04/20/2009: Wanda from Klamath Falls, OR replies: "I tried ACV and Yogurt for my yellow lab on Friday night, 4/17 and it seemed to help immediately. However, after her third dose she vomited some of her food (not too much) so we stopped. She seemed to start up again with frequent urination and a little blood in her urine so I started it up again this a.m. with 1 TBLS of each. How long should we try this before going to the vet? I don't want her to suffer or make things worse. Thank you for your opinions and help with this."

07/29/2009: Dolce from Toronto, Canada replies: "ARE YOU ALL CRAZY? Never self-diagnos your pet? would you self diagnose your mother? no you'de rush her to emerg... take your pet to the Vet before you have to pack him or her in a box and bury her in your backyard. cummon' folks lets use our brains here please! Thanks."

08/05/2009: Auddymay from Muskegon, Mi replies: "I will be giving my 13 year old Lab ACV. No guilt at all in the self diagnosis. I went to her vet practice, who has been seeing her her whole life. I explained that my geriatric girl was suddenly urinating all over, and that I suspected a UTI. I even had a sample, which was too old, but they would not have taken it, anyway...without seeing the dog as well. I had just got done explaining that I am not working, and having trouble financially. Could they please just confirm the diagnosis? Ummm...nope. So much for caring what happens to a CLIENT (patient implies caring) of 13 years. I even asked if there was a clinic I could take her...all I got was, sorry, bubbye."

[WARNING!]  12/07/2009: Jennifer from Queens, Ny, USA replies: "STOP BEING CRAZY PEOPLE!!! I have been in the veterinary field for 10 years now as a licensed nurse and I am HORRIFIED that people would SELF DIAGNOSE beings other than THEMSELVES! You CANNOT 'self diagnose' your pet. PERIOD. Veterinarians and vet nurses go to MEDICAL school for training and LICENSING on how to diagnose,treat and cure illnesses. By going on a website like this is GREAT for YOURSELF and yourself ONLY. YOU know if something hurts in your own body, YOU know if something doesnt feel right and YOU can try self help treatments or remedies on yourself. But DO NOT attempt to self-diagnose your pet!!! I can tell you from years of experience that you could be causing damage to your pet. By trying a 'remedy' for something you THINK could be going on with your pet, you could be making the problem worse OR wasting valuble time by not getting to the CORE diagnosis. ie: say your pet is exibiting signs of a UTI, frequent urination that may or may not have blood in it, licking vulva/penis and straining to urinate ( now first, in a male cat, this is LIFE THREATENING and seek medical attention immediatley) If you were to just give ACV thinking this may resolve the problem, well yes, it MAY HELP symptoms but it is not a cure because we are missing the underlying CAUSE of the UTI, or uti symptoms such as BLADDER STONES. ACV will do nothing in this case.

Now as for the case above with the dog having UTI symptoms and the vet of 13 years just dissmissed them due to financial issues, FIND ANOTHER VET. It is a shame that vets and other buisnesses are turning people away but it definatley feels like a different case when they turn away a helpless animal. SHAME on them. There are however other places where Im sure if you explained the current situation you were in, they would work out a payment plan. Think of it this way: they need to make a living too, so they need your buisness. But SHAME on that vet, how rotten.

SO PLEASE BE SMART PEOPLE!!!TAKE GOOD CARE OF YOUR HELPLESS PETS THAT RELY ON YOU FOR HELP!!"

01/21/2010: Chase H from Austin, Tx replies: "Jennifer from Queens, you need to calm down. There is absolutely nothing wrong with attempting a natural alternative before taking your pet straight to the local Vet and pumping them full of antibiotics. I realize that with certain problems, the assistance of a vet is necessary (yearly shots, heart worm treatment, accidents, etc.) However, in this case we're talking about curing a possible bladder infection with Apple Cider Vinegar, which is commonly used in our own foods, cleansing recipes & for many other reasons. You're response makes it sound like the instructions say, "4 tablespoons of Draino, followed by 2 shots of Vodka". The amount of antibiotics that human doctors hand out on a daily basis in this country is absurd. Many of them have serious side effects that the patient is never warned of. For example, in my teens I was given antibiotics to take twice daily for very mild acne. In the end, the prescribed medication did nothing to cure my acne (changing my diet did, which was never suggested by the dermatologist) and the side effect? -permanently discolored teeth, that were perfectly white prior to taking the antibiotics. My point is, vets/doctors for humans and animals alike do NOT always have the best answer. They have the answer they are taught to give in med/vet school. Unfortunately, those answers are persuaded by $$$. I know that the majority of vets are crazy about animals and aren't consciously in it for the money, but the fact is that if you suggested (or even researched) natural remedies to common pet problems, you couldn't sell all those extra prescriptions/vet visits that pay for your salaries and offices. That being said, if my dog had blood in her urine or wasn't completely better after 1 week of using ACV, I would immediately take her to the vet, but I don't see anything wrong with at least trying a natural remedy first."

05/18/2010: Liz from Seattle, Wa replies: "Calm down. First, MANY vets will take advantage of the fact that they are wielding the power. And will try very hard to scare you into getting all kinds of tests for your pet, even tho the urine sample comes back positive for a UTI. No longer content to go for a simple (and inexpensive) fix, they guilt you into thinking that your pet needs ultrasounds and myriad monitoring on the Rare chance that the UTI is now in the kidneys or that it could be cancer. Seriously.

My dog routinely gets UTIs. Since I had them all the time as a child and young adult, I know the signs (after watching her suffer through many of them). So yes, I self-diagnose. She take ACV a lot. we also give her an herbal blend of uva-ursi and probiotics to keep her healthy. She has long hair and a sensitive digestive system, so if anything doesn't agree with her, she wears it on her hair.. so yes, we diagnose. We do not assume that medical professionals are descended from the gods. They don't always have our best interests at heart...just like human doctors."

03/29/2011: Michelle from Augusta, Me replies: "I don't think there's anything wrong about not rushing your dog to a vet everytime there's an issue. In my experience vets are just as bad as doctors if not worse, they are only in it for the money. I have yet to find a vet that truly cares for my animals and not my money."

04/13/2011: Pineygirlk5 from Bayville, Nj replies: "i agree with both sides of this.... Some vets are out there to suck the money from your wallet! But yet there are some that really do care and want to help your pet! I myself have had dogs my whole life and know the signs of a uti! And would try to treat home first and if it didnt start to clear up with in a few days I would take her to the vet! And michelle its a shame u dont live near me! I have a WONDERFUL vet!!! Everyone there is great they have about 5 vets that work there the asst and woman at the front desk are great! They try to work with you if you cant afford. And they never push you for test that arent needed! The name is barnegat animal clinic!!!! They are the best!!!!!!! And affordable!"

05/12/2011: George from Toronto, Canada replies: "Jennifer from Queens,

Although I agree that when there is blood in the urine a trip to the vet is probably warranted, I completely disagree that is wrong to try home remedies with your pets. Perhaps you should try a google search of "vaccinosis in dogs" to get an idea of how many people have been victimized by listening to the advice given to them by these "professionals". Or look into the controversies behind the pet food industry, which now funds veterinary schools and pretends to teach vets about appropriate diets. Reality is that many people don't trust their vet anymore, because they've listened to the advice in the past, and all that's happened is they've lost a lot of money, and had their pet get sicker or worse still, not survive."

07/10/2011: Jilbert57 from Brinnon, Wa, Usa replies: "I have suffered UTI's and know the symptoms, and when my 6 month old male jack russell started showing signs of the same, frequent urination, bloody sometimes, it was off to the Dr. After a few tests and different Dr.Observations, he was found out to be a urate stone former. (he is now 12 and went on to form 2 urate stones and then two xanthine stones from over medication).

Anyway, if I would have tried to create an acidic environment in my dogs bladder by changing the ph to keep things from growing it would have only exacerbated the problem, as I need to keep his urine alkaline. Anyway, maybe like I just did with my aussie/heeler having an ear problem: took her to the vet, he swabbed her ear and looked at it under a microscrope and diagnosed yeast, then I ordered a product off Amazon which took care of it. He wanted me to use drops but I just said no thanks, just wanted to make sure her ear drum was intact. So maybe go to the vet and get a diagnosis, then come home and do the homeopathy route? Just a suggestion."

07/29/2011: Patricia from Lyons, Ga replies: "I think the suggestions of home remedies on this site is really great and helpful. I have 10 pets that are all rescue animals; 3 golden retrievers, one mixed bull dog and 6 cats. The cats are all neutered (5 males) and one female spayed. Of the dogs 3 are male and one female who is spayed. I live off social security and have custody of a 12 year grandson who I do not get child support for. My income is low and it is a struggle to make my bills each month. All my pets are indoor pets; the dogs go outside to use bathroom and exercise and back indoors. The cats have 8 litter boxes strategically located in different parts of the house. The cats' diet consists mostly wet food with dry as a 24hr snack/filler. They have their own room with table etc. , so dogs cannot reach. Dogs diet is dry food with occasional canned. They do not get scraps. I cannot afford even routine heartworm/flea preventative. So... They are kept indoors. This a realistic approach not idealistically. My grandson and I also have 2 special needs pets. One cat with 3 legs (before being spayed; his leg shot off at shoulder by someone) and 1 golden retriever born without an ear and slightly slow; but extremely sweet and humble.

We manage....... But barely; between quality bought food for them and quality litter of 120 lbs 2x monthly and baking soda; we exist with the circumstances...... Todays Economy is horrible..... I hold my breath each and every day and watch for signs of my pets ill-health and pray that I can at least do minimal treatment. I keep over the counter meds on hand; I drive to a vets office 40 miles away to a country vet whose receptionist lets me buy meds over the counter without prescription. Thank God for a website that does give a little extra knowledge for treatment WHEN YOU CANNOT AFFORD an office visit much less treatment, If not, I guess having the money to put down a beloved pet would still be an expense that would cause not paying a bill..... There are soooo many unwanted and abandoned animals in this county it is heart breaking. If its a crime and uncompassionate to try to use home remedies for treatment versus rushing to vet and get turned away because I am poor; I guess I will just have to be put down. What can I say?"

08/10/2011: Fran from Vaud, Nc replies: "Patricia - My heart goes out to you and I just want to thank you for being so compassionate. I can tell by your post that you're a wonderful "pet mom" (and grandma too). I'll remember you and your family in my prayers."

10/16/2011: Jeff's Pets from Niles, Mi replies: "Come on Dolce. I would'nt let my Mom drink out of a mud puddle or toilet or, tie her to a tree either. My dog is a big part of the family and I treat her better than most people I know but she is still a pet, not a human!! "

11/14/2011: Christine from San Jose, Ca replies: "Dolce from Toronto and Jennifer from Queens: You two need to settle down and get a clue into reality. There are many reasons why vets are avoided when possible (ergo, the popularity of this site!). My Cavalier was prescribed Clavamox for her very frequent UTI's in between sporadic blood tests. This was not only extraordinarily costly, but the trips to the vet and many blood tests put my baby through A LOT of stress, not to mention that Clavamox can cause yeast infections and other issues. Tired of this charade, I began giving her (Lillie is her name) daily protein in the form of raw hamburger (~ 1 TBSP/day); she is ~20 pounds). Lillie is now a happy camper, loves her hamburger, and hasn't had a UTI since. I may also begin to give her ~ 1TBSP per day of All Natural Yogurt with Probiotic Cultures. The brand I buy is "Karoun" from Sav Mart or Lucky's Supermarket."

11/24/2011: Jim from Bellingham, Wa , Usa replies: "For UTI's give your dog Cinnamon mixed into some yogurt - we do a level teaspoon for our 45# female. As a preventative they have been getting this weekly and no issues and no more UTI's. And yes, it does work with people - adjust accordingly."

01/21/2012: Barbara from Fort Drum, New York replies: "The very first thing my Vet asks when one of our dogs has a problem, is what are they symptoms & what have you tried to use at home? I had a vet years ago to try to tell me 1st my older dog needed a $600 xray, then since I couldn't afford it, to put the dog down. I went for a second opinion, and Spike needed $13 allergy pills and a change of diet. That's been 4 years ago, and he is fine... Old.. But fine. So even with all of the education in the world, sometimes you can't beat common sense- according to the new vet!"

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