinsing your dog several times. The smell of tar will remain, but not for long.
7. Go through the fur on the face, behind the ears and on the chin. This way you will destroy a dozen more surviving fleas.
8. Dry the animal.
9. The procedure will need to be repeated every three days.

Degtyarnoe

It is based on birch tar. Thanks to him, this hygienic product not only heals wounds, but also smells bad. It also contains:

• sodium salts of animal fats;
• sodium salts of vegetable oils;
• water;
• thickeners;
• preservatives;
• salt.

Among the medicinal properties:

• drying;
• exfoliation of keratinized particles;
• disinfection;
• relieving irritation;
• getting rid of acne;
• reduction of eczema;
• fungus control.

What it is?

Soap with tar is indeed successfully used as a cosmetic and medical product. It can treat dermatitis and skin rashes.

Under its influence, wounds, cracks and scratches on the skin heal faster - this happens because birch tar (the main component of soap) promotes epithelial regeneration . Hair washed with it begins to shine and falls out less. It is also indicated for pediculosis.

To understand how true this information is, it is worth knowing how the components of tar soap affect parasites.

Application for dogs

Wash the dog with tar soap to get rid of fleas and ticks. But tar does not destroy them, it only scares them away. As soon as the smell disappears, the parasites return to their “favorite place” and continue to torment the pet. Therefore, the effectiveness of tar is low. Vet pharmacies have a large selection of more effective products in the form of sprays and drops.

It does not dry out the skin as much as household products, but with frequent use it will also lead to dermatitis. Also, your pet may not like the strong smell.

You cannot rub your pet's fur with a bar. Crumble the detergent and mix with warm water to a “liquid slurry” consistency. Then do the same as with regular shampoo - apply to the coat, lather and rinse.

Before the water procedure, do not forget to place lumps of cotton wool in your pet’s ears. They will protect against water and foam. Lubricate the corners of your eyes with Vaseline before bathing.

Where is tar soap used?

Soap with tar has long been successfully used in cosmetology and medicine. Thanks to its drying effect, it is used to treat dermatitis, skin rashes, and is used to heal small wounds and scratches.

It is also used for pediculosis to reduce itching from parasite bites. That is, initially soap only helped to relieve the itching caused by lice bites and was not considered as a means of combating them.

But, later, the tradition of washing your hair with tar soap for head lice led to the emergence of a myth that the product helps get rid of lice.

Subsequently, this myth was overgrown with new conjectures. Since soap gets rid of lice, it follows that it can also “poison” fleas. To understand the veracity of this myth, you need to know what components tar soap consists of and how they affect parasites.

Composition of tar soap

The soap comes in the form of dark brown bars with a pungent, repulsive odor. Its main components include:

1. Birch tar. The parasites cannot stand its smell and rush to retreat. It also contains benzene, which paralyzes the nerve centers of fleas. After poisoning, insects begin to move chaotically and become lethargic.
2. Sodium salts. Maintains the water-salt balance of the skin at an optimal level. Thus, they protect the skin from moisture loss.
3. Phenol and alkali. Causes burns on the body of insects. But they are unable to destroy them, since the body of lice and their eggs are protected by a hard shell.

Thus, it is difficult to call tar soap a complete insecticide. It is unable to kill fleas, but rather simply repels them. The unpleasant odor causes insects to jump off your pet's fur. But, the following circumstances should be kept in mind:

1. Fleas are able to live for some time on carpets and paths, in the cracks between baseboards, and then they can attack the dog again.
2. Soap has no effect on parasite eggs. 3-5 days after using tar soap, new insects will be born. This negates the effect of the procedure.

Features of use

Due to its natural composition and the absence of side effects, tar soap is most often used when bathing puppies and pregnant dogs. It does not cause allergies and is therefore completely safe.

However, the smell of tar soap can be unpleasant not only to fleas, but also to you and your four-legged friend. And in vain, some dog owners think that it is enough to just tolerate the specific smell of tar for once. To completely get rid of fleas will require a lot of time and effort. Much more than if you used modern anti-parasitic drugs for this.

Rules for washing a dog with tar soap

To carry out this procedure you will need:

• fine comb;
• towel;
• a tall jar in which you will collect fleas;
• leash.

So, when everything is ready, you can start washing the dog. To do this, proceed according to the following scheme:

1. Place your pet in the bathtub, don't forget to tie it with a leash to the faucet.
2. Rinse your dog with clean water until all of his fur is wet.
3. Thoroughly wash your pet with a foam solution, massage the fur on the belly, chest and armpits. Don't forget to treat your head, avoiding soap suds getting into your eyes and mucous membranes. If this is not done, the fleas will jump onto your head and wait here until the end of the water procedure.
4. Rinse your dog with clean water, washing some of the fleas down the drain.
5. Repeat the procedure. This time the pet must withstand 5–7 minutes. Calm your dog and then begin combing out the disoriented parasites with a comb. Collect them in a tall jar, don't let them jump on the walls.
6. Next, you need to completely rinse off the foam by rinsing the animal several times with clean water. The smell will remain on the wool.
7. Dry your dog with a towel.

The procedure must be repeated several times every 3 days.

Common Misconceptions

People think that you can bathe a dog using baby soap - supposedly it is harmless. But what is good for guys is not safe for puppies. Human skin is different from dog skin. Our reactions to chemicals are also different. A gentle amount of alkali in baby detergent is harmless to babies, but dries out your pet's skin. As a result, itching, dandruff and irritation appear.

A popular misconception also applies to dust soap. It is used to poison parasites - in order to get rid of insects, it is more effective than tar. But using dust soap for cats and dogs is prohibited. Its main component is poison that will poison your friend.

Does soap help against fleas? How does it work?

Tar soap effectively destroys fleas - this is confirmed by numerous reviews. The product treats the skin after parasite bites. Its main advantage is safety for the animal and the owner. Even pregnant cats and kittens can be treated with this substance. People use this drug to kill lice.

The principle of operation of the product is simple - the active components of the soap paralyze the nerve centers of parasites, stopping their vital functions. The main ingredients of the drug destroy fleas and have a healing effect on the skin after bites of harmful insects. Very rarely, the drug causes minor side effects.

After bathing an animal with tar soap, its skin and fur may dry out a little. By licking the remaining substance after a hygiene procedure, the cat or dog will not have any unwanted reactions. If your pet lives in an apartment, then the rooms must be treated against insects.

Recommendations for cleaning paws

If your pet has been walking on clean soil and its paws are a little “dusty,” then it is better to refuse “chemistry.” Rinsing with warm water is sufficient. In case of severe contamination, it is best to use liquid soap from a pet store. There is a special line for washing paws.

If the “shaggy dirty fellow” takes you by surprise, then you can “arm yourself” with tar. It will also speed up the healing of small wounds and scratches. You can’t wash your paws with household cleaners – there’s too much alkali. Drying will cause cracks to appear.

Can it be used to protect against fleas?

Tar soap cannot be considered a complete insecticide. But it can still bring some benefit: it won’t kill, but it will repel fleas . At the same time, special products for animals will solve the problem faster and more reliably.

Whether or not to wash a dog with it is up to each animal owner to decide for himself. To make it easier for you to make this choice, we list the main advantages and disadvantages .

pros

• Tar soap boasts a natural composition , which most special shampoos do not have.
• Does not cause allergies , does not penetrate into the blood and milk. You can absolutely safely use it when washing puppies (after 1 week of life) and pregnant dogs.
• There are no side effects - no nausea, no vomiting, no loss of appetite or lethargy, no changes in behavior. You also don’t have to worry about rashes (which can’t be said about special shampoos).
• You can wash your dog with tar soap not only for small abrasions and scratches, but even for open wounds , eczema or dermatitis.
• Maintains normal salt-water balance of the skin, but special shampoos for dogs can dry out the skin.
• Can be used as often as needed without harming the dog's health.
• Inexpensive product (again, compared to special products).
• Safe for humans and convenient to use.