Apple Cider Vinegar for Ear Infections in Dogs

Day 2 and second round of treatment with the Apple Cider Vinegar mix, going well. Odor almost completely gone. Still got some build up deep in the canal but it's working its way out.

Has ear infections. How do I give my boxer vinegar? In ear or oral?

Hey Tina!

You can do both. Use white vinegar for the ears, and you want to only use the organic raw apple cider vinegar for taking internally.

Our pit bull has an ear infection at the moment, we were just curious as to what we should use right now. We are in Ireland so a lot of the suggested remedies are not readily available here. The dog is just really down with this infraction.

All suggestions will be appreciated.

Hello Rialc!

Fellow pit bull lover here :) A very simple remedy is garlic infused oil. I typically crush a couple of cloves and let it steep over night, but you could also run a few cloves through a garlic press or mince them very finely and then let them sit 10 minutes; then add to the oil - I use olive oil as it is usually handy - and allow the juices to blend with the oil. Strain the bits of garlic out and warm to body temperature before adding to the ear. Use a liberal amount - you want to be sure it reaches deeply into the ear. Massage the base and listen for squishy sounds to ensure the oil has penetrated deeply. Fresh garlic is a strong antimicrobial agent and you need to let it sit for 10 minutes to fully activate it.

If your pockets are not to let other considerations would be a trip to the local drug store for these products:

1 tube Monistat (women's vaginal yeast infection product, generic is fine - the active ingredient you want is Miconazole Nitrate)

1 tube Polysporin (Bacitracin and Polymyxin B are the active ingredients you want, so any similar antibiotic cream with those active ingredients would suit)

1 tube Cortaid (The active ingredient is Hydrocortisone which helps with swelling and inflamation and itching)

Contributor Wendy originally posted this with directions - you may have to scroll down for it:

https://www.earthclinic.com/pets/ear_infection.html

I also highly recommend Zymox Otic with hydrocortisone which you should be able to order online - IMHO this is a must have in your doggie ear care toolbox; not only does it have the hydrocortisone but it also has enzymes which help digest yeast and bacteria and you do not need to clean the ear with this product which suits dogs with very painful ears.

Good luck and report back please!

Rialc (Ireland) ---

The best treatment is pure olive oil and a clove of garlic steeped in the warmed oil for about two to three days. Apply the warmed oil in a few drops in each ear morning and night, gently massaging the oil also in the outer ear and dabbing with a tissue.

This is used by natural doctors for children and in my experience it works. Just make sure you get pure olive oil as a label cannot be trusted anymore. Pure sesame oil (not roasted) will also work.

Namaste, Om

My beagle is suffering from a bad ear please, please help me. He is my baby and I'm very funny about anything that is used on him. Will this work.

One of the best remedies for healing your pet's bacterial and/or yeast infection is the Healthy Ear Recipe (from Arcane). Do a search on this site for "Arcane", and you'll find it. The ingredients to buy are very inexpensive, and easy to mix. And your pet will love you for it!

How many times a day and for how many days (in a row?) should I use the ACV method?

how do you administer the acv? do you use a dropper or sprayer or what?

My dog has chronic Yeast ear infections and like most on this site prescriptions aren't doing the trick . Grizzly Bear is a 95 lb chocolate lab and I am curious to know the amount of Apple Cider Vinegar / water that needs to go in the ear and how many times a day it should be done .

Do a search on this site for "Healthy Ear Recipe (from Arcane)". It's an excellent remedy for ear infections (yeast and/or bacterial).

It totally cleared up my Golden Retriever's yeasty ears. Plus, you may need to find a new food that is "limited ingredient", with NO grains, NO legumes (beans), NO rice, no chicken, try a good-quality protein, e.g., fish.

I also have a Cockapoo who's prone to ear infections so I'll try the vinegar-water mixture myself! Thank goodness for this site!

What do u mean by flushing, my dog has a recurring ear infection which wont clear up after vetrinary treatment. I would like to give this apple cider/water a go as he has lots ov black crap in his ears.

Hey Nicola!

Flushing refers to flooding the ear with the solution to rinse away particulate matter and to saturate the area with the working solution.

If your dog has a chronic ear infection, then you have to clean the ears daily if not twice a day to stay on top of the yeast or bacteria so they cannot over grow and cause discomfort.

You might find the addition of baking soda or borax to your dog's drinking water helpful in keeping a chronic infection at bay.

Hi, another suggestion is colloidal silver. You can put it in your dogs drinking water and also apply it, after washing the ear out, inside the dogs ears. It has very potent antibiotic properties.

Can you share the best way to flush out the ear with the 50/50 solution? I don't want to get too much fluid in her ear.

Hey Shaleen!

There is no getting around getting fluid in the ears when you flush them; that is the goal, to FLOOD the ear with fluid to flush the debris out, and to get the working component of the solution - the vinegar - deep into the ear canal to kill the yeast. If any part of the ear canal is not flushed with the solution, the yeast remains and the ear cannot heal.

In infected ears that are scratched raw with open sores, I would first use garlic infused olive oil for several days to allow the skin to heal before flushing it with vinegar and water. It may also help to use vinegar, water and isopropyl alcohol [1 part each] to help break down any wax in the ear as well.

When you say flush out, could you pleade give detailed instructions? My dogs ear is swollen and I hear liquid in it...no funds to go to Vet. And his brother keeps wanting to kick his ear to help, which I'm trying to stop but not at home all day. Would peroxide added help also? I mixed: 1 part ACV to 2 parts water and used a spoon to pour in ear, then massage, let shake and absorbed with cotton pad.

How much do you put in the ears each time?

My dog has been doing the exact same thing with her ear. I don't have much money for the vet, but I would like to know what's wrong with her, to do anything possible to ease her pain. What was the cause for your dogs pain?

I used this on my dogs ears 2 parts water to one part ACV and it made her ear worse. I feel horrible that I hurt her worse!

I need to let all you people know before all these poor dogs are put through a very painful week of vinager and rubbing alcohol, first of all all these remedies are wonderfull BEFORE your dog has an ear infection, my dog got at least 3 infections a year and these remedies are wonderful for PREVENTION, scratch your arm then poor vineger and rubbing alcohol on it and see if you like it, when your dog has an ear infection there ears are swollen and very raw from itching, once they have the infection you need to get them antibiotics!!! But I have a great solution to cost, you dont need to bring your dog to the vet there is a solution at petmeds. Com, you can buy without a prescription!! if you compair it to the prescription stuff you'll see there is no difference in the least, its $20 dollars for 1 oz (zymox )but worth it compared to a $150 bill which is what I paid everytime I took my dog in for an infection. Its called ZYMOX OTIC(its arouns $20 but some other petmed places have it for $10) it is the same stuff as the anitbiotics your doc will give you!!! AND YOU DONT NEED A PRESCRIPTION!!! I have been using it for 3 years now and my dogs ears clear up with in 3 days!! THERES ONE WITH CORTIZONE AND ONE WITHOUT NOW THE CORTIZONE DOES, HELP WITH PAIN BUT DONT GET IT!!!! , YOUR DOG MOST LIKELY DOES HAVE OPEN SORES FROM SCRATCHING , AND THE CORTIZONE WILL BURN!!! So get the green one not the blue bottle anyway im glad I can help its really common sense no one would ever put vineger or rubbing alcohol on a cut it hurts!!! Use all these remedies as a preveNtive NOT a solution!!!! , it wold be like me telling you "YOU HAVE CANCER !! "now go home and eat a apple EVERY DAY! " (it does nothing to cure, but it might prevented.

You've jumped to a ridiculous conclusion here. Your dog was not traumatised by the ACV - he was reacting to the ear infection. I had a poodle who constantly had ear infections and she was the same way - didn't want me or the vet to touch her ears - her ears hurt and she wanted them left alone. Someone had to help me put medicine in her ears for the same reason. It was the ear infection, NOT the ACV.

Sage is right. Let's use some common sense. Of course a dog is going to dislike having something poured into its ear - it doesn't understand why you're doing it! Sometimes, with patience, you can gain the dog's trust. Try letting the dog see/sniff what you're using, so it knows it's not something to be afraid of. We used to have a problem with one of our bull terriers, but with patience she now tolerates having something put into her ear. And, of course, as has been repeated several times, the vinegar MUST be diluted. And, even then, it may sting when applied - that will depend on how inflamed and sore the ear is. So just because some dogs reacted badly to the treatment, doesn't mean it's a bad remedy - perhaps their ears were already very sore, or the dog is particularly timid. It also depends to some extent on the breed - some are very stoic and seem to tolerate pain much more than others. So please - a bit more common sense and a bit less hysteria.

I realize this is not ACV, but Grapefruit Seed Extract in a natural antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral and antiparasitic. I mix it with Coconut oil (a few drops is sufficient) and drop into dogs ears. Seems to work very well with no trauma. So whether your dog has mites, or a yeast infection-- this should work.

Hey Deedra!

Thanks for this helpful tip!!

Apple cider vinegar is awesome! It does clear out the infection better than anything else I've tried. A note to all the people saying their dogs had negative reactions to the experience: let me remind you that putting vinegar on an open wound is going to sting. Make sure there's no blood in the ear before you put vinegar in it, I made this mistake once and that was the only time my dog yelped and was obviously in discomfort afterwards. If they shake their head a little bit afterwards, I wouldn't be alarmed, again you are messing with their injured area and they don't enjoy that. My dog obviously feels relief after the first few minutes, and has never been "traumatized" by the apple cider vinegar experience. You are only traumatizing your dog by being insensitive to its injuries. Have a little common sense.

Deedra, I use Coconut Oil on a cotton pad to clean my dogs infected ears and its amazing on it's own. I'll try it with the Grapefruit Seed Extract next for sure. Thanks for the tip. I've tried the ACV and also a remedy containing alcohol, povidone iodine and vinegar and boric acid. You would think that combo would kill just about anything but the plain ole Coconut Oil was what finally cleared up the infection.

Trying the ACV and water for the first time will see how it goes. Another suggestion if your dog has lotsa hair growing out of his ears it helps to pull them so the ear can vent better and not so much gunk or moisture will get trapped BUT PLEASE HAVE A VET show you first how to do it right so you don't hurt your pooch! I have to do this for my Sheepdog and it really helps to keep infections away.This ear infection is kinda my fault because I wasn't keeping up on his ears :-(

Going to try the coconut oil on my hound pup for cleaning...Has anyone used straight hydrogen peroxide as is used for babies?

Hey Charlie!

For ears that are NOT infected or sore from scratching - for general cleaning or after swimming I have used equal parts water, hydrogen peroxide and rubbing alcohol; I have also used equal parts water, white vinegar and rubbing alcohol. The rubbing alcohol has a drying effect - if you do not want that leave it out or do equal parts water, hydrogen peroxide and white vinegar.

This is crazy. 80% water solution? That will make everything worse. WORSE. NOT BETTER.

Remember, moist, dark, damp = perfect breeding ground for bacteria. DO NOT PUT WATER IN YOUR DOG'S EARS!

A hemotoma is a bruise, not a swelling. I think this guy is just trying to debunk the uses of ACV; trying to be all scientific and failing, lol.

Hematoma is a Swelling with blood involved! Eccymosis is a bruise.

I just got home from the vet - you are absolutely correct - a HEMATOMA is caused by broken blood vessel which forms a pocket of blood. The vet lanced it and put in a drain tube. A Hematoma is NOT a bruise!

About dog ear infections: After I put ACV/H2O) 50/50 dilution into my dog's very inflammed ear, it irritated her so much, she shook her head for 25 minutes until a large area of swelling on the ear flap (hematoma) developed. I gave homeopathic Arnica right away twice a day until it cleared, (you can give it up to a week. ) Also I gave Rutin, 250 - 500 mg for this 45-lb dog 3 times a day with food. These two things reduced the swelling to zero after 24 hours. You can get both at a health food store.

my 11 yr old shitzu has an ear infection on and off for 8 months now and have been keeping his ears clean and dry as possible. I will try the 50/50 cider vinegar/water solution but, I'm not sure about feeding it to him daily. As I've seen it's mostly women who have posted here and I think you all know what vinegar does to your bodies. It kills ALL the friendly bacteria not only in your digestive system, but your other parts also. My wife says it causes yeast infections in women. It does the same to men if they ingest alot of vinegar like what happened a few years ago. He ate pickled everything and Italian dressing on his salad daily. So if anyone knows more about the side effects on our pets, please post. I figure I should feed my dog a teaspoon of plain yougurt every few days to help his digestive system.

All of you folks who are asking about dilution and frequency, it's all in the original post. You don't need to put so much of the solution in your pet's ear that they are shaking it out for half an hour. You can also follow it with aloe vera gel, which is soothing and also will loosen deposits in the ears. If you put the solution in a spray bottle and spray into the ear you won't end up soaking your pet's ear canal and causing them to give themselves injuries due to shaking out all that liquid. One thing that I changed from the original post and would suggest to all of you: use a tablespoon of vodka in place of rubbing alcohol. The solution potentially will drain into the animal's throat from the ear canal and/or be absorbed, and rubbing alcohol is not a healthy substance to ingest. Vodka is clean and digestible. I have poodles, prone to ear issues, and this works for me.

Of course an antibacterial will kill all bacteria, but, just as following the use of prescribed antibiotics, you should add pro-biotic/good bacteria back into your body. Eat yogurt.

Brian from TN opines that vinegar kills bacteria and causes yeast infections. Brian (and his wife) are confusing ANTIBIOTICS, which have those effects, with vinegar, which COUNTERS them. I am afraid someone will read his comment and become afraid of vinegar for the wrong reasons--completely oppositely wrong, in fact! (Sugar is more deadly a culprit in this situation than vinegar. ) P. S. --It has nothing to do with the gender of the person using it.

To the one who stated that what goes in the ear canal drains into the mouth is not true. I have a standard poodle who has been prone to ear infections. According to the vet the dogs ear canal has a L shape. Whatever goes in the ear travels into a corner at the bottom and just sits there. Thats what causes the ear infection. Bacteria grows from the moisture left in the ear.

Can anyone help me please. My cat has an ear infection, a tooth infection and his rectum is so big and red and swollen, like a baboon's. I was so scared when I saw it. I'm sorry to say he looks like a rape victim. He is so miserable. I rushed him to the vet and was given 'Clavamox' 125mg plus 2 liquid meds to put in his ears. Oh, plus a cone around his neck. Unfortunatly I lost my job last month so I could only afford the office visit, Clavamox, ear cleaning and the collar ($121). I desperately need a home remedy that will really work and won't hurt or damage him. I'm a bit confused with all the 'yeas and nays', the dosages and the application. It is so hard to see my baby this way as i'm sure any pet owner can relate. I'd really apreciate any helpful tips that will ease his dicomfort and eradicate this problem. My cat and I thank you and wish u all the best of luck with your precious ones.

For British from Long Island re. Cat with ear and tooth infection and swollen behind--Please give him/her food grade diatomaceous earth in his raw apple cider-dampened food, starting with 1 tsp. Once a day, increasing gradually to rounded to heaping tsp. 2 X/day. DE absorbs and eliminates toxins from body, and is inexpensive. Check health food store or internet for sources, or I would be glad to send you some if I knew your postal or email adDr.Also add gently melted coconut oil to food, starting with 1 tsp once a day, increasing slowly to 1--2 tsps. 2 X/day. You might try dropping into ear from eyedropper, diluted ACV with DE in it; or if possible after swabbing out, applying gently melted coconut oil into ear. For the behind, if possible, I would gently massage or simply apply gently melted coconut oil with DE in it at 2 or 3 X/day. If kitty doesn't allow you to touch it, the DE in his food should help a lot. If he refuses his food with these supplements, apply to fur, paws, legs so he'll lick it off. Try at least a few times in his food, though. Best wishes to cat and to you.

Did the ears get red at first when you cleaned them out?

Is that 1 cup apple cider vinegar to 2 cups water or 1 cap to 2 caps..need to know asap, dog has infection in both ears and don't have money for a vet visit right now.

I also meant to ask how much Apple Cider Vinegar to put in a cat's water. We have 4 cats and water bowls all over the house which I change daily. Is this something that takes time for the cats to get used to or is the amount added so small that they don't notice? Thanks again!

My 15 year old cat has some sort of med resistant ear infection. In the past year, I have taken her to 3 different veterinarians and who each prescribed 3 different ear meds. The last vet prescribe an otic ointment called gentamicin. In researching it after it too failed to address her ear condition, I found it to be a very broad spectrum medication that is effective to every ear pathogen, including yeasts and fungi, that I, (a previous vet teach of 10 years), have ever heard of.

I am on a very low income and so can not afford the huge cost of another vet visit. Thus, I did an Internet search and came upon your wonderful site, and noticed many contributors using vinegar as an ear treatment. I have been treating her with a 50/50 solution, of white vinegar to water, for about 2 weeks now which has had no effect and the dark brown liquidy discharge has continued along with her discomfort.

Yesterday, I ran out and purchased some ACV and mixed it to a 50/50 to water solution and shall begin a treatment with that hoping that the particular kind of vinegar used may make a difference. I am really at a loss as to what to try if the ACV solution does not work. I would very much appreciate any ideas that anyone can contribute. Seeing my feline friend suffer is just not acceptable, and so, if any of you could post an idea ASAP, I would certainly appreciate it. There is also a store in town where alternative ingredients can be purchased, or perhaps someone could suggest an online company that sells a product that may work. No matter what, I thank you for reading my plea and for any advice that you could give to me. A Cat Lover in Spokane, Washington

Feed your pets some Plain Yogurt daily. Just a spoonful a day will do and they love it. Not temporarily just to treat the problem, but always as their daily routine because it's good for them anyway and will be a preventative. When it's a yeast infection in the ear then they have a yeast infection internally in their body. Drops in the ears from vets are not treating their whole body. Yogurt works on their whole body. Also, if your pet is having chronic yeast infections then you should look into them having a food allergy. Find a food that is for pets with allergies. Do some research online about pet food quality and how to narrow it down to find out what their allergy could be. Animals with allergies tend to get yeast infections. Also, if they've been on antibiotics they can get yeast infections.

I flooded my dog's floppy ears with equal parts of ACV and water. He didn't seem to mind it at all, and he is pretty sensitive and vocal about having his ears and tail touched. He has his first ear infection that I can recall. Hope it works as we have been treating his ears for a week with a prescription, Motozol, and it doesn't seem to be helping. Will report back in a few days.

Please use only THIS remedy (Healthy Ear Recipe (from Arcane) for healing your dog's ears:

Read it very carefully and completely! It's an excellent remedy for ear infections (yeast and/or bacterial) in dogs. I've used it on my Golden Retriever's ears when she had a yeast infection. Totally cleared it up. Plus, find a new food with NO GRAIN, NO CORN, and NO RICE (rice=sugar which yeast loves).

Healthy Ear Recipe (from Arcane)

1 tube Monistat (generic is fine)
1 tube Polysporin (use the real deal - it's inexpensive)
1 tube Cortaid (generic works here as well)

Use tubes of similar size. Mix all three together in a container that can be closed well. It takes a bit to incorporate because the Polysporin is a bit like Vaseline. Once incorporated, it stays mixed.

If ears are gunky, inflamed or smell bad, start with using a pea sized dollop twice a day. Use your finger to gently push it into the ear. Rub. Dogs will only shake their heads once or twice! It's a creamy, very soothing mixture. Once you have the ears under control, lessen how often you use it till you're only using it once a week. Once a week, it keeps ears from getting bad again.

My doctor (human) is the one that came up with this as her dogs were having ear issues that weren't really under control from the things her vet was prescribing! Anyone that I know that has gone to using it has had remarkable results and the dogs are much happier and SAFER than using anything with alcohol in it. I was told by my vet that alcohol just dries the ear out - which includes drying out the ear drum AND that if there is even the tiniest of perforations in that ear drum, it can let alcohol down into the middle ear where it can do permanent damage. That's why this cream is SOOOOO good! There's nothing "liquid" about it. It goes in and melts its way down to where it's needed. No alcohol to cause drying or damage and it will take care of anything yeast, bacterial etc...

Hey Wendy!

Thank you for sharing this recipe - I am copying it and putting it in my bag of tricks! I also have found the OTC remedy Zymox Otic HCL is super effective on my kids when they have ear troubles, but I do think your remedy is likely a bit easier to come by in the middle of the night. I also really like Ted's Anti-fungal/Anti-staph remedy which is also inexpensive with ingredients that are easy to come by.

Hi Wendy,

Thank you so much for this recipe. I have been applying antibiotic ear drops to my 15 year old toy poodle the last four days and it seems as though it's making her feel worse. I went and got all the ingredients for this and just put the first dose in her ears And she is resting comfortably now. I will check back in to let you know how she's doing in a couple of days.

Concern about the ACV solution!! First time user of this solution and wondering if it is normal for a dogs ear to ooze puss after using the solution.. Our dog seems to have relief but we were or are concerned about this being a problem??

Hey Donna!

Without seeing your dog's ears in real time, it is hard to comment on the pus being normal or not.

If you cannot afford a vet, I would continue the flushing 2x3 times a day to see if it helps heal the ears. If it get's worse you may need to see the vet, as a worsening condition can lead to deafness in that ear.

Hey Coree!

DO NOT just add ACV undiluted to a dog with an ear infection; if the dog has been scratching the inside of the ear raw [very common] then the ACV will STING and cause pain.

For a dog with sores in the ear, first start with olive oil infused with raw garlic. Take regular olive oil from the kitchen - 1 cup, and add 2-3 smashed or pressed cloves of raw garlic. Let that sit overnight. Then strain out the garlic and warm up the oil to body temperature, and massage that deep into the ear. Treat the ear with the garlic infused olive oil for a few days to make sure the skin inside the ear is healed before using ACV or rubbing alcohol on it.

Wendy has posted an ear formula made from OTC products from the drug store - it will cost you around $23 bucks or so; I like her forumla because it contains a steroid that will help with inflammation and itching. If you don't have the $23 bucks to spare, for less than 3 dollars - once the ear tissue has healed and there are no open sores or scratched raw skin - you can do equal parts of water, rubbing alcohol and white vinegar/ACV. Warm it up to body temperature and use it to flush out any gunk in the ear. The alcohol is drying, which is many times indicated with a gunky ear. You may need to flush the ears am and pm to fully knock out the infection, and then follow up with regular flushings to keep the ear healthy. This is all individual - your dog may need the ears flushed daily or every three days or weekly for the ears to stay healthy. Also a diet that has grains, corn or potatoes may contribute to yeasty ears to read the label on your kibble and consider a diet upgrade if you find grains and starches high up on the ingredient panel.

I thought it is not good to get moisture in the dog's inner ear? Obviously turkey baster flushing is getting right in there?

To Diane:

Moisture means dampness and/or water that just sits inside the ear breeding bacteria and yeast. It's fine to flush out the ears with an ear cleaning solution (recommended above, e.g., the ACV/distilled water mixture). You flush out the ears, then use a cotton ball to wipe out the excess solution.

Hey Diane!

Lake water from swimming that gets deep into the ear can result in an ear infection. Typically a medicated solution - be it from the vet or a combo of vinegar [antifungal] and water - will prevent an infection, not cause it.

Using a liquid solution helps both to deliver medication to where it needs to go, and to flush out debris and the like from the ear; debris, be it a foreign body or ear wax or ear mite gunk, is an irritation and so should be removed/flushed out, to aid in healing an infected ear.

I put olive oil in my calico cat's ears and now for 24 hours, she is violently shaking her head.

Hey Sharon!

You might try cleaning your pet's ears by adding more olive oil and making sure it penetrates deeply; then allow your cat to shake and see if debris is coming loose. You can also follow up by wiping the ear of excess olive oil. If this doesn't do the trick, if your cat is still shaking her head you should consider seeing your veterinarian.

Pit bull rescue had fab ears, now 5 years old and shook head so hard got blood bump & have to have surgery. I had thought he fort stung by something did not realize something wrong and his head shaking caused that. Vet gave antibiotic, cone head and don't ask the price. Now his slice is finally healing but ears still red (both now) & he shakes them. Just going nuts that he does not feel well. Read and will try garlic/oil rub since do not think ACV with red ears would be good to try. Some one said there are other home remedies or solutions to make please advise. food is tractor supply 4-health so grains are not high, changed winter rye grass in back yard, could that be allergy? Scared so now cover whole yard in heavy fabric. At wits end and on pension. Help