Apple Cider Vinegar for Yeast Infections in Dogs

My Black Lab mix is constantly getting a yeast infection in both ears. Go to the vet, get medication, clears up, comes back again. I heard about using ACV and yogurt but don't want to cause more damage to his ears. What is the recommended way to treat his ears with the ACV? Is there any particular brand of ACV to use?

Thanks, Joe

I've just begun giving my boxer 2 TBS of organic ACV, yougurt and acidophilus to combat a yeast infection. I also wipe down the black, itchy areas on her underbelly and ears.

I've tried many dry foods, prescription and otherwise. She is currently on Fromms senior formula.

I've read on your site that "Yeast-proliferating foods-such as sugar, (including honey), and vinegar exacerbate intestinal candidiasis"

So does the ACV help or worsen a yeast infection? I've read many cases of ACV helping with yeast..... I'm confused

Some brands exacerbate a yeast infection because they contain yeast. The manufacturers added yeast to ferment the vinegar. But some brands ferment their vinegar without adding yeast. These cause no problems. The brand I use is yeast-free--I called the manufacturer today and asked. It won't cause problems. I get it from a health food store, and the label says it's organic, raw, unpasturized, and with the 'mother'.

It really works! I was as desperate as you and this was like a miracle cure.

You should really give it a try for at least week. I didn't think it was working either initially, of course of meds it looks like the vinegar is just making it worse, but it really does work. Absolutely amazing. This site saved my dog.

I also have a German Shepard with yeast problems...A K-9 Officer told me to put 2 Tablespoons of plain yogurt into his food everytime he eats. Mine is also about 100 lbs. I used it on him and he got better, we ran out without me being told and he got a horrible ear infection to the other ear.....use the 1/2 (warm) water 1/2 apple cider vinegar solution a couple times a week along with the yogurt. don't let the vet give him antibiotics cause it will kill the good bacteria in his body. good luck....

there is an enzyme solution you can buy for ear infections that is amazing. I have a rescue basset hound with big hot ears who had terrible smelly ear infections fromt he day we got her. we did several rounds of antibiotics from the vet with the infection coming back as soon as the drops ran out. And she would cry when you put the drops in ther ears, must burn or something. I found it cheapest on Amazon. The one I used has lysozyme, lactoferrin, and lactoperoxidase in it with hydrocortizone. she didn't mind the drops and after a week of using it her ears cleared up perfectly. Not even a hint of infection for over a year now. They also make a topical cream that may do something for the skin infections. They each run between $10-15 per bottle-cheaper than a vet visit and definately worth a try.

my vet recommended a mixture of 1/3 vinegar, 1/3 water and 1/3 rubbing alcohol. I cleaned my dogs ears everyday with this solution using Q tips. she has been much better and only gets it in one ear occasionally. I have a 7 yr old english springer spaniel. I am having trouble with her scratching. going to try switching her food and ACV spray.

PLEASE...DO NOT USE HYDROGEN PEROXIDE. it kills not only bacteria but tissue. it can damage the dogs hearing. there are some good ear wash and drops on the market.

I've been reading about apple cider vinegar here for my dog who has very bad arthritis, all kinds of allergies and prone to yeast infection. She has been on weekly allergy shots (allergen, NOT steroid) and various medications for her allergy and yeast infection. For arthritis, I've been giving her glucosamine/chondroitin/MSM, vitamin C and fish oil, and very rarely adequan shot when she can't walk. She has only one front leg and that leg has arthritis, and it gets pounded a lot.

I started giving her ACV, 1 tablespoon mixed with her food (raw diet) once a day. But now I'm a little confused. Is ACV good or bad for yeast infection? I was going to make a 50% ACV and 50% water solution and spray on her to give her relief from the itch, but many people are saying ACV feeds yeast and some people are saying it cures yeast infection? Can anybody clarify this? Also, if it is bad for yeast infection, should I also stop giving her ACV orally?

I appreciate your help in advance. Thanks.
Yoon

thank you all for this site. the acv is healling my black lab. i clean them just once a day now and he no longer licks the area. now anyway to get rid of the smell. he still gets baths evey 2 weeks but it seems not to leave. ty wendy

I have a German Shepard with a ear/yeast infection problem. I keep seeing ACV listed as a part of the cure. What is ACV? He's currently on cephalexion because of what the doctor calls a secondary infection. I'm assuming after reading this that is a yeast infection on his skin, black under his legs. So what exactly is the ratio of vinegar and water? I've seen 50/50 listed on this site. Do I spray him all over and wipe his ears with it? He's 100 lbs. How much _____ [Yogurt] would a dog this size need daily? Thanks for your time. Hope you have some answers for me

Saundra, my yellow Lab mix had terrible skin for most of her 12 years, up until 6 or so months ago. I switched her to a grain-free food and before she finished the first bag, her skin was much better. I buy chicken and cook it to add to my dogs' supper, tossing in an egg on occasion or mixing in some yogurt or beef along with some chicken broth. The grain-free dry food is costly, but maybe if you can substitute a portion of what your dogs are eating now it would help. Perhaps there's a source of the dry food that's less expensive; I pay close to $25 for a 13 lb. bag. Good luck and thank you for taking care of those in need.

I adopted 2 dogs over a year ago. One ot the dogs has a yeast infection and I have spent many dollars at the vet on him. On your web site ya'll keep mentioning ACV. Could you tell me what ACV is. I have learned a lot from you site and I am going to try some of the remedies you have said might work or would work. This precious baby is in total missery all the time.Please let me know what to do. I also have 4 other dogs all rescued or given to me so I can not afford a real expensive dog food but if you can give me the best to use let me know. I have been feeding them Beniful and pedigree.

after our poor dog Hamish has suffered for 5yrs on cortisone tablets and gaining huge amounts of weight, (even though we were feeding him the correct amounts for his size) we decided to stop the tablets, he has just gone from bad to worse now I have found this site Im gong to try everything to help my pet, we just cant afford the vets bills and need to find something we can use for the rest of his life other than anti-biotics, it makes me feel like crying every time I see him scratch his ears raw and bleeding once again weve bathed him in every wash the vet has suggested, including Malase, with no results whatsoever, so wish me luck thanks everyone for putting your remedies here for anything is worth trying once

I have an 8 month old yorkie male..he has now had 2 ear infections, confirmed by microscope that they were yeast/bacteria mix. The vet casually mentioned he may be allergic to his protein source (chicken), but said we'd investigate if he had more infections. I changed him off his chicken based merrick food, and switched to Orijen (fish based, no grains, no corn). I've also taken chicken & beef out of his diet, removed all treats and am hoping this and ear care will work.

My question.....he is 8 lbs, how much apple cider can I give him, any ideas on how to hide it? He does eat probiotic yogurt daily, but again how much should he have.....by the way the vet stated these treatments had no proven basis, at that point I lost faith in her, as I know yogurt has had backing from the human medical field and vinegar has multiple medical uses.

Apple cider Vinegar is great to use on your dog for yeast. I mix some with water in a spray bottle and spray and brush her. She doesn't mind smelling like a salad. When I first got her, she use to chew on her paws till they were raw. I thought it was a nervous habit, but a vet recommended giving her a bath in Selsun Blue shampoo. But.. you have to get them to stay in it for like 5 min. It worked.. she has never chewed her paws again. Thank you everyone for this wonderful web site.

I have a 13 yr old golden retriever/lab mix who developed a yeast infection while with my ex-husband. He got tired of the vet bills and dumped him at my parent's home. I have incurred $$$$ in vet bills battling this. He has another infection to include his ear this time. I am trying him on the tablet form of Acidoph. I am concerned about his ear, however. I have been cleaning it regularly but the vet will not prescribe anything for it unless I bring him in again. What can I do to make him more comfortable and clear up his ear?

Cherrie - my part-Yellow Lab has had skin/ear probs since she was a pup; it's been a constant struggle, mostly for her. I've spent my child's inheritance on vet bills! Vet just kept prescribing the industry shampoo, steroids, etc. Allergy test proved she's allergic to dust mites, storage mites, mold, straw..you get the idea: nothing I can really DO anything about. She eats Nutro, which is supposed to be all natural..she hasn't had canned food since the tainted pet food episode.. I've given her colloidal silver appropriately diluted (with a syringe)and that seemed to help a little..the black skin, according to my vet, is "saliva stain". Mine has it, too and I don't think it's anything to worry about, even tho' it's a bit unsightly.

Try changing your food. Most allergies are caused by their food, which usually contains beef, corn or wheat. My dog also suffers from allergies and I just changed the food to _____. I also add a tablespoon of ACV to his water daily.

Our 3 year old yellow lab has been dealing with allergies for a year now. With antibiodics and steroids with decided we needed to have some other solution. I read this site and have tryed the vinegar and water and washed her tummy because it is black. It seemed to make her drier but the colour is still black and she is scratching everywhere like crazy. Not sure whether to give her the yogurt and ACV mixture or not. Any suggestions? The vet said she has a yeast infection.

I have a Pitbull 18 mos and he has been very itchy since i got him. He always was licking his feet, and always getting yeast infections in his ear. Someone at the dog park suggested the vinegar thing and I came home and tried it that day and he has not licked his feet in probably a week now! I couldn't be happier with the results :)

Hi Emily, I hate to advertise for brands but, You may want to try using "Halo" brand Herbal Ear Wash. This stuff has worked wonders for my Dog and Cat for all ear issues (including bad infections that usually needed antibiotics). It is sure worth a try. Good Luck!

When a child has an ear infection you try one of three things I know that all work. Mullin or garlic oil. (If you have mullin around it's easy to use but most people don't. Garlic on the other hand, I always have. Just use the prediced in a jar type, and add some oil. then drain it off after stiring and presto!) Other than those, I always use the regular 3% hydrogen peroxide, and let it bubble in there, holding the dog on it's side for as long as 10 minutes, or until it stopps bubbling.( It needs to be full so you can see it preferably) Then repeat on the opposite side. It always works for my kids.

For yeast infection in the ears if the vinegar did not work you might try over the counter yeast cream that women use for yeast infections. I used this for my yorkie and it worked. Just rub the cream in the applicator inside the ears for seven days.

I agree, DO NOT put your dog to sleep because of this!

Your dog may be allergic to the stuff going on with your RENOVATION. The particles and dust may make his allergy worse.

Try giving your dog Activia-maybe 2 big spoonfulls of the PLAIN-NOT SWEETEND Activia in his food or in his bowl, whatever once or twice a day-depending on his size, as I do not know what size he is.

Make a mixture for his food of:
5 ounces of Olive Oil
1 ounce Flaxseed oil
1 ounce of Cod Liver oil
1 ounce of Wheat Germ Oil-I found it at tractor Supply
Mix it all together and put in a glass bottle. You can also put in a sprig of Rosemary and a teaspoon of garlic powder (My dogs do not like those two ingredients, so I quit adding them)-I used an old Olive Oil bottle and used a thing to get it in the bottle (can't think of what it's called but they use it for oil changes to put oil in....)
For every meal, drizzle some on his food. You will help increase his Omega 3 oils and help to get him the nutrients he needs.

Also you may want to give him a half a childrens multivitamin to help him like every other day or so.
Also I have seen this stuff called Yeast and Fungal Detox by Natures Sunshine Recommended. Supposedly it works well.

I would think with the ACV, the Activia, the oil supplement, the multivitamin, and the Yeast and Fungal Detox, you should be good to go.

Also you need to find a Holistic Vet.

HTH!

No, please don't put your dog to sleep because of this issue! I am certain you can solve it. Sounds like you might need a better vet if they haven't helped you with this issue after all this time.

What brand of dog food are you feeding your dog? This may be part of your problem. You may want to switch to a brand without preservatives. Check Petco if you have one in your area as they carry a number of better quality holistic brands.

I rescued a mutt last year who had been dumped on a trail and he too had a very bad ear infection, besides being underweight and crazy with anxiety. When I found him he smelled absolutely terrible, even after I bathed him. I figured out whoever had him before me feed him nasty cheap dog food. Within a week of feeding him the good stuff with ground beef and turkey added to it (I use blackwood but it's hard to find), his smell went away. I still had to treat his ear infection at the vet with topical antibiotics to solve the issue. Make sure your vet tests the dog for various bacterial strains from an ear culture. My dog had 2 different types of bacteria in one of his ears (nasty black crud that smelled terrible) and had to have custom prepared drops to treat the strains.

For his anxiety, make sure you give him enough exercise every day. If he's tired out enough, he won't get anxious.

Quincy is a 7 year old lab/rotty/husky mix. My vet has told us that he has a yeast infection in his ears. I've read and tried the ACV stuff, but it only appears to be getting worse. I've also noticed that he has delveloped raw bumps on his front paws, I tried aloe vera on those, and it seems to be helping. He's also been really down and sad lately, due to some extreme renovations going on at my house, he's completely out of his norm. But his ears aren't getting any better. If anything, they're getting worse. I've noticed that by spraying a 50/50 mix of ACV and water on his skin, he hasn't been scratching near as much, but I need help with his ears. I've had him at the vet many times, and he's been on many different meds, and none of them helped. He's allergic to the only med that seemed to have helped at all. Please, help. I don't think I could bear to put him to sleep.

I am so happy to see this site. It gives me hope that my poor English Setter, Lady has some chance to finally get well. She has been miserable for so long that I have been considering putting her down. I hate to lose her but she is so miserable with itching and she is constantly raw and bleeding all over. This has been going on for almost 6 years with her getting worse and worse. I don't know if this will work but at least there is some hope. How much should I feed and do you also use it topically? I love my pet so much that it hurts to see her suffer.

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).

After reading about ACV on this website, I tried it on my pug Lotus, who was treated for 2 years by my vet before I read this. Her feet were the worst, so I let them soak in half and half ACV solution and dandruff shampoo while i wash the rest of her. In one bath I noticed her coat was much shiner, and after a few baths her hair started growing back in some bald spots and her feet were much much better.

Warning: yeast is stubborn and does come back (the minute you stop looking for it) and it seems hot humid weather makes it worse. It remains a problem in her ears, but I emailed my vet and told him the ACV worked better than any of the shampoos and creams he had been prescribing.

I brought my dog, Syberian Husky, for his second vaccination earlier this week and made a full check up. He's only about 2 1/2 months old. He was shacking his head and scratching his ears this few days so i ask the vet to check if there's any infection in the ears. The answer from the vet was, suspected to have yeast infection. Reddish color around his neck area but according to the vet, it's still hard to say if it's 100% yeast infection. He gave him injection and also anitbiotic for this problem. The vet told me that if he confirm to get this infection, it will be for his whole life. I was shocked to hear the result so i search the web to find for help and solution and found YOU. So i read about the vinegar solution and i tried it on for the first time today. Hopefully with the knowledge i read from this site, i would be able to cure my pet, Thunder. Can you tell me if this actually works? Thank you.

I have a 70# dog with yeast issues on her feet and arm pits. How much ACV do you add to the food and can this help or hinder UTI. I was adding this to her water, but she didn't like the smell and wasn't drinking much water. Is there any other help for oozing, inflamed & itchy paws?

Our 13-month old female Black Lab-Rotty mix dog Maya has been suffering from recurrent eye and ear infections for the last 7 months. When we first took her to the vet 7 months ago, the diagnosis was ear mites. We treated her with Revolution - twice. The infection seemed to get better at first, but then returned quickly. I then treated her ears with Yellow Dock for a few months, it seemed to keep the infection under control, but had not cleared it. Last month, Maya got a very severe ear infection and we took her to emergency - the test showed NO MITES - YEAST infection! It meant that I have been treating her all this time for the wrong cause - thanks to the vet who did not perform any tests the first time around and simply "guessed" that Maya had ear mites.

To cut the long story short, the emergency vet gave us some antibiotic cream, which helped at bit at first, but then we saw no improvement, especially around the eyes, so I found this website and decided to treat Maya with an organic ACV (half and half with water). I sponged her back (she had a few lesions there as well) and her ears twice a day, I let her shake and then wiped her ears dry. I sponged her eyes gently as well. Her eyes were circled by an elephant-like skin with no hair, and it seemed that like would never go away! Within 2 days we noticed a great improvement. I continued the treatment for a few days twice a day, and her conditioned improved 99%. I've read that it takes 3-6 weeks for it to clear up completely and that it is suffice to do it three times a week.

I measured her pH balance and noticed that it was too alkaline (around 8). This helps yeast to grow, so we started adding a bit of vinegar to her food to stabilie her ph balance. We've also implemented other dietary restrictions that are typical with yest

Overall, we've definitely found success with ACV, and I hope that other dog owners would be able to learn from us to help their furry kids.