How To Use Apple Cider Vinegar for Allergies in Dogs and Cats

Apple Cider Vineger and dog allerigies: I have a 6 year old beagle mix that has been dealing with allergies for as long as I've had him. I have taken him to the vet several times, spent tons of money on shampoos, sprays, creams, special food and NOTHING has helped. I came across this website and it suggested using Apple Cider Vinegar for hot spots and allergies. I thought, "why not?" and tried it on Baxter. I used an old water bottle (12 oz) and filled it half with water and half with ACV. I took a few paper towels, soaked it and started wiping Baxter down. Within minutes, he stopped itching and he has been able to rest and not scratch all the time. Thank you SO much for this amazing advice! Baxter is no longer miserable and when he's happy, I'm happy, and so is my wallet!

Hello! My 2 1/2 year old female cat has been over licking and chewing her skin. This has been going on for some time and she has now finally licked all of the hair off on one side of her body. A couple of weeks ago I noticed that she also had white, crusty "cradle cap" dandruff on her backside right above her tail. This morning the dandruff looking stuff had been licked or chewed off and now it is all irritated and red with pus and no hair. It is almost bleeding! Since money is tight, I decided to try some home remedies first before taking her to the vet. This site has been very helpfull!!! I had no idea what to do until I found it. So far I have put a little Apple Cider Vinegar in her water, wiped her side down with it and bought some grain free cat food. I also stupidly put some ACV on her fresh wounds on her backside... she yowled at me and ran away to hide. I felt bad cause it must have hurt, so I gently put some oil on the wounds, (just regular old cooking oil). I also fed her a small amount of tuna with the oil in it. Does anyone have any other suggestions??? How long will the new food and ACV take before I see any difference?? Thanks!

My dog has multiple allergies, and developed a horrible inflamed bald spot late last summer. I believe it was from either an insect bite or contact with a plant, as after much research it didn't seem to fit the descriptions of mange. I gently scrubbed the area with plain warm water (to remove the scales), then applied undiluted tea tree oil twice a day. Within a few days the redness and scaling were gone and the skin was smooth and healthy, and within about 10 days the hair started growing back. He seemed to love the gentle scrubbing :)

Best of luck

Hi, I've been giving my 2 yr. old shih tzu the _____'s Organic ACV for almost 2 weeks now for his constant itching and licking of his paw. Unfortunately I haven't seen any major improvement. I don't think his itch is any less than when we first started giving him the acv. I've read testimonials on this site swearing by the product's wonder medicine for their pet's allergy. My question is how long will it take before the acv actually works for him. I've been spraying it on his skinlike the article suggested-where he always scratches but to it doesn't seem to hhelp. I'm hopeful it will eventually heal his allergy however I need to know how much longer will it take. I put it in his food too.

Hope to hear from you soon regarding this matter.

From a desperate puppy mom,
Marya O'Brien

After reading the articles about dogs scratching and chewing their feet, I read over and over about using apple cider vinegar as a spray. I was at the point i had to try something, I tried a 50 50 acv and water and also within the first hour i saw results, i use it now at least one time a day and sometimes two, my dobhie/lab mix has been chewing and scratching for 3 years and this is the best i have seen her, i have made numerous visits to the vet, shots and have been giving all sorts of pills i do believe this has given her more relief than anything. i started also about 3 weeks ago giving her a fish oil capsule 2 times a day. pleae if anyone has a problem try the ACV/water solution for your dogs sake. thanks for all the folks who recomended this. from the bluegrass state

FLEAS/TICKS and ACV: Full Strength ACV on dog that was scratching constantly. His hair under his tail and on his abdomen had a red tint to it (he is white) and I am not sure it wasn't some kind of mange problem too since it had a terrible odor which wasn't helped by bathing. After spraying him down with full strength ACV the odor dissipated and his scratching has stopped. I sprayed him for 3 consecutive days at first but skip a day or two now. Thank you for saving me a vet bill...

Apple cider vinegar should not be used if a yeast allergy is present! This is obvious in retrospect because yeast is used to ferment the apple cider.

I introduced this to my dog by adding 1/2 mL of organic apple cider vinegar to his food on the first day and 1 mL on the second day, and rather than relieving his mild allergy symptoms it induced a full allergy attack (head to toe hot, pink, itchy skin, severely itchy paws, ears, and muzzle).

How do I know if my cat is allergic to ACV? right now my poor cat who is 19 has red ears and face and is itchy all over. I introduced raw food but poor guy is still suffering. I was so excited about ACV that I went to buy it today but I keep seeing your message about allergic to yeast???? So how do I know this?

What apple cider vinegar is best to use for yeast infection. We only seem to have two types here in S. Africa. What must I look for on the label?

My little Venus has been going nuts with itching and biting..had 2 spots size of toonies on her rump..one with a scab, one with hair off and bald. She is on a regime from vet for fleas etc. In desperation, one hot day I sprayed apple cider vinegar and water {half and half}all over her skin and especially on those 2 spots. She stopped scratching for about an hour and a half. So we now put 5 ml/ 1 tsp. mixed with a tsp/ water in a 5 ml. syringe and shoot it into her mouth once a day. She wouldn't eat if we put it in food or drinking water. VOILA!!! NO MORE ITCHING AND BITING

Our chihuahua has really bad eye allergies. Do you think that the ACV would help her stop her constant eye rubbing? Please reply ASAP, if possible---Thank you.

To Gloria from San Antonio - I know the chances are slim that you will see this, but I put ACV on my chihuahua's neck twice a day and it has greatly helped her eye allergies!! It's not a total cure all, but it has provided her so much relief. I'm a believer!

Our cat was suffering from raw patches of skin and loss of fur, and one spot that likely started from scratches from the other two cats that she had licked raw to the point that it was a scarlet red wound, slightly crusted with a lot of hair loss. We used a few drops in the water, and sponged the affected areas with ACV. In less than two days, we are happy to say her skin is healing, her coat is healthier-looking and the bad scratch has begun to heal, no more brigh red. miraculous! I tried to find any journal articles from peer-reviewed veterinary medicine journals but could not! We were even advised by a pharmacist that using ACV was a silly idea. This has convinced me that we really have a problem in the way traditional science evaluates these remedies. So many anecdotes of success, but researchers ignore it! thanks!!

ACV CURED MY DOGS OF SCRATCHING THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU for a wonderful site. I'm a Yorkie mom, who dreamed of having a Yorkie with a show coat. My two babies scratch so much that they have severly damaged their coats, and I'd all but given up on ever having long-haired Yorkies. That's till I doscovered this site. Last night, I bathed both my babies and used ACV in the final rinse water, and within 15 minutes I noticed a marked reduction in the scratching. Within the hour, the scratching had diminised by about 80%. Tonight I bathed they again, using ACV in the final rinse water, and the scratching has completely stopped. I was not sure what quantity to use, so I used 2 tot measures in about 2 litres of water. What a miracle find. By the way, the scratching was NOT as a result of fleas, as I spend a small fortune at the vet each month to keep the fleas under control, but if ACV helps with that too, then I'll be saving so much money. I've also read on your site that ACV promotes hair growth, so who knows, I may have a show-coat Yorkie after all. Furthermore, their coats are shining like mirrors!!! This truly is an amazing find, and I'm so grateful for your site and the information contained therrein. Thanks again for a wonderful site, and keep up the good work.

Every winter (once we turn on the furnace) my cat suffers from constant scratching. It has gotten to the point that he scratches all his hair off his neck and he has scabs all over the area. He does not have fleas. I have tried every pet spray, wipes, drops there is. I did not want to take him to the vets, only because to him, it is tramatic and I can't stand to see this cat act like he does at the vets, and I did not want him to be on any steroid treatment. So looking on the web one night hoping to find a "miracle" for this cats condition, I stumbled across something about apple cider vinegar. I decided I would try it, what could it hurt? I decided to put a few drops in his water and mark his water bowl to see if he drank any. I was never so excited when I came home from work and found out that not only did he drink some of his water, but the scratching and CONSTANT licking has stopped!!! I came home to a very playful, happy cat. I am thankful I read about apple cider vinegar. Don't be afraid to try it.....it really works and its very safe to use on animals!!!!

After reading about Apple Cider Vinegar as a remedy on your site, I started given it to my Boxer, Peaches, who has had recurring allergies and skin rashes...I noticed a marked improvement in less than a week... I also give it to the Lab, Sadie, just because, and her coat has improved tremendously and she doesn't shed nearly as bad.. I have recommended ACV to many people and 99% have been helped... Thanks so much for posting this info.

I used acv after reading about it on the website and my doggie who was suffering from terrible skin problems, started looking so good, her hair was growing , there was no more scratching. She is looking great. All the medications never brought her to full recovery but acv is just great and has done so much good for my doggie.Thank you so much.

Try a raw food diet ex. BARF, your dog's allergies will subside and overall health will improve. I have a black lab who has Allergies, the meds the vet gave didn't work. Someone suggested a Raw food diet, my dog has never been healthier... No more scratching or sores, small stool and a shiny coat. Just read up on it before you decide to do it.

Or go grain free... not as good as raw but a better alternative than reg dog food.

My kitty has been scratching her ears and is losing hair there from all the scratching. She does not have fleas or mites, could it be her food? I have changed her food and is still doing it. Any recommendations for a good food for her, I think she is allergic to the Blue Spa and it is holistic food. I'm new here, a friend just sent me this link, glad to be here and hi to everyone. Thanks, Susan

Raw food has cured my cat who had chronic urinary tract blockages due to urine crystals. He's done so well that I put my other cat on it. Their coats are beautiful - no itching for them. I wish I could afford to put my itchy German Shepherd on it to help with his chronic allergies, but will try the apple cider vinegar. I'm very excited to discover this website!

I tried Margaret's remedy of ACV and water on my cocker spaniel's feet and it is working. Thank you.

My Female Kerry Blue has been constantly licking and biting her feet particularly in between her paws for over a year now. Her pads were red raw and sometimes she found it difficult to walk she had so much pain, I had been to the Vets 4 or 5 times with her, injections, antibotics, creams, shampoos, allergy tests etc, and she still continued to eat them. I discovered this website for Apple Cider Vinegar and went out straight away to get some , I put some into a spray bottle and sprayed her feet every morning and evening and like a miracle she has stopped completely, ( within 2 days!!). Her little paws are completely dry now and she is so happy - a completely different dog. I cannot recommend this product enough - it has done wonders for my dog.