Dish Detergent is for Dishes not Dogs

I can't begin to describe the level of eye-roll I have when I read or hear about the ole' dish soap to kill fleas advice. Sorry not sorry; your dish detergent is for dishes not dogs!

Let's face it, the reason people ask Dr. Internet is because they want a cheap, quick solution. Dr. Internet has a lot of opinions and even more misinformation. So here are five facts about dish detergent as flea control:

1. ​Did you know fleas can survive submerged underwater for 24 hours?
2. Soap doesn't quickly kill fleas. Experiments with glycerin soaps and water had little to no effect on fleas, which lived up to 4 days in the mixture! One study killed only 25 fleas over 6 days using the common blue dish soap and water. Soap may contribute to the death of soft bodies insects but not been shown to do so in fleas.
3. Dish detergents strip oils from surfaces which can be devastating to you're pet's coat health. After all, it is used to remove crude oil from wildlife.
4. To kill fleas living on your pet using a dish detergent bath your pet would need to be fully submerged for days. The bath only removes adult fleas, which are only 5% of the whole flea population in your home. Those fleas are washed down the drain alive; stunned but not dead. A drowned flea can appear dead but once removed from water can revive within 60 minutes. (The same principle applies to flea shampoos which are effective only against the adult fleas living on your pet.)
5. Topically, spraying dish soap and water mixture will not have any effect on the flea population. Detergents can be toxic to pets, topically and if ingested. Spraying detergent on your pet poses both a topical risk and ingestion risk (licking fur).

If you're trying to control a flea problem you need to use the right tools. Use a veterinarian approved flea control (there are topicals, collars, tags, pills, chews and injections). Don't forget to treat all animals in the household as well as those outside that your pet comes into contact with. You'll need to treat the environment as well, that includes every room in your home (carpeted floor and hard floor). Wash all bedding, pillows, blankets, dog clothes and soft toys in hot water with laundry detergent and laundry sanitizer. Maintain flea treatment for at least 3 months to ensure you're treating the whole flea life cycle. It is best to keep pets on year round flea prevention and to treat your yard and home seasonally.

When should you consider using a dish detergent on your pet?
1) Emergency removal of substance in the fur such as oil
2) Removal of a topical irritant/allergy (such as a reaction to a topical medication or new shampoo)
3) To remove skunk spray - it must saturate the fur for at least 20 minutes

Dish soap is for dishes not dogs.

Kalee - Keeping you and you Doberman posted.