Are you wondering if sunscreen is ok for dogs? It wasn’t until one of my dogs was recently diagnosed with melanoma that I wanted to know if sunscreen is safe, necessary, and effective for pets. Keep reading to see what products I am using to protect my dogs from sun exposure and future skin cancers.
Do Not Use Human Sunscreen on Dogs
First and foremost, do not use human sunscreen on dogs.
According to the AKC, human sunscreens often contain ingredients like zinc oxide or para-aminobenzoic acid (PABA). These ingredients can be deadly to dogs, if ingested. Feeling desperate to protect your furry friend from the sun, find a shady spot instead.
Dog-Friendly Sunscreen
My two Vizslas love basking in the warm sun. When one of them developed melanoma, I sought out dog-friendly sunscreens after I learned that human sunscreens were potentially toxic.
Here’s are two sunscreens developed specifically for animals that I now use on my dogs.
This balm is made of natural ingredients like carnuba wax, coconut oil, castor oil and more. It has over 1,500 four and five star reviews on Amazon. My Dog Nose It! is water resistant and can be used on noses, ears and bellies.
Some dogs are at more risk for sunburn than others. You should consider protecting your pup if it has light colored fur, thin or no coats, and light-pigmented noses or eyelids.
Epi-Pet K-9 spray sunscreen is the only FDA-compliant pet sunscreen and is highly rated on Amazon. This sunscreen protects from UVA and UVB rays, is water resistant, and can be used on both dogs and horses (not cats).
Sun Protection Products for Dogs
Applying sunscreen to dogs might sound tedious, I hear you.
Like I said earlier, one of my dogs developed melanoma right beneath her lower lid of one of her eyes. Even if I had been using sunscreen on her religiously, I wouldn’t have been applying it so close to her eyes. So what could I have done?
When meeting with a veterinarian oncologist, he recommended giving her an algae DHA supplement. It’s suggested that by increasing omega-3 fatty acids specifically from algae will help supporting immune, heart, eye and skin health in dogs.
This article details how much DHA you should give to dogs. We started giving omega-3 fatty acid supplements to all three of our dogs in hope of optimal wellness.
Other Posts About Dogs
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