Apple Cider Vinegar for Dogs: Natural Remedies for Common Issues

I don't understand why a lot of people are against taking their animals to the vet. People, Vets have the education and experience to treat our beloved pets. Why would you want to take advice of every Tom, Dick and Harry out there. Are you just too cheap to get a true and accurate diagnosis. There is no way I would ever take advise from somebody other than our Vet. Our vet is very honest and actually doesn't charge that much. I had a cat who ended up getting really sick and he had to stay at our vet for over a week and our vet did not charge us one penny. He just wanted to make sure if our beloved friend needed any extra treatment that he would be there to get that help A.S.A.P.

Not all vets are so nice, or that ethical. I took my cat to the vet multiple times for tapeworms. They were just so hard to get rid of. She had four paste wormers, and one shot. After about 6 months of this she peed this horrid red stuff. I took her to the closed vet, not my normal one, and it turned out she had a tumor in her bladder, kidney failure, and liver failure. The red stuff was Liver juice. I ended up having to put her down because too many organs had gone too far. All because one vet was an idiot and never checked her organs for damage, and just had be keep coming in and getting her wormed. I know she had worms the first time, because I saw them in her litter box. The other times I went were for dehydration. I wish my vet had been like yours, then I would still have my best friend with me.

This is in response to Jessica from Vincennes. Using a vet as a last resort is not necessarily a bad thing. The average pet owner, even one more inclined toward natural remedies will take their pet to the vet if it is necessary. But if it is a minor problem that can be solved without the use of a vet and all the meds and chemicals they tend to prescribe then why not try it. I treat my pets health the same way I treat mine. I would try a natural cure on myself before going to the doctor and getting drugs that would kill my immune system and I do the same with my pets and I personally feel that they and I are better for it. Natural remedies have been around a lot longer than modern medicine and many of them have proven themselves to be effective time and time again. They may not always work but it is definitely worth a try in situations where it is not a time sensitive life or death sort of situation. A dogs skin problems are typically not life or death situation.

In response to "Jessica from Vincennes", I have learned the hard way that many vets are in it for the money period. A good example of this is the dog food that they sale from there office. If you have done any research on dog food, then you know that any dog food sold at the grocery store is pure garbage and not fit for any dog. The same dog foods are being recommended and sold to the dog owner by these vets. These vets do not care about the animals best interests. I'm sure that they are getting kick backs by the corporations that are making this garbage dog food that is not fit for a maggot. This is just the tip of the iceberg, but a test that everyone could use as a basis for their vets ethics. If you don't know much about what should or shouldn't be in your dogs food, there is plenty of good info at your finger tips and you owe it to your dog to figure this out, like right now!

I agree. The last time I took Aj my mini schnauzer to my vet for shots he had a horrible reaction. I brought him back the next day for "observation" by a "visiting" vet everyone there did nothing to calm my fears they actually brushed them aside and told me it was nothing. They would not give me an explanation of why he might be having the reactions which led me to the conclusion that the shots he had were unecessary. He had fever, no appetite, vomitting and was lethargic. When we picked him up from an all day visit the "visiting vet" tried to charge me an extra fee of which I did not pay. Aj's symptoms did not go away even after the "VV" claimed nothing was wrong. The third day after his shots he seemed to get worse, I returned to my vet only to find them closed. I am on a paid plan and was under the impression I could not go to any other vets in the chain without big fees that I just don't have available to me.

Aj came through just fine a few days later. I feel that he is over vaccinated that the chain vet is not really there in the best interest of my pet that they are there as long as my pocket book is deep. If I can find a natural way to relieve his itching and discomfort I will do that because the vet has offered no solutions or relief for my sweet puppy.

There's a place for vets, but I have never been to a vet that was proactive and provided advice about dog food. Had to do my own research to realize that Beneful was ruining my dog's health, ruining the quality of his life.

You may have a vet who is caring and there for your animal, but not everyone is so lucky. My cat's face was swollen on one side, I took him to the local vet and after examing him the vet tells me it could be two things, cancer or an absess tooth. He wanted to do some testing for cancer which cost $350.00 and that didn't include the visit which was $50.00 plus tax and also if he had cancer and we couldn't afford to have treatments he suggested we have the cat put down right away. We suggested that maybe he treat the cat for an absess tooth. He gave the cat a shot of antibotics and within one week the cat was fine. We haven't been back to the vet since. The bill ended up being $84.00.

To "Jessica": It is unfair to broadstroke accuse people who love their animals of being "cheap". We are not against vets, we are against the propaganda we have been fed that states that vets because they are educated, know what's best.

That being said, why don't these "educated" vets tell us that dogs don't need to be vaccinated every year, that 1 out of 10 dogs may suffer a reaction and in the case of my dog, die as it did this summer from over vaccination? My heart aches every day for my Willis, who was the picture of health until he got his booster shots, which caused kidney failure.

These "educated" vets won't tell you that most vet schools are funded by the big dog food companies, and they provide kick backs to sell their food, and their "good food" is chemically-enhanced kibble, with a life span of up to 25 years!! So much for "natural". What dogs ate 50 years ago, before vet-recommended kibble was invented, was more wholesome, natural food. But of course, there's no profit in that.

I know people that work in the vet industry and they have said they've lost good vets and vet techs over constantly butting heads with the hospital owners who are in it for the bottom line - the profit margin, not your dog's ultimate health. That's why they want your dog coming in every year for unnecessary vaccinations - it's their biggest source of revenue, since the vaccine only costs about 90 cents, yet they charge up to $50. My dog's best interest? I think not.

The vets work for us, not the other way around.

Jessica, Have you ever watched a commercial on how many side effects there are for the medications that doctors prescribe to you. Do you think it's any different for animals? So what is so terribly wrong with someone wanting to be able to treat their animal with natural remedies? I think you need to find another website to attack people who are trying to do harm to animals instead of people who really care about them.

I love my vet- she is very proactive and isn't in it for the money but for the love of animals. I can call her and she will give me home remedies before telling me to bring my dogs in. Even with dog food- sure she sells dog food- but she told me to buy Costco brand Kirkland food- due to very few fillers in the dog food. I do believe in doing your homework and going to the vet as a last resort - nothing wrong with that. But also do your homework in your vet as well, I drive outside of the city to my vet- I did my homework. Country vets are way better and more in the industry for the love of animals then the paycheck.

As sad as it is, part of most dvm's jobs are partially sales! I know because I did the whole 8 year haul and am not even working in a clinic. They all have shares in the crappy food they are selling and no breeder or competitor I know will ever buy that stuff. Most of my friends never bring dogs to the vet unless it's for breeding. I heard so many ridiculous stories and so called "remedies" vets have used. Dont hesitate get a second opinion!

I have discovered most vets are in it for the money. When we took our much loved bird, named Rachel, to the vet when she had a runny nose- the vet gave her a shot. Rachel, who had been playfully cleaning her feathers, suddenly made a terrible noise and went limp. She died 30 minutes later while I held her. It was horrific. I wish I had not taken her to that vet. I got my money back. I said I didn't pay to have our bird killed. That shot should not have happened. If vets really cared about pet health they would have more affordable prices and would be opened on weekends. We do have to take our dogs to the vet for rabies shots and things like ear infections (the pills they gave our dog Ozzy made him very sick so I stopped giving them to him), but I am very careful about what I let them do to my pets. There have been times that made me doubt my pet was in good hands at the vets. I love reading the natural cures on this site and I will be trying them out.

I also have a very good vet and I also have a very good doctor and I believe both are invaluable and serve a purpose however in saying that I do feel that they're prejudice and limited when it comes to natural remedies. I have used natural remedies for years on both myself and my animals and had amazing results, when my vet told me there was nothing except a lifetime on cortisone that would solve my dogs skin problems I wasnt convinced, after much research I completely cured him with very simple techniques.

Vets and doctors do the best they can but unfortunately dont always have the answers.

I am upset at the comment about natural remedies being used because the owner is too cheap. I have a wonderful vet who has treated my dog for his whole life and in that time I have spent over ten thousand dollars on his care. However, his body has reached a point at which it can no longer tolerate allergy injections because they have cause damage to liver. He now has a very long list of things he cannot have and natural remedies are my only option for his comfort and care. Those chemicals from the vet have wrecked my poor dogs body and had I put more effort into finding alternatives sooner I would not be in this position.

I agree with this "Vets and doctors do the best they can but unfortunately don't always have the answers."

Quote: 01/23/2009: Jessica from Vincennes, Indiana replies: "I don't understand why a lot of people are against taking their animals to the vet. People, Vets have the education and experience to treat our beloved pets. Why would you want to take advice of every Tom, Dick and Harry out there. Are you just too cheap to get a true and accurate diagnosis. There is no way I would ever take advise from somebody other than our Vet. - Unquote

Cheap? No way!! I learnt the hard way, after having spent no less than USD3,000 on my two doggies, one of which had passed on - and experienced no less than 3 bum-vets. Between them, my doggies were either mis-diagnosed, under-medicated, over-medicated and worse, one even got my doggie overdosed on ivermectin and my puppy went blind for two dogs while the vet frantically tried to reverse the side-effects. One was even too arrogant to admit that he failed to take a skin scrape test to identify my puppy's problem, after pumping the poor doggie with needless antibiotics and steroids - not to mention having me pump in a few hundred dollars to no avail.

But thanks to this website, I found out some good home remedies from "Tom, Dick or Harry" here and much of the mange problem my puppy suffered over the months have been almost eradicated. That vet now recommends a few of the patients to use the home remedy I experimented on my puppy.

In reading this thread and hearing the different views re: vets, I'm feeling alot of harsh criticism that I think is unwarranted. I am not a fan of going to the doctor or taking my dogs to the vet but I don't think the majority are in it just for the money. I have found that doctors and vets display a sincere concern for their patients, it's just that their modern education is about diagnosing and prescribing (hence the high cost of the visit). They are not not educated in nutrition ad have forgotten the old prescription of "Let thy medicine be thy food and thy food be thy medicine".

Prevention for animals and humans is far more effective than trying to treat the symptoms. Let's take responsibility for ourselves and when we really need them be grateful that the docs and vets are there. ;)

Hi Jlee from Singapore! Care to share your home remedy for mange? My poor doggie is suffering from domodex mites problem for the past two years and we have also spent bucks of $$$ for his repeated problem to a few vets and apparently could not see a cure to this annoying cause.

I really love people and animals. It drives me buggy sometimes how people get so carried away with experimenting with every thing they can think of on their beloved pets, that they would never think of doing to their children. Dogs are not some alien beings , they are very similar to us . If the label says don't get it on your skin and to wash right away if you do and keep out of the hands of children, WHY, WHY, WHY, would you ever put it on your sweet dog? Because your money grubbing Vet. says so?. Use your common sense, think first.

Example:To Di If your little doggie has demodex she has a weak immune system. Feed her a raw meat diet, no stress! Lots of exercise and as her immune system gets strong it will kill off the mites. It will take several months some times but it will make your doggie strong and healthy, be patient. In the meantime, ask Teresa about Teds Remedy for mites or you can look it up yourself. To the man asking about calluses on his dogs elbows and hocks . Mites also cause what looks like calluses on elbows and hocks , same answer, feed him right. You can't put something on your dog to strengthen his immune system.

Lots o love, from Robert and Amber, who also had a demodex infection and lyme disease and was cured by nothing more than good food and lol.

My comment is regarding any topical flea & tick POISION as I like to refer to it. Research all ingredients in Frontline Plus, Advantix, Hartz, Advantage etc..... and see for yourself what they do to your pets. BUT EVEN WORSE are the INERT INGREDIENTS. Companies don't disclose inert ingredents (which DOES NOT MEAN INACTIVE)! These ingredients are VERY ACTIVE! They are used to enhance the main ingredent and they are usually even worse in causing side effects than the main ingredient. By law, companies don't have to disclose these. This keeps other companies from coping their product formula. But the bad thing about this is, you don't know what all is in the product either.

I'm not knocking ACV because I just used it on my dog that was skunked about 3 days ago and it is really helping the smell. But there is another GREAT PRODUCT FOR FLEAS & TICKS it is DIATOMACEOUS EARTH FOOD GRADE. Not only can this be applied to your pets body to kill fleas and ticks, it is also fit for HUMAN consumption which means your dog could eat it too! It works great to kill bugs in your yard! It is safe for humans and animals! You can buy it on Amazon.

You can get it in smaller amounts too.

Vets schools are subsidized by the animal feed/medicine manufacturers much the same as Med Schools (for humans) are subsidized by Big Pharma. Bottom line...neither vet schools nor med schools are interested in teaching about natural medicine treatments or cures because there is no money in it! They both would rather give you a "medicine" to relieve the symptoms than reach for a CURE..especially a natural one! The old saying is still true today...."follow the money"! And you cannot patent something that occurs in nature...Hence, there's no money in it!

What kind of zinc should I feed my dog? Is there a particular brand recommended for dogs?

I had my dog, who was medium size on half adult dose, 1xday and bought human kind of zinc.

I agree. The food is not very great. It caused my two dogs many problems. I was introduced to raw feeding and my dogs have been healthy ever since. Raw feeding consists of processed raw meat (I purchase from the butcher) and ground up fruits & veggies. I add dog vitamins, diatomaceous earth, salmon or cod oil and apple cider vinegar and they're good to go. No fleas, upset stomach, allergies, irritable bowel syndrome, hot spots, or any other ailment imaginable. It's not that expensive to raw feed. It cost about the same if not cheaper. I have a garden so I can get my veggies fresh and the fruit from the farmer's market. So give it try and you'll see the difference in your dog's health and well being.

My dog has a bladder infection took him to the vet gave him medication. He ran out and seems to still have it. Would like to try the ACV. He is also one Potassium Bromide 575 mg. for his seizures. Would this have a side affect on him?? Please help

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

My red nose pit bull 10 months old keeps wanting me to taking her out to pee but she is not peeing and she is not her self she is not running around playing so I am concerned. But early she was peeing fine.

Hello Swan,

If you have ever had a UTI you know that you will feel the need to pee even if your bladder is empty. Monitor your girl's output; if she simply isn't peeing at all then you should see your vet. If she is peeing but in drips and drops, you might consider Ted's sea salt remedy for a UTI:

Use a quality sea salt - the aquarium stores tend to sell the best.

A crisis dose is 1 teaspoon of sea salt into a liter of pure, non-chlorinated water, for 1-2 days [play it by ear; you *should* see a rather immediate resolution to the symptoms in that time frame, but if not go for 3 days and consider adding cranberry juice to the water.

A maintenance dose after the crisis resolves is 1/4 teaspoon sea salt into 1 liter of water.

If your dog won't drink the water with 1 teaspoon of sea salt added to it, consider dosing 1/2 teaspoon sea salt into canned food and hiding it that way so your dog takes it. Give 1/2 teaspoon am and pm for up to 2 days.

Please also consider diet; a corn based diet has been linked to UTI's so look at your dog food bag ingredient label and if you see corn or grain in the first 10 ingredients you need to switch up, because the food you are feeding could be making your dog sick.

Please report back!

I read all the posts regarding Apple Cider Vinegar remedies. However, I am unsure of the dosage. My dog weighs 55 pounds. I think I would mix the Apple Cider Vinegar with yogurt. What would the ratio be?

I would try a teaspoon, three times a day.

~Mama to Many~

How much of the vinagar do you put in the bath?

I do 1 part vinegar to 10 parts water - this as an a rinse once the shampoo is rinsed out.

What is the portion size of plain yogurt to give my dog and how often? She suffers from yeast infections in her paws and ears.

For my dogs I give about 1/3 cup, one dog is 100 lbs the other is a puppy and about 60 lb. My cats get about 1/2 Tbsp every night with mixed canned and dry food. They also all get Apple Cider Vinegar, 1 tsp for each. The dogs get it for preventative and the cats because one has irritable bowel and they switch bowls often. The IBS kitty will eat the ACV first. All pets now lose much less fur and have shinier healthier coats.

I have a great Dane she was infested with fleas. I got rid of them but she has hot spots and has scratch so much she's lost her hair and has a few rashes. I've been using the apple cider vinegar and also epsom salt and water for a substitute for salt water at the beach. She is very much releived but I was wondering how much apple cider vinegar a day did you use on your animals? Can I spray her on a daily basis as the everyday routine? Thank you. I hope you get this question - we live in Texas right next to the coast but we can't get to the coast. Any feedback would be appreciated. Yours truly, Patti

You can spray her coat (get her completely wet) with the organic Apple Cider Vinegar (the brand that begins with a B) and distilled water mixture. Mix the distilled water and ACV 1/2 and 1/2 in a spray bottle. Again, get her completely wet with the mixture, and then let her air-dry. No need to towel dry her. Letting her air-dry will let the mixture soak into her skin.

Also, make sure you're feeding her good-quality NO-GRAIN, NO-CORN foods, including grain-free treats if any.

I have 3 little dogs, Cleatis, a Dashound who weighs like 15 -20 pnds & Tucker, who is the smallest a long haired rat terrier weighing maybe 7 pnds.Holly is my Min Pin who weighs between 15 -20 pnds.Holly has very dry itchy skin.I'm so excited to use the Apple Cider Vinegar to bath &rinse her in. I have a half gallon bowel that I keep their drinking water in, I usually have to refill the water bowel every couple days.To prevent reinfestation of fleas how much Apple Cider Vinegar do I add to the half gallon of water?Can I add the Apple Cider Vinegar to their water that is left out at all times and how much Apple Cider Vinegar do I add to a half gallon bowel of water??Also since it's a half gallon bowel will it still help get rid of the fleas???Thanks for all the great ideas! Iv been desperate to help Holly stop itching & chewing, she's been misreable.So thanks to yall she will b itch free & hopefully they will b flea free too! 😄

Gently clean the eye area with some cotton wool and cooled boiled water. Not your fingers!!

A spoonfull of ACV onto the back of the dogs neck, twice a day. In about 3 days the infection will have gone. If you don't have a syringe to apply it. Just soak some cotton wool in the ACV and squeeze it onto your dogs neck. This works on cats also. I think it's systemic. Just use it like you would put flea drops on the back of the neck. Try to get it on the skin, rather than just on the fur. With a cat, you may need someone to help you!!

Hey Kim!

Please read up about Cushings disease on EC's page:

https://www.earthclinic.com/pets/cushings-disease.html

If you are using the ACV topically, you can dilute 10:1 - ten parts water to 1 part ACV and saturate your dog and just let him air dry.

Its always best to start out weak and move up to stronger solution... I suggest, after my own trial error and research to take 4 quarts of water to 1 cup of Apple Cider Vinegar (u can add 2 tbs of scent free tear free baby soap especailly for sensitive or irritated skin) this mix should last a 25# dog over a week.

For broken or irritated skin sponge or cloth on solution until coat n skin are damp and air dry. repeat daily until skin is healed, you can use more solution if needed just remember slowly increase the amount of acv, pat dry with towel wet dogs until damp then air dry, and never place dog where its under 70 degrees until its completely dry. ;) good luck