An Inconsistent Cranberry

I like the idea of giving dogs a cranberry, blueberry, or yogurt facial. Do I think it is necessary to use a special shampoo on the face? Not really, if a shampoo is safe enough to rub on the sensitive skin of a dog's butthole  then I imagine it is safe enough for their face. After all, think of all the unsavory places your dog puts his cute little face! Still, we've got those soulful eyes to worry about and that delicate sense of smell, so sure! Facial! I just feel good giving a facial to a dog, the same reason I garnish Zabu and Spike's food with a dog biscuit at dinner time.

At our shop we use Envirogroom's Cranberry facial.  It smells great, there are a lot of times where I wish I could wash the entire dog in the Cranberry Facial wash.  The smell is great and lasts really well , but only on specific coats, and only if scrubbed in there really well! I've found that the cranberry fragrance sticks best to Golden Retrievers , while it doesn't leave even the smallest lasting smell on hair breeds such as poodles and shih tzus.

My problem with Envirogroom's Cranberry Facial is its inconsistency with quality.  For a year and a half it had been great! Then suddenly, in the course of 2 months I had 4 dogs break out into scabs on their faces from the facial!  In each dog it happened multiple times before the owners informed me, kind people that they are, they were giving me benefit of the doubt that something else was turning their pooches into zombie-faces.  So of course in the next groom on each dog I just used our house shampoo on their fuzzy faces and left the cranberry facial to think about what it did.  No problems those times.

So what happened? This product is supposed to be especially gentle because it is GOING ON A DOGS FACE.   Even on the dogs who did not get scabby heads and faces, the facial lost its punch. No one had a delicious cranberry smelling face anymore.    Sense that time, we have switched to a new jug of cranberry facial we had on hand, and everything is peachy keen... er... cranberry keen again . But, it's like the old saying goes " Give my dog smelly zombie face once, shame on you. Give my dog smelly zombie face twice, shame on me. " .  Part of the fun of grooming is not gambling on whether or not your products are going to work this time around, so I will not be buying Envirogroom's cranberry facial any longer.

Envirogroom's Cranberry Facial goes for $35.99 a gallon ( +S&H) or $10.99 for 18oz . It is advertised as a gentle and mild head and face cleanser, and some of the ingredients are plant derived cleansers with aloe, vitamin E and cranberry extract. Envirogroom's Cranberry Facial does not dilute, and is a foaming style wash. 

The Bottom Line. 

When it works, it is FANTASTIC and totally worth the money! Are you a gambling man? 

oO Bubblecollie Oo