I came across your blog looking up ways to get rid of fleas naturally, I see a lot of talk on AVC, including giving it to cats/dogs in their water. I am a hobby bird breeder and use AVC with my parrots, SO I wanted to chime in, I do not know if it'll do the same to cats/dogs but I'd assume it would. AVC is a product that contains Acid, There are 2 types of bacteria in the gut (of birds at least) Good Bacteria they should have and bad Bacteria they shouldn't have, when giving AVC in the birds drinking water the AVC actually destroys BOTH the good and the bad Bacteria so we have to also give them Probiotics to get the good gut bacteria back. Also we never give this to birds long term, I give them just a little "Shot" depending on the water bowl size. With my birds I use 5, 10 and 20 oz bowls, so a 5 oz bowl would have 1 drop, 10 oz 2 drops, 20 oz 2 drops of AVC I give it twice a week for about a month, Then stop for 1-2 months, Then repeat as necessary, I actually had a bird with a Tumor and the AVC treatment made the tumor disapear and never come back :) But I think people may want to speak to their vets about giving AVC in the drinking water, Because it is important not to ruin the good gut bacteria the animals need, and it shouldn't be given long term and not a lot. My dog is a 26 pound beagle I'd give her no more than 1 Tablspoon mixed in with her water - and I'm just estimating that compared to what I give my birds, none of my birds weigh more than 1 to 2 pounds though. But it should always be done anyway, talk to the vet before trying anything!
For my 2 large dogs (over 50 & 100lb) the regular over the counter ACV worked for us. I had a bad flea infestation in the house and on both dogs. I was about ready to break down and fork over the boko bucks for frontline flea treatment--or get rid of the dogs. Fogging the house and generic flea treatments/baths was not working or I wasn't doing it enough. I found ACV for myself (the generic grocery store brand works for me as well) and was excited to read it could help with my flea problem as well. I gradually worked them up to a tablespoon a day the first week. I also sprayed them with a diluted mix of something like 1/4 cup in a large spray bottle full of water. I even think that is a bit much. I did bomb the house maybe 2 weeks before I started ACV for the dogs. It took about another 2 weeks for the fleas to clear up in the house, so a total of a month since the bombing. I have not been able to find a single flea on the dogs. I am excited to be flea free and for next to nothing. The last few days I maybe give the dogs the ACV every other day and spray about every other day. They are scratching at themselves less and seem overall to be much happier though they don't care much for the spray and love to roll around after to try and get it off--oh well....no fleas.
Thanks to all of you for the Apple Cider Vinegar treatment ideas. My 9 year old Lab has been in such pain and now he is so much better. Thank yall for taking the time to share.