Apple Cider Vinegar for Dogs

May 2009 I placed a thread concerning ACV. (Apple cider Vinegar, regarding my dog's ears. Without warning my dog's ears would start to get red and inflamed. After the first signs a day or two later they would be very bad. Red, sore, and in some cases bleeding. I then apply a solution of ACV (equal amount 50/50, Apple Cider Vinegar and water), twice a day, and this within 3 to 4 days would solve the problem. Before I tried a number of vets without any resolution. They would at great cost give me ear drops and other creams etc. They never worked just money down the drain.

I now apply ACV once a week to my dog's ears using a large cotton wool ball. I just wipe the inside of the ear and squeeze the AVC solution down the ear, I never push the cotton wool ball down the ear, just simply allow the solution to run down the ear channel. I believe the problem with my dog is down to his reaction to pollen, like rolling in cut grass. If it was not for ACV, I would not know what to do. Shaun Cunningham
Portsmouth
UK

Day 1 of ACV & I like what I see. Please read the below.

My 8 yr old Springer Spaniel had a bladder infection about 6 months ago, it was soon after she'd come out of heat, it gave her the typical discomfort, whimpering, peeing indoors, multiple dry pees outdoors etc... I took her to the vet who did the standard test & diagnosis exam, antibiotics and out the door for $275, a few days later Kayla was on the mend.

Well here we are today, yesterday actually & Kaylas been out of heat for a week now when she suddenly developes the same symptoms, as it was Saturday all I could do was sympathise w/her & made sure to walk her often. Poor girl she was panting, whimpering, pacing & me knowing the vet was at least two days away. Late last night I came to this site & saw this Apple Cider Vinegar remedy forum and figured what the heck it couldn't hurt....... I got some fresh ACV at the general store this morning and gave her 1.5 Tbsp. mixed w/her kibble. One hour later she's sleeping comfortably for a change, no whining, no visible discomfort, in fact she's obviously feeling just fine 'n dandy all afternoon. I give her another 1.5 Tbsp with tonights supper feeding, still she's feeling well & really appearing to be back to her old self. I'm retired & I'm with my dogs 24/7 mostly so I'll be careful to watch Kayla & to try to be impartial in my continued assessment of ACV treatments for UTI or bladder infections. I'll update this every day or so with a few quick comments, sorry this was so long winded but it seemed only proper to give Kaylas known history.

My dog has an ear infection, and medication is not helping. I've heard you can use Apple cider vinegar in a dilution for the ears and ive heard on a few online forums it has cured a lot of people's dogs with yeast in ear and also infected ears. How would I make a solution? Does one cup ACV To one cup of water sound right? and rinse the ear out just like you would with EPIoptic ear cleaner brought from vet? Any help would be great. thank you.

Hi,

Please do not feed your dog(s) vegan or vegetarian diet. They do not thrive on that diet and is not healthy for them. They need meat, fat, skin, edible bone and organs (especially liver). Small amounts of fruit and vegetables might be fine but they need pur?ed to break down the cells in order to be digested or it just comes right back out therefore they are not getting the nutrients from them.

Think of wolves in the wild. Primal diet is what they thrive on whether or not humans agree with it or not.

Dogs' needs and digestive tracts are different from humans.

They also need to be on the acidic side so they can digest their food and bone.

Dogs must have meat daily.

I've tried to explain to my family and friends about feeding dogs this way, the way they need. Most can't get past their own way of thinking then their dogs suffer.

Please research raw feeding and primal feeding. That's one way to show your love to your dog.

Crazy fact!

I had heard of and began to utilize the benefits of old school uses with hydrogen peroxide. However, we always use Frontline for our critters. Never had I considered something as simple as ACV for treatment.

Flees and insects thrive in our hot/humid climate as well as allergies. In SC you can treat your pets but they always pick up insects from the outdoors and Frontline is/has been the only effective solution. Unfortunately and to my understanding the insect must get on your pet in order to kill it, thus ending life cycles. Plus if the neighbor does not effectively treat, the problem still surrounds your pet.

After making a comment to a friend about how bad flees seemed this year she said "ACV. " ……Seriously?!

Within a week of occasional use by 50/50 spray on the pets I have seen no indication of flees or itchiness. Makes perfect sense to deter flees from the animal altogether. Right?Our critters may not like the smell or taste but it is a small price "literally" to pay. Once again, thank you Old School!

I have been giving my little Mia, a Jack Russell, 1/2 tsp of Apple Cider Vinegar twice a day in her water. It seems to keeps ticks and bugs away. I also keep a spray bottle with ACV mixed with water to spray on her when she starts to itch and it seems to reduce this symptom. She is also on probiotics from the Vet which I mix with a tsp of natural yogurt daily. (No sugar type) After her baths I rinse her with ACV as well. ACV also helps with dog breath, a benefit of putting it in drinking water.

Simply Amazing. Our Dauchshound had bad eye gunk to the point he could not open his eyes. We were constantly using a warm wet wash cloth to clean them 5 plus times a day. Yesterday he just looked so depressed and was so tired. Found some spots he must have been biting at so we were concerned. We were going to call the vet again to make an emergency appointment in the morning. 2 Different vets have just given him eye medication previously but it never seemed to work. I found this site yesterday looking for what has worked for others. I ran straight out to the convienence store, bought some ACV and came back to the house. I put a half mixture of ACV and water in a spray bottle. I bathed him, then after his bath I spayed the mixture on him. I dipped his Pupperoni Stick that he loves so much in a 1/3 miture ACV to water and tried to feed it to him as his treat after his bath. He refused to eat it. I then dipped my fingers in the sollution and opened his mouth and driped a few drops into his mouth. Also BTW I did not dry him off after the bath i let him air dry in the ACV mixture.

The Very next morning he has NO EYE GUNK! His coat looks great, he is not itching, or biting anywhere! He is running around as happy as can be! And NO vet! As someone said before, sometimes a vet can't get your issue taken care of as we had found. It is not that we dont care enough to take them to the vet, BECAUSE WE HAVE, its because the Vets solution does not always work. If it did I would have never found this website. After 2 summers of seeing my dog suffer from allergies, I can finally say we found a solution and he is right as rain!

Unfortunately many doctors are in the business of treating illnesses, not curing them. They want the return customer, that cash cow that keeps on giving. I have experienced both, dedicated physicians and those not so. Blanketly stating someone is too cheap to go to a "real doctor" is saying you miss the point completely! We live in a time when drugs are pushed on us for everything, not a mention about diet or lifestyle changes to cure conditions. We need to go back to the basics of health, you are what you eat so to speak. Doing so puts us on to the road to being healthy without pharmaceutical intervention. This goes for pets as well as people!

I use white vinegar on both my dogs and in my home, it is a natural Febreeze, my dogs do not smell like dogs. No odour at all. I bathe my little one in Water and vinegar for any bugs or cuts that might be on her and within 24 hours all problems are solved. ACV works well too but the odour is a little overwhelming.

My loving Jack Russell Chihuahua is 16 years old. He started getting tumors on his head, legs, side and I started applying apple cider vinegar to these tumors. The largest one on top of the head is gone too. I apply with apple cider vinegar and water in a spray bottle and I apply it as needed for disinfectant. I love my baby boy all pets have lived way pass their last expectations.

I want to know how much apple cider vinegar I should use on my dog. She is 25 lbs and has cushions. The medication does not work and we have tried many. Do I spray on and leave? Do I rinse?

My collie shephard had a ph reading of over 7.5 due to his system being too alkaline. That probably developed because my dogs and I are vegans. We eat primarily organic fruits and vegetables plus soy products. My dogs are unusually healthy due to this but my 16-year-old collie shephard recently developed blood in his urine due to crystals. The vet put him on Clavamox but said the crystals were due to his system being too alkaline. She recommended foods to create more acidity but she apparently didn't know about apple cider vinegar. Thank you so much for the Apple Cider Vinegar recommendation. I am also returning to feeding my dogs more beans & a little bread rather than soy exclusively. The dogs had no problems in the past with beans, soy, & some bread. I used to add high quality bread to their meals before I discovered recently that I cannot tolerate gluten. I can go back to adding bread to my dogs' meals, but not my own. Again, thanks so very much for the apple cider vinegar recommendation. I usually buy organic apple cider for cleaning my fruits and vegetables. Now, we will be sure to ingest it!

Your dogs need meat and meaty bones. Some veg and fruit are good but stop the grains. You can be vegan but they are not designed to eat bread. It why they have sharp pointy teeth. The Apple Cider Vinegar is an excellent addition but you are slowly killing your dogs by feeding an inappropriate diet.

In reference to the comments about Frontline and the other flea and tick topical medications: Please be advised that it contains the exact thing that we use to kill termites. It will burn your skin as well as your dogs (and that's minor). More than likely you have noticed that your dog hides or gets nervous when it is time for his flea treatment, and that is why. I too was ignorant and used these products on my pets, until one time, a day or two after administering it my dog became lethargic, wouldn't eat, on the verge of dehydration and just plain lame. She was like this for 2 weeks. Any Vet you mention this too will not justify it. They all say no it's not possible. However, I dare each of you to google side effects of frontline and read some of the posters comments. I Ask the question: How can soooo many people be wrong??????

Regarding Wendy from Naugatuck's comment - vinegar, or acetic acid, is in fact an (weak) acid. If your dog had a struvite crystal blockage, it was due to one of two things - improper diet or not enough water, more likely the former than the latter. Most big-brand foods are absolute garbage and contribute greatly to health problems due to them being nutritionally deficient. The ACV would have had nothing at all to do with the urine being too alkaline and thus developing crystals in the urethra, and in fact would have HELPED the situation by lowering the overall pH of the urine, making it more acidic.

ACV for Ear Infections and Hot Spots

Each summer, my dog, Murphy, has had numerous issues with ear infections, head-shaking, smelly ears, and constant itching to the point of being totally miserable. I thought the problem was due to retaining water in his ears after our swim, so I very carefully dried his ears each time we got out of the pool. It didn't help. I was fairly confident his problem wasn't a result of his food because he's always eaten either high-quality expensive store-bought food and/or a BARF diet (Bones and Raw Food), and NO GRAIN! I tried several holistic remedies both internally and topically, and I also tried expensive prescription drops with very short-term results. The infections always returned. My vet told me it was quite possibly an environmental infection resulting from lawn chemicals used by my HOA.

In addition to his ear problems, he also would get one very nasty hot spot each summer near the top of his tail/butt area that took months to heal. The skin was completely bald in a baseball-sized area and the skin was raw and sore. The only treatment that provided a little relief was a bit of vaseline on the skin to keep the bugs away.

Then I remembered how my mom always said that ACV will cure “just about anything that ails ya.” It was then that I started adding about 1/2 teaspoon of ACV to his food every morning. (He is a 75 pound black lab.) No need to dilute or try to disguise the taste. He doesn't mind it at all. I just mix it in with his wet food. Within about 4-5 days he was hardly scratching at all and the smell and infection was gone very quickly and hasn't ever returned. And I haven't seen a hot spot in years! If you're going to use ACV, use a good one, not some cheap garbage from the grocery store. And don't use white vinegar except to clean your floors! Murphy now gets organic ACV every day.

WARNING!

Do NOT use apple cider vinegar rinse if your dog has very irritated skin or ANY sores. We used this on our bichon and the dog screamed in pain. I never heard such a terrible noise from an animal, we immediately rinsed with cool water for 10 minutes before he stopped crying.

Although I concur that giving a dog a Vegan/Veggie diet is wrong, I must say it is a bit hypocritical to bash the woman! Most commercial dog foods have very little protein and are chuck full of fillers... That said, return to nature and eat whole foods

Have you been to a holistic vet? The regular ones aren't going to help, just medicate and toxify and bring death sooner.

I mix the ACV in a little broth from anything with a taste they like. If you are making a meat or chicken base for dinner, put it in some water for a minute and let the water pick up some of the juice from the meat. Then use that to add with ACV - they likely lap it up. Don't use anything with preservatives, etc because they you are almost canceling out the good effects. Just adding some warm water to a (high quality, please) kibble will create a broth. You are giving small doses and it should hide it well enough.

TRY this neutriceutical site for a good solution. I start with the Internal Gold Detox kit for both dog and cat but look at the other products and trust your inner voice. These products have save me huge vet bills (the natural antibiotic is fantastic), don't cause any side effects, are organic and even saved one of my rabbit's lives. Highly recommend them all. I also use the natural heartworm product, HWF to prevent heartworm (one week a month). AMBER TECHNOLOGIES: Pet Medications | Amber Tech | Holistic Pet Meds

Kidney and immune issues usually stem from bad food (there is lots of it out there). Switch to a grain free, human grade food if you haven't already. Two to look at to give you an idea of the quality you are looking for: Orijen (Canadian, free range) and Primal (real food in frozen form). Do not trust any of the food at your vet's office. It's full of junk and not designed to meet dog's nutritional needs on any level. VETS KNOW NOTHING ABOUT NUTRITION. You have to learn on your own. Really recommend "Food Pets Die For", a book that will let you know what's really in pet food. I feed my dogs real, organic food now to ensure a long healthy life.

Best of luck!

I have a westie and they are known for their large ears and infections within. I was out of the eardrops and have recently been a believer of Apple Cider Vinegar and I thought I'd give it a try 50/50 Apple Cider Vinegar and water mix and one application and no more ear problems. Thank God cause I'd be in the vet and then prescription drops. But I akready have the treatment at home and cost be nothing

Depending on the breed my friends dog had crystalized urine also because of all the medication. She did change her dogs diet to raw even though it was hard for her. Her dog ended up doing well with alternative methods. I mention this because apple cider vinegar also works for people.

2 teaspoons in a glass of water. It also kills any kind of worms that a person or pet can have. It should actually be 2 tsps either in their water or food. Once a day. Or every other day. You would need to change your dogs diet.

I think maybe you should read up on what your dog is really eating. There was a veterinary school who actually followed Purina and several other big dog companies and found that they were taking dead dogs and cats out of dumpsters (some that died of cancer or other illnesses) and they grind this into your dogs food.

Your dog is eating sickness and not good food. It even made news here in NJ. Be careful what you feed your dog. Apple cider will help with change of diet. If you can't do raw do an organic or kibble like evo or Abdy which are the better foods out there.

I found this website last night while searching for home remedies for my dog's UTI. I thought why not lets give it a shot. With the horrible economy I can't afford a $200 dollar vet bill. I started using the ACV last night. I gave my 65 pound 5 year old boxer 1.5 tablespoons mixed in with some plain yogurt. When she went out for her morning potty break she urinated only one time. It was normal in color with no blood. Just the night before she was going every 5 minutes or so and nothing was coming out and when urine did come out it was bloody. I have continued to give her the ACV today and plan to keep her on it for about a week. Boy was this one of the most effective home remedies I have ever found.

HELP ASAP! i dont know if my baby (1.5 yr old 36lb pitbull) has a bladder infection or not. my roomies were watching her for a week and a half and they told me shes starting to urinate and number 2 inside(dont know exatly how many days now), even when the back door is open. tonight i got home and she peed on my twise, probably with in 2 hours, and the carpet soon after. theres no blood and she doesnt seem to be in pain, shes cheery and everything but i cant tell theres something not right about her. is it a bladder infection??? or seperation anxiety for leaving her so long??? (shes very attatched to me, she was horribly abused befor i got her, shes my shadow, so could leaving leaving for a week and a half have affected her in this way?)

theres no blood, and shes doesnt seem to be having a hard time cus its a lot of urine, not whining, can walk. but shes urinating way more often then normal, and on the bed which has never happened.

please dont hastle me about not being a good moma by not taking her to the vet and coming on here for adivse, i love her very much like a daughter but i cant afford the bills or else i would.

is ACV highly recomended? please help me

I had a completely white bulldog with black spotted skin. He had dark tear stains running from his tear duct area down. I tried a few of the tear bleaching products sold for dogs but none worked (besides being expensive). I also tried some suggested home remedies (e.g. hydrogen peroxide, etc.) and those were not effective either. A vet told me the tear stains were caused by the acidity in the dogs system and if I neutralized his system, the stains would go away.

His suggestion was to put vinegar in the dogs drinking water! He suggested putting just a "tiny" bit of vinegar in the drinking water for a few days (I interpreted that as about 1/4 of a vinegar bottles cap full) and then increase the amount of vinegar added until I was adding about a teaspoon to the drinking water each day (I would estimate his drinking water bowl to contain about 5 cups of water.) Each time I changed or added water to his bowl, I also added the vinegar. Within a few weeks, the tear stains were gone for good!

Claire, you're abusing any carnivore upon whom you force a vegan diet. I don't even think you're well intentioned; I think you're just ignorant. Dogs need a raw diet comprised of muscle flesh, bones, organs, offal, sinew, fur, oils and from a variety of species to be healthy. Wise up.

After reading all the feed back on here about Apple cider vinegar, I figured I would try it over the weekend before bringing my 15 year old dog to the vet on Monday. I went to the health food store and bought a bottle of raw unfiltered apple cider vinegar and I mixed 2 tablespoons in organic yogurt or wet food every 4 hours I also put it in the water bowl. To my amazement it was gone!! I also have another dog with itchy skin and I mixed some in a water spray bottle with water, sprayed him down and he's doing great!! Thank you all for all your feedback!!!

My dog had some signs of allergies (runny eyes, flaky skin) that were not helped by the vet's suggestions, so I did a web search and found the "ACV for dogs" site. It sounded like a harmless and potentially helpful remedy, so I tried it. It didn't do a thing for the allergic symptoms, and 3 months later, my (spayed) dog developed a bloody discharge from her urinary tract. Lab tests diagnosed struvite crystals in her bladder, which, the vet said, form when the urine is too alkaline. Some research informed me that apple cider vinegar has an alkalinizing effect in the body! After immediate cessation of the apple cider vinegar and a month of a prescription urinary acidifier, my dog's urine is now testing normal. Naturally, after this experience, I do not recommend apple cider vinegar for dogs.

WARNING!

Wendy,

The ACV works and one should remember everything in moderation. You may have given too much as it is oly 1 tsp for 50 lb dog and one should use it on and off not steady for 3 straight months. Foods have also caused UTI's.

Something a bit off topic, but that is so often overlooked, is diet. While I am a huge believer in ACV and its myriad of benefits, nutrition is extremely important for your dog's health, as well. Almost all Veterinarians know absolutely nothing about nutrition for your dog. Treats like pupperoni are like giving your kids McDonald's everyday. (I know it is so hard to not sneak them a snack they love now and then:) There are a lot of great foods emerging now, though. They are not very much more expensive and your dog will truly get proper nutrition. Dogs that are malnourished are always hungry, just like people! Dog foods are not regulated at all and many bad things go into the foods they market to our best friends. If dogs are nourished well they may not need a "cure" like ACV or a visit to the Vet! I found this all out the hard way....I had a dog with severe allergies. I changed his food to a great quality food. It is a great gift to give our dogs...GOOD HEALTH! Thank you for letting me ramble about this topic for a moment. It is very close to my heart!

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 give her 1/4 cup of ORGANIC plain yogurt and when i bathe her I use doggie shampoo and then rinse her with 1/4 ACV-3/4 warm water, I sponge it on to her face and let her air dry.....Every day since then the 1st thing she does when she wakes up is scratch so I spray her with a mix of 1/2 ACV 1/2 water and she is fine, then before bed I spray her again and she is fine...I am also just feeding her kibbles and bits original food. She smells like vinegar REALLY bad but its a small price to pay for her happiness!!

And, this is why human philosophies shouldn't be visited upon dogs, because they are carnivores who are anatomically designed to eat meat, not vegetables and soy! Unusually healthy? Big difference between surviving and thriving.

In response to some of the other reactions (vomiting can be an allergic reaction to vinegar) and doubts, here is something I came across while doing a bit of research on ACV for dogs prior to giving it to them.

Some disagreement
However, not everyone agrees that apple cider vinegar should be given to dogs. Pat McKay, canine nutritionist and author of the natural diet book Reigning Cats and Dogs, doesn't like cider vinegar, and she doesn't mince words; she calls it poison.

“I believe Peter J. D'Amado is on the right track in his book, Eat Right for Your Type,” she says. “Each of the human blood types has an ideal diet, and the diet recommended for type O most closely resembles the meat-based diet on which dogs evolved. D'Amado warns that cider vinegar is very damaging to this type, and I agree with him. I happen to be a type O, and apple cider vinegar has always made me feel miserable. I never knew why until I read his book. I believe dogs have a similar reaction because even small quantities of vinegar can throw their bodies' pH out of balance.”

Marina Zacharias, pet nutritionist and publisher of Natural Rearing newsletter, shares McKay's concern about pH levels. She recommends that owners have their dogs' blood and urine tested before adding cider vinegar to their daily diet.

“If a dog's system is too alkaline, ” she says, “cider vinegar will help, but by itself it may not correct the problem and the dog will need additional support. If the dog's system is too acidic, which is a condition called acidosis, the result can be stress on the pancreas and adrenal organs, which are important regulators of blood pH levels. The symptoms of acidosis range from diarrhea or constipation to low blood pressure, hard stools, and sensitivity of the teeth and mouth. Often we see acidosis in combination with other conditions, such as kidney, liver, and adrenal problems. In certain cases, adding vinegar to a dog's food could aggravate an already-existing problem in the body....”

Source: applecidervinegarhub.org/2013/05/17/apple-cider-vinegar-a-holistic-remedy-for-dogs/

My summary - Do a bit of research about something before ever giving it to your dogs (or kids! ). Have your dog's blood and urine tested to see what his/her pH level is and continue to test it with pH strips - or just do a simple test with them yourself!

You can add apple cider vinegar in capsules also. That way you eliminate the smell...

Hi, ACV is the best... FORGET the Vet. I have been using ACV for 62years on my my dogs and the following is what I have been doing/giving to my present dogs which are...

Jindo 2years, Labrador 3years and a Wirehaired Pointing Griffon 18months.

Food, "Fromm" with one tablespoon of organic ACV (undiluted) and one tablespoon of Flaxseed oil twice a day.

One Tablespoon of ACV with every bowl of water.

Clean ears with 50/50 ACV once a week

Sponge bath the dogs with 50/50 ACV and let it sink into the skin (do not towel dry)

Start out with 1/2 a Teaspoon, Teaspoon and the Tablespoon... you will have a healthy dog for a long time.

Mullaghcleevaun