Many people have shaving cream at home. It’s used everyday shave away facial and other body hair. It’s so common that you probably have shaving cream in your bathroom cabinet!
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However, can something that seems so harmless be toxic to dogs? What happens if your dog eats shaving cream?
What is Shaving Cream?
Shaving cream is a personal care product that’s used to soften hair before shaving. There are several different types of shaving cream available today. One of the most common is aerosol shaving cream.
You may be surprised by some of the ingredients in shaving cream! We were! Most of the ingredients are pretty safe; however, there some not so great ingredients also found in shaving cream. Some of these can be harmful and include:
- Propolene glycol: this is a humectant (similar to glycerin) but is also used in antifreeze and brake fluid.
- Triethanolamine: TEA, is an emulsifying agent that keeps oil and water from separating. This can be a skin irritant.
- Sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS) & soldium laureth sulphate (SLES): they create the later but can cause some issues such as mimicking estrogen. And laureth may also contain a carcinogen called dioxane.
Depending on the formula, shaving cream can also contain other ingredients. But what if your dog eats shaving cream?
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Shaving Cream & Dogs
In most cases, if your dog has only a lick of shaving cream, he should be OK. In some dogs with sensitive stomachs, it’s possible a dog could vomit, drool and have diarrhea.
However, if your dog happens to eat a lot of shaving cream, then it’s probably a good idea to call the vet. Your dog will probably be OK, but the vet will have the best advice on how to help your dog.
If your dog has ingested shaving cream, you may notice these symptoms:
- Excessive drooling
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
So, if your fur baby has eaten shaving cream and has any concerning symptoms or you have questions, please call your vet. This probably isn’t a life-threatening emergency, but if it is the vet will let you know. They’ll explain what to do next, which will probably be to bring your dog to their office right away.
While in most cases shaving cream is considered non-toxic to dogs, it does contain some ingredients that can make them sick. For this reason, it’s a good idea to keep shaving cream where your dog can’t reach it.
Julie
Julie is a graduate of the University of North Carolina, Wilmington, where she studied Animal science. Though contrary to the opinion of her parents she was meant to study pharmacy, but she was in love with animals especially cats. Julie currently works in an animal research institute (NGO) in California and loves spending quality time with her little cat. She has the passion for making research about animals, how they survive, their way of life among others and publishes it. Julie is also happily married with two kids.
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