Sully’s Mom ~
I forgot to mention that on my second visit to the vet, they recommended a Virbac brand shampoo. Shortly after the second bathing I got an alert from PetMD regarding a carcinogenic ingredient in the shampoo. CA has banned the shampoos and when I looked at the bottle, sure enough, it said it wasn’t to be sold in CA (we’re in NC). I took what was remaining back to my vet for a $37 refund.
The offending ingredient is DEA, Diethanolamine, and you can read the article here: http://www.petmd.com/blogs/thedailyvet/pmahaney/2013/nov/have-you-been-using-a-cancer-causing-shampoo-on-your-pet-31037. Apparently, it is widely used in other shampoos as well.
We’ve lost a cat and very recently a Golden to cancer. Mystery has been enrolled in the Morris Foundation’s Lifetime Golden Retriever Study – on CANCER! That’s just what I need, a shampoo with a carcinogen in it. And it wasn’t just Mystery I was putting at risk, I had that shampoo on my hands too.
My vet hadn’t heard of the DEA link to cancer but when I dropped in a few days ago I noticed there were no Virbac shampoos on his shelves anymore.
Thought you might want to know in case your vet suggests a prescription shampoo to help with the itching. I hope the coconut oil works though, since it’s all natural.
