Dogs that require a medicated shampoo or a shampoo designed to kill fleas need to have the shampoo stay on them for a prescribed period of time. Read and follow the manufactures instructions. For most products, a soak of 5-10 minutes is recommended. The shampoo must remain in contact with the skin for the prescribed time in order to be effective.
Many veterinarians suggest that dogs that need a medicated shampoo should be pre-bathed with a mild shampoo to remove surface dirt and natural skin oils. The medicated shampoo will work better on a clean coat. Remember that although medicated products do very well at what they were designed to do, which is to improve the health of the animal's skin, they are not always a good cleanser.
Having a clock or even a timer in the bathing area is a good idea. After the medicated product is applied, wrap the dog in a towel to help keep it from getting chilled. I call this process "marinating." While the dog marinates, we fill the time by trimming nails and cleaning ears. Some small pets are placed in a warm cage to marinate while another pet is bathed. Here are a few additional pointers for giving medicated or insecticidal shampoo treatments:
- For your safety, gloves should be worn when applying medicated shampoo to pets.
- Keep medicated products away from the pet's eyes. Since the pet will have the shampoo on them for a while, and its movement might splash shampoo into its eyes, it is a good idea to use protective eye drops before applying the specialty shampoo.
- Do not let the pet lick the product off its coat while soaking.
- Be sure to rinse medicated products exceptionally well.
- Because medicated and pesticide products may be drying, a light conditioner should be used after the shampoo is rinsed out.
- Since you are applying a product recommended by the Veterinarian, and it is taking you extra time to use this product, it is suggested that you add a charge to cover the additional time spent using it. Many groomers charge $1.00 per minute of soak time.
If the problem that the product was prescribed for clears up, check to see if the Veterinarian still wants that product to be used. In most cases, once the animal's skin returns to normal, the use of the medicated shampoo should be stopped. Using a medicated shampoo on healthy skin can actually cause irritation.
By Daryl Conner, MPS, MCG
Daryl Conner has been devoted to making dogs and cats more comfortable and beautiful for almost 40 years. You can find her happily working at FairWinds Grooming Studio with her daughter and infant granddaughter, or typing away at her latest grooming-related article. Daryl was awarded both a Cardinal Crystal Award and Barkleigh Honors Award for journalism. She shares her meadow-hugged antique Maine farmhouse with her practically perfect husband and too many animals.
