Lotions, Creams, and Body Washes
There are many types of lotions, creams, body washes and other sanitizing products pets may want to lick. Don’t be fooled into thinking they are innocuous just because you can purchase them without a prescription.
Many products intended for humans are not safe for pets and are certainly not meant to be ingested. Humans and canines are different species, and even though most topical over the counter creams and lotions will not cause your pets serious issues, some can. Discourage licking behavior to prevent any health problems from occurring.
Although some of these creams, such as steroid and triple-antibiotic ointments for example, may be recommended by your veterinarian to use on your dog, you must follow directions given by your veterinarian and again, discourage licking behavior by your cat and dog.
Treating a skin wound with a medication is quite different than ingesting it through the mucous membranes and stomach.
The FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine posted a warning1 about hand sanitizer:
Attention Pet Owners: Do not use hand sanitizer to clean your pets paws. It can cause poisoning if absorbed through the skin. Hand sanitizer products can make your dog sick if eaten.
Additionally, hand sanitizers may contain:
It is important to remember that what is not absorbed through the paw pads and belly skin, will be ingested when your pet grooms.
If you have pets in the house at anytime, be sure to use pet-friendly agents for all your disinfecting needs.
Skin Care Products That Are Harmful to Pets
In general, it is best to store your beauty products in an area where your pets cannot access them. However, some products are more harmful than others, so use extra caution after you’ve applied them to your skin so that your dog or cat doesn’t ingest any.
Some of the most harmful products to watch out for include:
Most sunscreens contain ingredients that can be toxic to dogs and cats. Zinc oxide, found in many mineral sunscreens (and diaper rash cream), as well as salicylates and active ingredients found in chemical sunscreens like oxybenzone and avobenzone can cause vomiting, diarrhea, and damage to the gastrointestinal (GI) tract.
If you are using a sunscreen on your pet to protect hairless areas from the sun, be sure to choose a product that is formulated specifically for dogs or cats. Your pet will likely lick the product off of himself, so you want to make sure it does not contain toxic ingredients.
Retinoids are vitamin A compounds that are used to treat a variety of skin concerns, such as wrinkles, uneven skin tone, and acne. Types of retinoids include retinol, retinyl palmitate, Retin-A (tretinoin), Accutane (isotretinoin), and others. If your dog or cat is pregnant and ingests retinoids, birth defects can result.
Pets who are not pregnant may still experience stomach upset, vomiting, and other GI symptoms.
Over-the-counter and prescription medications should always be kept out of reach of pets. Steroid creams, anti-inflammatory creams, antifungal creams, prescription rosacea and psoriasis treatments, and other topical medications can be extremely dangerous if ingested by your pet. Store these products out of reach of animals and children, and do not let your pets lick your skin after you’ve applied them.
Without Realizing You Trained Your Dog to Lick Your Lotion
While this might sound surprising, it is easy to accidentally train your dog into a behavior pattern.
For example, let’s say your dog randomly licked your lotion one day, and without thinking, you laughed and stroked them.
The dog felt good because you reacted warmly and gave them some attention.
They repeated the behavior, and you gave them a nice cuddle this time.
They have learned that if they lick your lotion, you will be nice to them.
So whenever they see you applying lotion or cream, they lick you and see if it works again.
Is It Safe for Dogs to Lick You?
Many pets enjoy licking lotions and other types of topical products off their humans skin. In fact, one of my dogs tends to wait by the bathroom door, hoping hell get a chance to sample whatever Ive applied to my skin after my shower. And dogs seem especially intent on having a lick if the product has a yummy smell, for example, vanilla scented body lotion or coconut oil-based products.
Unfortunately, this seemingly harmless little habit so many pets indulge in can be cause for concern depending on what youve put on your skin. The following are products you definitely dont want your dog, cat, bird, or other animal companion licking off you and ingesting.
• Personal care products. The majority of personal care products, including soaps and body washes, toothpastes, moisturizing lotions, sunscreens, self-tanners, shampoos, conditioners, deodorants, antiperspirants, make-up, and other cosmetics, contain potentially toxic chemicals. Advertisement
• Creams containing hydrocortisone. These are steroid-based formulations typically used to control itching. If your pet ingests a product containing hydrocortisone, it can cause increased thirst and urination, panting, vomiting and diarrhea.
• Ointments, lotions and creams containing antibiotics. Commonly called “triple-antibiotic” products, these are applied to cuts, scrapes, scratches, and other types of breaks in the skin. If ingested by your pet, they can cause stomach upset.
• Antifungal creams. These are used to treat athletes foot, vaginal yeast infections, “jock itch,” and nail fungus. They can cause vomiting and diarrhea if ingested by your pet.
• Products containing zinc oxide. These are typically diaper rash ointments and creams, and calamine lotion used to treat poison ivy. Zinc oxide can cause vomiting and diarrhea in dogs. Bloody vomit or diarrhea should prompt a call to your veterinarian, since it indicates the zinc oxide has damaged your pets GI tract, potentially requiring treatment.Advertisement
• Muscle rub creams. Many of these products contain salicylates, which are aspirin-like compounds that if ingested by your pet can cause vomiting with or without blood, as well as stomach ulcers. Some muscle rub products may contain other problem ingredients, like menthol or capsaicin, which is an active component of chili peppers.
• Minoxidil, brand name Rogaine. This is a hair regrowth product, but its original use was as a blood pressure medication. Pets who ingest minoxidil can show initial symptoms of vomiting and lethargy, progressing to a build-up of fluid in the lungs, and ultimately, heart failure. Certainly youll want to keep your pet a safe distance away if you have this product in your home.
• Prescription steroid-based creams. These are typically prescribed for itchy skin conditions when over-the-counter products arent working. Common topical steroids include betamethasone, clobetasone, clobetasol, hydrocortisone, methylprednisone, mometasone, and triamcinolone. If ingested, these products can cause the same symptoms in your pet as OTC preparations (increased thirst and urination, panting, vomiting, and diarrhea), but for a longer period of time.
• Hormone creams. Topical creams containing hormones such as estrogen, progesterone, or testosterone can be absorbed through your pets skin in addition to being ingested. These compounds are endocrine disruptors that can cause changes such as mammary gland enlargement, and in sterilized females, signs of estrus and false pregnancy.
• Anti-inflammatory pain medication creams. These compounded creams (Flurbiprofen is a common one) are typically prescribed for topical relief of arthritis. Just a tiny ingested amount of Flurbiprofen can cause kidney failure in cats.Advertisement
• Vitamin A compounds. These are called retinoids, and theyre prescribed to treat acne. Ingestion by a pet can cause stomach upset and in pregnant animals, birth defects in developing fetuses.
• Calcipotriene, brand name Dovonex. This is a prescription ointment containing vitamin D used to treat psoriasis. Just a small amount of this ointment can be fatal to both dogs and cats; it also causes vomiting and kidney failure.
• 5-fluorouracil, brand names 5-FU and Efudex. This prescription lotion is used to treat a condition called solar keratosis, which is precancerous sun damage, as well as skin cancer in humans. If ingested by your pet, it can cause uncontrollable seizures, bloody vomiting, and diarrhea, and bone marrow suppression. Sadly, the majority of pets who ingest this topical drug cannot be saved.
If you use topical products, allow them to dry or soak in completely – or cover the area of application — before having contact with your pet. After application, wash your hands thoroughly before touching your pet. Store all topical products well away from your pet.
Contact your veterinarian or an emergency veterinary clinic immediately if you suspect your pet may have ingested or come in contact with a potentially harmful topical product.Advertisement
Dr. Karen Becker is a proactive and integrative wellness veterinarian. You can visit her site at: MercolaHealthyPets.com
Her goal is to help you create wellness in order to prevent illness in the lives of your pets. This proactive approach seeks to save you and your pet from unnecessary stress and suffering by identifying and removing health obstacles even before disease occurs. Unfortunately, most veterinarians in the United States are trained to be reactive. They wait for symptoms to occur, and often treat those symptoms without addressing the root cause.
By reading Dr. Beckers information, youll learn how to make impactful, consistent lifestyle choices to improve your pets quality of life.