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Apple Cider Vinegar for Dogs

Updated: 08/24/2008

Every home with dogs should have apple cider vinegar. It's a remedy with multiple uses for dogs: alleviating allergies, arthritis, establishing correct pH balance. You can also give apple cider vinegar to cats and horses.

As written in an excellent, 1997 article by Wendy Volhard:

"...If your dog has itchy skin, the beginnings of a hot spot, incessantly washes its feet, has smelly ears, or is picky about his food, the application of ACV may change things around. For poor appetite, use it in the food - 1 tablespoon, two times a day for a 50 lb. dog. For itchy skin or beginning hot spots, put ACV into a spray bottle, part the hair and spray on. Any skin eruption will dry up in 24 hours and will save you having to shave the dog. If the skin is already broken, dilute ACV with an equal amount of water and spray on.

Taken internally, ACV is credited with maintaining the acid/alkaline balance of the digestive tract. To check your dog's pH balance, pick up some pH strips at the drug store, and first thing in the morning test the dog's urine. If it reads anywhere from 6.2 - 6.5, your dog's system is exactly where it should be. If it is 7.5 or higher, the diet you are feeding is too alkaline, and ACV will re-establish the correct balance.

If you have a dog that has clear, watery discharge from the eyes, a runny nose, or coughs with a liquid sound, use ACV in his or her food. One teaspoon twice a day for a 50 lb. dog will do the job.

After your weekly grooming sessions, use a few drops in his or her ears after cleaning them to avoid ear infections. Other uses for ACV are the prevention of muscle weakness, cramps, feeling the cold, calluses on elbows and hock joints, constipation, bruising too easily, pimples on skin surfaces, twitching of facial muscles, sore joints, arthritis and pus in the urine. There are also reports that it is useful in the prevention of bladder and kidney stones.

Fleas, flies, ticks and bacteria, external parasites, ring worm, fungus, staphylococcus, streptococcus, pneumococcus, mange, etc., are unlikely to inhabit a dog whose system is acidic inside and out. Should you ever experience any of these with your dog, bathe with a nice gentle herbal shampoo -- one that you would use on your own hair -- rinse thoroughly, and then sponge on ACV diluted with equal amounts of warm water. Allow your dog to drip dry. It is not necessary to use harsh chemicals for minor flea infestations. All fleas drown in soapy water and the ACV rinse makes the skin too acidic for a re-infestation. If you are worried about picking up fleas when you take your dog away from home, keep some ACV in a spray bottle, and spray your dog before you leave home, and when you get back. Take some with you and keep it in the car, just in case you need it any time. Obviously for major infestations, more drastic measures are necessary. ACV normalizes the pH levels of the skin, makes your dog unpalatable to even the nastiest of bacteria and you have a dog that smells like a salad, a small price to pay! "

ALLERGIES

2 YEA   

[YEA]  08/28/2007: Grace Wahlman from Chester, Illinois, USA writes: "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."

06/30/2008: Lori from Atco, NJ replies: "what did you put the apple cider vinegar in, their food or water??"

[YEA]  07/28/2007: Ann from Victoria, Australia writes: "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."

07/01/2008: Wendi from Port Arthur, TX replies: "ACV for pets... I have read that it's used for an after bath treatment and in their drinking water. What type/brand of ACV do you use to treat pets for fleas? Wasn't sure if I needed to purchase from health food store or regular grocer. What is the ratio to add to pet's drinking water? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you"

07/01/2008: Joyce from Joelton, Tn replies: "Hi there, I don't know if you have Save-a-Lot groceries in Texas or not, but here I can get a gallon of ACV for about $2. At Kroger's it's about the same for a quart of ACV."

08/21/2008: Roop from Singapore replies: "HELP PLEASE!!!

My dog has got chronic yeast infection under his neck, underarms, inside the thighs.... have taken him to vet so many times...each time the medication is stopped it hits back again....

i m giving him ACV but its not helping.. also in his drinking water i m adding sea salt n baking soda.. after his bath i gave him a rinse with baking soda....i add flaxseed oil to his food as recommended by vet...but that also has limited use

pls pls pls help me ... i donot want to loose my dog... i m in singapore... have spend so much money ...any remedy or dog food... all the dog food have yeast in it.... which one should i give or any home food which can cure my baby.... pls TED if u reading this help me out... thanks in advance

roop"

08/22/2008: W replies: "To Roop from Singapore, Have you tried giving him Probiotics? The antibiotics he was given destroyed the good bacteria and you will need to replace it by giving probiotics for quite a long time (I don't know the dosage). You can also feed him yogurt, maybe even apply yogurt or a probiotic cream topically. Good Luck."

08/23/2008: Joyce from Joelton, Tn replies: "To Roop from Singapore: Hi Roop, MMS is safe for pets also at dosage of 2 drops per 25 lbs, but you might first try a saturated solution of baking soda applied 3 or times per day. I would probably start out with 4 ounces of water for this solution until you decide whether it is working against infection. To make saturated solution of anything just dissolve baking soda or whatever you think will be useful in water until no more will dissolve."

08/24/2008: Melissa from Albuquerque, NM replies: "Try virgin or extra virgin coconut oil topically and give internally also. Do NOT give the processed coconut oil-only virgin or extra virgin. My dog had serious scabs and skin infections all over his belly 2 years ago. I tried everything but nothing worked consistently until evco. I rubbed it on the spots and started giving him 1 teaspoon a day internally working up to 1 tablespoon a day. His skin got better within a couple of days and continued to improve until the infections went away-about 5 days. I believe evco also has other positive properties."

APPLE CIDER VINEGAR SIDE EFFECTS

1 YEA   

[YEA]  04/13/2007: Kelly from Seattle, WA writes: "Re: ACV for allergies: I gave organic ACV to my dog, and she threw up about 5 minutes later. I only gave her a capful, but she still threw up. It was very white bubbly throw up."

EC: Firstly, ACV should always be very well diluted in water and not given on an empty stomach. Secondly, vomiting is not necessarily a bad thing. In some cases of detoxification or food poisoning, vomiting is exactly what you would want to see.

05/07/2008: Art from Newhall, CA replies: "my two year old wire fox terrier mix has a hot spot and i have been using acv diluted and witch hazel and wonder if he licks it will he get sick? the hot spot is on his right front paw. thank you all , just found this site and love, been telling everyone about it (and iam a la county paramedic)"

05/08/2008: Joyce from Joelton,, Tn replies: "The ACV won't hurt your little doggie, but it might heal faster if you make a saturated solution of Epsom salts in apple cider vinegar. To make saturated solution start wotj 4 ounces and add Epsom salts by the 1/2 teaspoonful until no more will dissolve in the ACV. This will not hurt your doggie and the only unwanted side effect you are likely to get is a little diarrhea if he licks too much of the Epsom salts. I used the same stuff on my daughter(about age 6) when she developed deep lesions that certainly resembled what I had seen on a dog (owner told me it was hot spots). The poor thing had them all over her body and I certainly didn't want my daughter to get that bad. She only had 4 or 5 at the back of her head about an inch above the hair line. I swabbed them out 4 times a day with this and it started improving the second day of use and was healed over in a few days."

ARTHRITIS

2 YEA   

06/25/2008: Suzy (suzygrandam_96@hotmail.com) from Owensville, MO, USA writes: "My german shepard is very slow lately and acts like arthritis is just killing her. I have read quite a bit of remedies on your site and i love it and i cannot wait to see if it will work for us. The only problem is, I cannot get Princess, my german shepard, to drink the apple cider vinegar in her drinking water or any other way. I was wondering if you all would have any suggestions on how to get her drink the vinegar and also, how much do i need to give her. Would it be better to put the ACV in a syringe and just put it in the back of her mouth? And if so, how much do i put in the syringe?"

EC: Try mixing it in with her food. As a warning -- we used to put a teaspoon of ACV in our dogs' food each night, but stopped when each dog started to get an irritated rump (i.e., anal discharge and lots of licking). Make sure to start with a very low dosage and watch to see if Princess starts licking herself more than usual!

[YEA]  Wendy from Canada writes: "My Chocolate Lab Sam has arthritis and was recently attacked by a dog. I had started him on ACV before but forgot sometimes. He has been on it faithfully for the past 3 weeks now and is getting better and better. He is on a raw diet and I just mix it in. For those dog owners who have dogs with failing health I recommend you look at the BARF diet. I wouldn't have believed that a dog who I was told would be dead in 3 months from liver problems would completely turn around due to diet and supplements(including ACV). We are what we eat and so are our pets. It has been 11 months and Sammy is doing great!!"

06/04/2008: Margie (marjorie.garavagli@sbcglobal.net) from Warren, Michigan replies: "I have an 11 year old Lab/retriever mix. She is suffering from constantly itching, hot spots and has raw spots on her skin from knawing all the time. You mentioned about a "raw" diet - I want to know what that is. She is also suffering big time with arthritis. With the ACV - how much do you give - do you feed it to them - mix it in the food. She is also getting very finicky about eating. Any help I would appreciate it as I am on a very strict budget and can't afford vet bills. ACV seems to be a "cure" all. Thanks."

06/05/2008: Joyce from Joelton, Tn replies: "Hi, Hope your doggie is better. I would put the apple cider vinegar in her drinking water. Start with a teaspoon of ACV to the pint of drinking water, and as she gets used to drinking that increase a little every day or two until you get to about a tablespoon per quart of water. According to Dr. Jarvis and his home remedies that work, it also helps arthritis."

[YEA]  Sandi from Rehoboth MA writes: "I personally use it several times day, it works for different problems. All the dogs (7) are on it, from a disabled dachsie to three young healthy dachsies. It helps with arthritis, ear problems, wounds, itching. Adjust ph levels, prevents uti's. Gives them a healthy skin and also cleans out the bodies, like it does for humans"

CONJUNCTIVITIS

1 NAY   

[NAY]  Anonymous from Los Angeles writes: "Apple cider vinegar didn't help my dog. However, I found that keeping his eyes clear of discharge by using a clean index or thumb finger pad as often as possible cured the issue. You must be very gentle! At first your dog may not particularly like this being done. However, if you are very gentle with the process, your dog will soon allow you to clear his/her eyes and will be forever grateful for this ritual."

DULL COAT ISSUES

2 YEA   

[YEA]  02/17/2007: FE from Laguna, Phillipines writes: "I've been giving my pets a dose of apple cider 3 x a week, and it reflects well on their coat!"

[YEA]  04/17/2006: Heather from Kathmandu, Nepal writes: "Our Tibetan Mastiff/German Shepard mix puppy had really itchy dandruff and a really dull coat. I started feeding her about 5ml of apple cider vinegar once or twice a day. She really doesn't like it, and when I add it to her food, then she doesn't want to eat her food. Instead I put it in a syringe and feed it to her that way. Her coat improved in about two days, and now it is thick and shiny and not much dandruff. She also had weepy eyes and now she doesn't. Other dogs from the same litter have thin hair and patches coming out. Our landlord was so impressed that they started using it themselves! They said that our dog looked like a different dog altogether."

EAR AND EYE INFECTIONS

3 YEA   

[YEA]  09/21/2007: Debra (TOOTSIE8589@yahoo.com) from Morganton, North Carolina writes: "

Mandy and I just moved into an area where pets are allowed, which in itself is a rarity. Fleas are an issue. Mandy is my only (baby) still at home and she's a 14 yr old schnauzer. She depends on me for everything as it should be. I depend on her for "lovin' and cuddlin'" and she's very good at it. Anyway, I've only recently discovered (lemon) flea killer, however, after using this half and half mixture leaves me to wonder. Did I do this right because this smell is almost unbareable it really smells like wet dirty dog, but not on Mandy only where she's been ie under coffee table, her bed' etc... Can anyone tell me how I messed this up because I don't see how??

Also, I have used the vinegar solution (one (1) part vinegar to two (2) part water) for a yeast build-up in Mandys ears and as of this day I'll swear by how well it works three (3) or four (4) days in a row then weekly treatment, amazing, and no vet bill nor chemicals which is a bonus for us as well as the world. THUMBS UP!!!"

[YEA]  Carolyn from Gallon Jug, Belize writes: "I use a few drops of ACV solution (1 part ACV, 1 part water, 1 part rubbing alcohol) applied with an eyedropper in my dog's ears after a bath. It cleared up her dark ear discharge completely. We use it on ourselves as well since ear fungus is common in this humid part of the world."

[YEA]  Anna from Ottowa, Canada writes: "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."

FLEA ALLERGIES

1 YEA   

[YEA]  07/10/2008: Linda from Miramichi, Canada writes: "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"

FLEAS

11 YEA    1 NAY   

[YEA]  08/07/2008: Virginia from Cushing, OK writes: "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..."

[YEA]  03/01/2008: kim from sebring, florida writes: "I got my german shepard from wretched people, they had taken him off his mother at 3 weeks old, the feeding and watering was horrific. I immediately began him on mothers milk for 4 weeks.

Later when he was 4 months old, i bathed him and treated him with flea treatment. IMMEDIATELY he broke out in a terrible rash with lesions and such. The odor made me physically sick. My dog is allergic to flea treatments, AND fleas. It was so bad, that i considered putting him down, it broke my heart to see him suffer so much. what kind of life is that? always constantly itching and bleeding. I found this site, i bathed him in acv and sprayed him down three times a day. all gone.  now he is 9 months old. my son flea treated him for me while i was out of town. BAM, horrible, and i do mean horrible rash blood red, lesions, sores, constant itching and crying.  I immediately sprayed him down with the acv solution and he fell asleep in about ten minutes, relief from the itching.  I began just two days ago adding it to his water, and I can not believe the difference. A dog that is allergic to the chemicals in monthly flea treatments AND allergic to FLEA's has a miserable life.  Thankfully due to the acv my dog has a chance at a good itch free life. I cannot thank you enough.  It made me cry to see him in such torment. thank you to everyone who shares their stories, it saves lives and the quality of those lives."

08/20/2008: C.K. from St. Louis, Missouri replies: "Do not use garlic in ANY sort of dog food. It is toxic and can kill your dog, just like onions and grapes. It's simply foolish that someone would encourage you to feed that to your dog. I'd take fleas over a dead pet any day."

EC: Please read the (mostly positive) feedback on our Garlic for Dogs page.

[NAY]  Simon from Victoria, Australia writes: "he tried bathing his 10 dogs religiously in Apple Cider Vinegar (as prescribed above) for days to get rid of fleas. No luck."

06/13/2008: Kathy from Cypress, TX replies: "NO MORE FLEAS. To keep fleas off my 70 lb. dog, I juice fresh raw garlic and add 1/8 teaspoon of it to a raw egg yolk. He eats it joyfully. NO MORE FLEAS. Fleas hate the smell of garlic. I may carefully increase the amount of garlic juice some in the future because he is 70 lbs. He eats his food joyfully. He also loves greens such as Alfalfa powder, Wheatgrass powder, Barley powder, etc. Dogs need greens too!"

[YEA]  Deirdre from Los Angeles, CA writes: "she doesn't need to use flea dips in the winter when she adds a tsp of organic apple cider vinegar to her dogs' meals (2x a day) every day. This doesn't work so well in summer months, she reports."

[YEA]  Vickie from Tampa Florida writes: "I have found great success with ACV ...My Boxer has no fleas or ticks & a shiny coat."

[YEA]  Katie from Emporia, KS writes: "If ACV doesn't seem to work on fleas, try Brewer's Yeast vitamin tablets and cedar chips for bedding. Most dog beds have cedar chips inside them, but you can also buy them straight for dog houses and such."

[YEA]  Lyn from Jeannette, PA writes: "I just wanted to comment on the fleas section. It is true that any shampoo will kill fleas, but it needs to be left on for 30 min. Also, if you have a flea infestation in your house, just spraying your animal wont help. You must treat where the fleas live. See, they only feed on your animal. I have tremendous luck using table salt and food-grade diatomaceous earth all over the house to kill fleas and prevent. The salt (I prefer organic unprocessed sea salt) cuts into the body of the flea and then allows the DE to dehydrate the animal. Salt by itself does seem to work also, I just like a faster approach. Keep in mind though that this means of defense does take up to 2 months to work as some fleas are still hatching. In really bad infestation, it could take longer. I think flea eggs can survive up to 280 days. I would also like to recommend quadruped pet products. I work at a holistic pet care center and this is what we use to bathe the animals. They do not contain(unlike most pet shampoos) any harsh chemicals. Also, all their products are concentrates so it is much cheaper than buying the harmful stuff from pet shops or grocery stores."

[YEA]  Sheerec from San Antonio, TX writes: "ACV for Fleas, itching and scratching works.My dog was itching and scratching everywheree very badly to the point,he had a small raw spot on his neck. I can say that it works. I put some apple cider vinegar in a spray bottle, sprayed him down and let him air dry. The severe scrathing stop and the raw place under his neck has healed."

[YEA]  Lana from Caro, Michigan writes: "I just tried the ACV on my Maltese, she's been miserable every Aug-Oct for years. Now she's resting quietly, within minutes. Thank-you so much! Thank-you, thank-you, thank-you! We've tried allergy shots, bathing, haircuts (she's practically bald now) benedryl, baby oil, seems like more things too, nonstop itching 24-7. Now she's happy again. Thanks so much!"

[YEA]  Jennifer from Doonan, QLD, Australia writes: "My 3 poodles have 2 tbsp in jug of water each day to prevent fleas. I also use it in their rinse water after a bath each week."

[YEA]  Jennifer from Doonan, QLD, Australia writes: "It truly works for eliminating fleas from dogs. Just a few drops in the drinking water each day BUT it does take about six weeks.I have also sprayed the dog's beds and cleaned rugs and floors every day so it is an ongoing chore to for the six weeks but I am now on top of the situation.I run a Poodle resort so I have quite a few dogs and to have solved the flea problem is an enormous relief."

[YEA]  MJ Fox from Ireland writes: "I use ACV in my rescue dogs' food twice a week and give them diluted ACV rub downs with a wet sponge or rag about every 10 days. There are no fleas on these dogs at all, which I think is a result of the ACV. I also use it full strength for ring worm and seem to be having some good luck with mange."

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