Your white dog looked incredible when you first brought her home. That bright white coat, so brilliant it was almost blinding in the sunlight. You may have noticed a bit of discoloration around her eyes or mouth, but otherwise, that coat was beautiful.
Today, it’s looking a little less than stunning. Sure, your beloved pet is clean. She’s bathed regularly and seen by a groomer as often as she needs to. But the coat just isn’t that dazzling shade of white that it was the first time you saw her. How can you bring that dingy coat back to its previous brilliance?
Optical brighteners are specialty shampoos designed to be used on dogs with white colored coats. Optical brighteners actually change the way the eye perceives the color white by absorbing light in the UV spectrum. This changes the shade of white from dingy and yellow to bright and brilliant white.
Choosing the white shampoo depends on the cause of the dinginess in your pet’s coat. Many of these specialty shampoos serve specific purposes, and you’ll need to discuss with your pet grooming service which one is right for you.
You may be concerned about the safeness of optical brighteners. Like any product you use on or for your pet, you want to minimize the chemicals that you expose your pets to. In this case, you’ll want to opt for a shampoo with added enzymes, which give a more natural approach to optical brightening, rather than a product designed to dye or bleach the coat. With enzyme based shampoos, several applications may be needed before you achieve the desired results, but they’re more appropriate for pets who may have allergy issues. Be sure to discuss your questions and desired results with your grooming service, so that you can make sure the groomer is using the product that will give you the best results.
