Bathing a dog can be such a hassle, ask any dog owner! Some people take the easy way and use baby wipes for dogs. While wipes aren’t an alternate for baths, they work wonders for surface level dirt after a quick walk in the park.
There’s this common misconception that baby wipes for pets are an excellent alternative to baths. However, some baby wipes may not be safe for your canine due to various reasons.
Can you use baby wipes for your dog?
Most people assume that since they’re made for sensitive skin, they must be safe for dogs as well. However, that’s not always true. Baby wipes contain certain chemicals that may not be safe dog your dog’s skin/fur. In fact, most baby wipes in the market aren’t safe for dogs and cats.
While we don’t wholeheartedly recommend this, you can get away with using baby wipes for dog fur sparingly. If you do have to use them though, try buying ones that are odor-free, chemical-free, and designed for sensitive skin.
Pro tip: avoid using them around your dog’s face and eyes, as these areas tend to be more sensitive to harmful ingredients. We recommend choosing one from this list of safe baby wipes.
What are the risks of using baby wipes for dogs?
While they have a similar function, dog wipes and baby wipes are made with very different materials. Let’s see why baby wipes are harmful to dogs:
- Different pH levels: The pH level of human skin is 5.5, much lower than the pH levels of dogs. Baby wipes disrupt the natural pH level of a dog’s skin. This can cause irritation, rashes, and makes the skin susceptible to bacterial infections.
- Harmful Chemicals: Baby wipes use various chemicals for quick absorption and drying, fragrance, and other benefits. These chemicals may be safe for babies but aren’t good for your dog’s skin. For example, propylene glycol, derived from anti-freeze, is toxic for dogs.
- Dogs lick their skin: This shouldn’t come as surprise, but unlike babies, dogs lick their skin and may ingest some chemicals used in baby wipes.
Alternates for dog wipes
Using DIY solutions to clean your dog is a much better option. We recommend using plain towels and running water. They’re easy to use and best utilized when your dog gets dirty but doesn’t require a bath. For instance, these wipes are excellent dog paw cleaners after playtime in the backyard. They can also be used as wipes for dog fur when you need to clean surface level dirt/mud.
In fact, you could do one better by adding dog shampoo to the water. This will help keep a healthy skin and remove excess oil and germs. However, the best dog wipes are designed specifically for dogs. They can be disposed of easily, use ingredients that maintain healthy skin/fur, and keep your dog’s pH levels in check.
Can you use dog wipes instead of bathing your dog?
The simple answer is no. Baths help clean out bad odor, dirt, germs, and ticks inside the fur. While wipes can remove surface-level dirt, they can’t reach deep within the fur or intricate areas.
Dogs also need baths to remove scaling, dryness, and revitalize their fur. Dogs bathed using dog shampoo help maintain their pH levels, give their coat shine, and prevent skin infections. In addition to regular shampoo, we recommend using a hypoallergenic conditioner to counter after-shampoo dryness
Different breeds will require different products. Dogs with dense fur need shampoos with special ingredients to clean up their fur. Similarly, the frequency of baths can also vary between a few times a month to once every few months. However, these instructions are for dogs with healthy skin and coat. Dogs with skin conditions require medicated baths and prescribed shampoo/conditioners.
How to pick the best dog wipes for your dog?
You can find dozens of brands in the market, but not all are suitable for dogs. Therefore, this section aims to discuss the materials and ingredients used in the best pet wipes.
Versatility
Unlike baby wipes for dogs, there are multiple factors like supported age, ingredients, and chemicals suitable for dogs. The most versatile wipes check all these boxes. Most dog wipes support dogs 12 months and older, while some are safe for puppies as young as 6 months old. The supported age depends on the mildness of chemicals used and the number of natural ingredients.
Versatility also determines the body parts you can use the wipes on. Most wipes are intended to clean the fur, bum area, and paws, but there are less versatile wipes intended for your dog’s ear, eyes, and face. It’s up to you to decide whether your dog needs a one-for-all solution or a less versatile one to clean ear wax and prevent eye infections.
Ingredients
Most dog wipes use a hypoallergenic and alcohol-free formula. They also come packed skin revitalizing ingredients like Aloe Vera gel, Eucalyptus oil, Hawaiian Awapuhi extract, Vitamin E, Omega 3 fatty acids, and dog-friendly moisturizers. These ingredients help maintain healthy skin and coat.
Premium quality products take it one step further by practicing cruelty-free manufacturing, and avoid using chemicals like:
- Synthetic fragrances
- Dyes/colorants
- Sulfates
- Skin irritants
Most reputable brands manufacture FDA approved products in USDA and FSIS approved facilities.
Odor
Various potpourri and essential oils deemed safe for humans are toxic for pets. These include cinnamon oil, citrus, pine, peppermint, and many others. Apart from natural ingredients, synthetic fragrances are also harmful to dogs.
Therefore, good quality wipes either make fragrance-less wipes or use mild organic fragrances safe for dogs. These include rosemary, apple, and tea leaf scented wipes.
5 Safest Wipes for Dogs
Considering all the above-mentioned factors, we have curated a list of 5 best dog wipes for you. Read our review to choose the right one for your dog.
1. Pogi’s Hypoallergenic Pet Wipes for Dogs
Pogi’s green tea scented wipes are made from all-natural ingredients and intended for cleaning fur and paws. They come in 100, 120, and 240 wipe packs that measure 8″ x 9″, ideal for large breeds with thick fur. Moreover, they avoid chemicals like alcohol, chlorine, parabens, etc. These wipes are intended for quick cleanup in between baths.
These wipes are hypoallergenic and use mild all-natural ingredients which make them suitable for most dogs. Their large size makes them convenient since they make less of a mess. Like other premium wipes, these wipes clean up surface dirt, leaving your dogs fur silky and shiny. However, these wipes stand out from other brands by using a sustainably harvested bamboo bases that easily break down in the environment.
While these wipes are advertised as ideal for dogs with thick fur, customer reviews suggest they’re not great for long-haired dogs.
2. Nature’s Miracle Deodorizing Bath Wipes
No products found.
These deodorizing wipes come in two distinct fragrances: Honey Sage and Spring Water. They use an advanced deep-clean, alcohol-free, and mild formula perfect for cleaning dog coats. This formula allows for a quick clean up of dirt, dander, and bad odors while maintaining a healthy coat. These wipes are suitable for all life stages and offer 25, 100, 900, and 1200 count packs.
Nature’s Miracle has been a trusted brand for pet products for more than 35 years. Their wipes have a mild formula that is safe for dogs and suitable for daily use. Moreover, the deodorizing wet wipes freshen up your dog and restore its shiny coat. The wipes are ideal for cleaning up the bum area and wiping off dirt from fur and paws. What more, these wipes have a moisturizing conditioner that promotes healthy fur and skin.
While there are no complaints regarding the wipes, many reviewers had difficulty opening the packs. In fact, a few had to tear them open using knives.
3. Earthbath Hypo-Allergenic Grooming Wipes
Earthbath extra thick wipes are available in 1-pack and 6-pack of 100 wipes with 100 wipes each. These wipes are made using Hawaiian Awapuhi extract, vitamin E, and Aloe Vera along with various fragrances. The wipes are available in cherry, mango, and green tea leaf flavors as well as a hypoallergenic fragrance-free variety. In addition, the wipes are free of dyes, perfumes, and skin irritants, which makes them far better than any baby wipes for dogs.
Earbath wipes are 100% biodegradable, cruelty-free, and manufactured in the USA. The wipes are thick, soft, and offer enhanced cleaning that helps with dirt build-up as well as shedding. Moreover, they use all-natural conditioners to maintain a healthy coat. Using mild materials makes them suitable for pups as young as 6 months, and the fragrance-free variety helps prevent dander and various pet allergies.
While the wipes are thick and soft, many reviewers complained about them drying up after a few days, which makes them unsuitable for cleaning dirt and private parts.
4. Burt’s Bees Multipurpose Dog Wipes
Burt’s Bees is an environmentally conscious brand that prides in itself in its 98% natural dog wipes. Accordingly, the wipes use honey for cleansing and various other health benefits. The wipes are also pH balanced, free of fragrances, chemicals, and use a veterinarian-recommended formula.
Balanced pH levels make these wipes ideal for dogs of all ages, and help with maintaining healthy fur. Moreover, the wipes are laced with honey, which provides a healthy dose of amino acids, minerals, and vitamins for your dog’s coat. What’s more, the wipes are free of colorants, sulfates, and essential oils, which makes them hypoallergenic to dogs.
The size of these wipes is ideal for spot cleaning and wiping paws. However, multiple users have complained about the small size. Moreover, a number of dogs have reportedly suffered from allergic reactions even though this product is advertised as being hypoallergenic.
5. Pet MD Dog Ear Wipes
These wipes use an advanced veterinary formula designed to gently clean dog ears. The pack includes 100 alcohol-free wipes made in the USA in factories that abide by health and safety standards. Apart from using a sting-free formula, the wipes are coated with Aloe Vera and Eucalyptus oil.
Aloe Vera gel and Eucalyptus oil help prevent dander and the alcohol-free formula keeps your dog’s ear clean and free from infections. US-based manufacturing in FDA, USDA, and FSIS regulated facilities ensure the quality and safety of these wipes. In addition, the veterinary formula is suitable for dogs older than 12 weeks, which isn’t common for most dog wipes. However, these wipes are only dog ear cleaners and may cause allergic reactions if used elsewhere.
While these wipes are titled hypoallergenic, they may still cause an allergic reaction in some dogs.
Frequently Asked Questions
We’ve seen lots of questions regarding dog eye cleaners, baby wipes, and other hygiene-related queries. Therefore, we’ve chosen to answer some of the queries we get asked frequently.
Yes, you can. Dog paws aren’t as sensitive as their eyes or skin, therefore, baby wipes are safe to use to clean paws. However, baby wipes contain moisturizing ingredients toxic to dogs, which makes them unsuitable for a full-body wipe down.
Using baby wipes as a dog ears cleaner is fine as long as the wipes don’t cause an allergic reaction. We recommend testing the wipe on a small patch of skin. Once you’ve determined the wipes suit your dog, you can start cleaning the wax from your dog’s ears.
Antibacterial wipes are safe for dogs. Premium antibacterial wipes are made using a non-stinging formula with antifungal properties that kill most yeast/bacteria on dog skin. These wipes are especially effective against skin infections, hot spots, and ringworms.
We recommend using antibacterial wipes for dogs rather than regular ones. Dogs have very sensitive skin and will react negatively to high doses of harsh ingredients. Dog wipes work best with small doses of chemicals like chlorhexidine and ketoconazole in an alcohol-based solution.
However, they should never be used to clean your dog’s ear or wipe eyes. There are specific ear cleaners and dog eye wipes for that purpose.
It is recommended that you wipe your dog’s bottom on a daily basis while cleaning it once a week is necessary for most dogs. While wiping your dog’s bottom is essential for hygiene, its best not to use baby wipes for dogs since they may cause rashes and irritation.
Moreover, you may also need to use a brush to scrape away crusty matter if you have a long-haired dog.
Baby wipes for a dog can be toxic as they contain chemicals like propylene glycol. In most cases, you’ll need to observe your dog for symptoms and wait until it passes the wipe in feces.
The dog may show signs of stress. However, if your dog shows symptoms like diarrhea, sluggishness, dehydration, or vomiting, consult a veterinarian immediately before the situation escalates
Baby wipes for dogs may be used sparingly but it’s not advised. Due to their sensitive skin and lower pH levels, dogs require pet wipes that are free of chemicals and fragrances. Dog wipes are convenient, but they can only supplement regular baths, not replace them. In conclusion, the right wipes for your dog will depend on what suits your dog and whats convenient for you.