Breed, diet, skin pH?

[skunkstripe]

Out of curiosity I started looking around to see what I could find on skin allergies and pH and was surprised to learn that different breeds have different pH. Actually it goes farther than that, also different thickness etc.
http://jn.nutrition.org/cgi/reprint/132/6/1695S.pdf
For example Labrador Retrievers have thicker skin than other breeds but also more hydrated.

I read on another forum that the more basic (high pH) a dog's skin, the more likely they will have skin allergies. Actually that is not quite it, the explanation given by Royal canin (http://www.royalcanin.us/dogfood/germanshepherd.html)makes more sense (at least to me).
Research has shown that an alkaline skin is more prone to bacteria development than an acid one. They claim that the German Shepherd has a skin pH of 8.6, which is really far off from the neutral value of 7.

Human adult skin has a pH of 4-5.5 (optimum is 5.5) (from this article (http://www.health24.com/medical/Condition_centres/777-792-823-1841,15329.asp)) that of human babies is 7.

So supposedly this explains why you are not supposed to use human shampoos on dogs-their skin is too basic and the shampoo will dry out the skin.
Here is some info for cats, who I guess have a similar skin pH as dogs:
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070222181456AAB5hs0
The exception might be baby shampoo, which is formulated for a higher skin pH.

It is also why different breeds have different predispositions to skin problems.

I am curious as to other opinions and experience.

[KatzNK9]

Very interesting info! I've always walked past the Royal Canin aisle (as it is one of the diets I've fed to my cats over the years) & wondered what the reasoning behind those foods for GSDs & Labs, etc. were all about. I assumed, incorrectly, that they made diets for a specific size & general structure of different breeds mainly as a marketing ploy as I never took the time to take a closer look. I really assumed it was a tweak in the type or amount of protein for growing bones that they'd use to justify it. I never considered skin pH a possibility.

I've gone through life assuming that dogs & cats all had pH levels that were consistent. I've always recommended that dogs & cats be bathed with products specifically designed for them; however, for show grooming of cats, I've often used a mixture of human & cat shampoos & conditioners depending on the coat texture, condition & desired results based on trial & error of my self & my breeder friends.

Interesting indeed. I've been awake for about 1-1/2 hours & already I've learned a couple of new things. This day has promise to be a very good day!

Great share! Thank you!