How to Use Apple Cider Vinegar for Bladder Infections in Dogs

I have an elderly male dog, about 55 pounds. I think he could have a UTI because he has been incontinent and his urine has a bad odor. He also has a neurological disease that causes rear leg weakness, etc. I see different dosages of the ACV...can anyone tell me how much to give my dog? It looks like maybe 1 Tablespoon?

Also, has anyone noticed any side effects from this, especially stomach or intestinal reactions? My guy has a very sensitive GI system. Thank you!

Hello Angel,

The neurological issues that are affecting your dog's rear end can also affect bladder control. The foul odor of the urine raises red flags.

ACV might help, but do know that while ACV might have a quick effect on a young animal with a strong immune response, it may take a while to work on an older animal with a severe infection.

Our seniors can go down hill so quickly - please consider taking your old boy to the vet.

Hello All,

I stumbled on to this site, and read where a lot of people cured a dog's bladder infection with ACV and Yogurt. I have taken my shepherd to the vet several times and its costed me a phenomenal amount of money. after two rounds of different antibiotics and tests. I can't see putting her through this again. I know by them drawing the urine from her bladder it causes her a lot of discomfort and I cant see me doing that to her anymore. I will give this remedy a try by putting 2 tbl spoons of ACV and yogurt in her food and Pray that I clears it up for her. I am at a loss right now and am desperate for any advice anyone can offer. I would certainly appreciate any further input because going back to a vet is not an option at this point. Thank you for the many posts and advice.

Hello Rudy,

Did your two vet trips give you any insight as to why your GSD is getting UTI's? Did they suspect stones or crystals?

I have an AB who I got as a pup with a UTI; she had been raised onto a kibble that was corn based. I treated her for her UTI at the vet and change her diet to grain free and there has been no problem ever since.

Please check the ingredient label on your food - it could be a grocery upgrade is in order.

Hello-- I found this site when looking up why my dog is trying to pee numerous times but only a little bit would come out. I followed the advice and gave him ACV and plain yogurt. He is peeing more than he was but I can't tell if it's blood or the vinegar. Would he be peeing the color of the vinegar? Although he is peeing more he still is peeing small amounts often. Should I continue with the ACV or take him to the vet? Sorry so long. Thank you in advance.

Worried mom

Hello Rudy,

Thank you for your service!!

I don't recommend any particular brand or have any brand loyalty as it always seems the really GOOD brands get bought out by big companies who then change the ingredients and the good name food looses its good qualities.

That said, right now I rotate among Taste of the Wild and Fromm, although there are more that I like also. The key is to read the ingredients and find a grain free recipe. There are really spendy diets out there - Orijen is one that I have tried that was food of the year; my particular dogs did not thrive on that food, so you have to pay attention to what works for your particular dog and not just by what people say is the best food.

You might read up on the various remedies for UTI's on EC, and also consider adding a probiotic to help restore your dog's good intestinal flora as the antibiotics take out all bacteria, good and bad, and that will set your dog up for a systemic yeast infection. You can use yogurt, but I prefer the kinds from the human health food store in the refrigerator case because they are more concentrated and there is no dairy to potentially upset a dog's tummy.

Hello Tj,

I can't tell the age of your dog by the pic, but when I got my AB as a 10 week old pup from the breeder she had been raised on a corn based diet and she had a UTI when I got her. The vinegar color of the urine is most likely from blood. If you have ever had one, a UTI feels like you are peeing fire - it stings like the Dickens, and you just feel you have to go, go, go despite the sting. If this were my dog I would see the vet for meds. I would then check the diet you are feeding and if it is grain based switch to a grain free diet. Antibiotics will knock out both the bad and the good bacteria, so consider supplementing with a probiotic once you are done with the antibiotics. If this is not a puppy but an older dog - if corn is not in the diet, consider additional testing and work ups. Despite the additional expense it would be helpful to know if there are stones or crystals in the bladder which would require special care and feeding down the road.

What is the mixture for Chihuahua's with apple cider vinegar. I have a 5 pound dog and I don't want to give it to her unless I know if it needs to be diluted.

I have a 145 lb. Bernese Mountain Dog. She has had urgency in going to the bathroom and needed to pee a little bit several times a day, I would like to give her the ACV treatment but am really not sure how much to give her and how often and for how long? Can you help?

Hey Christine,

I would start with adding 3 tablespoons into 2 cups of water and see if she will drink that. If not, dilute it further until she does take it. In addition, I would put 3 tablespoons into some wet food to disguise the taste and give this to her am and pm, and I would also sneak a few ACV loaded snacks in between to make sure she gets it into her to start working ASAP.

Just took our 7 1/2 year old Basset-hound/terrier mix in this past weekend for what ended up being a massive amount of stones (struvite) in her bladder. They did surgery yesterday. Now she is on amoxicillin for 10 days as well as changing her reg dry food (Chicken Soup for the Soul brand) to Royal Canin Urinary variety (both dry and moist) I have read about the remedy of administering ACV in the past. I have just given her some mixed in with her water. I imagine until the UTI is cleared up, I will continue to keep seeing her trying to go more often.

On the upswing she is peeing more and her appetite is back. She is sleeping well, no cries of discomfort at all, so the surgery was not as bad (pain wise) as I had thought. I have a friend in another state who advised long ago that dogs are carnivores, thus needing to be on a raw diet, not kibbles. I will explore the new food the vet mentioned, but also continue to be mindful of a more natural raw food diet. I just need to do more research on what raw items to give her. I pray that the acidic balance returns back to normal in a few days, (as I believe it truly will-given the ACV) because I hate seeing her be in such a state of confusion not going when she thinks she should be. I am glad I stumbled upon this page. Thanks for all the feedback here and I will keep checking in.

Vet did call earlier today and asked for her to not come back in until a month (new xray to check for picture of bladder area) as they suspect the sand size crystals not removed during surgery could very well end up forming more stones, if her PH is not balanced. So once again here's hoping and praying her issue dissolves itself in a few days with the ACV. I have mixed feelings on the antibiotic, because I know what that does in the end. So another concern would be starting her on a good probiotic after this medicine is complete in 7 days. Thanks again and I am open for feedback.

I tried putting apple cider vinegar in yogurt and her wet food and she still won't eat it, any advice? She is a 4 year old Maltese.

Nicole, try starting with a drop or two added to drinking water and you can build it up from there.

Theresa, a really good food that I have had many customers switch to is a brand called Taste of the Wild, comes in many flavors, and all natural, nor corn, wheat, its made with real meat like venison, bison, salmon, or wild boar, sweet potato and other good for them vegetables and fruits. I feed this to my dogs and cats. it can be a little pricey, but so very worth it. good luck on your fur kid.

Hey Jennifer!

I think your comment is for the original poster [?]. I feed my pack a rotation diet of home made, Fromm, TOTW and others. I agree that top quality and grain free is key for urinary tract health.

Kirkland dog food, sold only at Costco, saved my dog's life. It is a premium dog food at half the price of others. Approximately $28 for 40lbs. Best wishes....

ACV. Wonderful for canine uti. I drink it daily myself! I'm currently giving 1 tsp with 2tblsp yogurt 2xdaily to my female dog. I will give to her for 1wk. She is 14lbs. 15yrs old. Excellent health. All her bloodwork came back normal levels. Can I give this as a preventative to my dog? My female Italian greyhound gets a uti yearly. What do u suggest I give as preventative dose to keep her clear????

Thank you very much. Carol

It works great as a preventative!

How do you know how much Apple Cider Vinegar you would give to your dog? My 85lb Labradoodle has been on Cephalexin-500mg 2capsules 2X's per day for over 2 weeks now. Her urine still has high white cell count and crystals. Prescribed 2 more weeks on RX. Want to give the APV a try. Thanks!

I'm so thankful for everyone's great comments and helpful advise. I have a 6yr old yellow lab, male and he had an accident on the floor yesterday morning, I thought he waited too long to go out. He has been drinking a lot, peeing a lot, then I noticed some blood on him. Of course I'm so scared something is wrong, I cant afford a vet bill, so did some research and found this site...so I had some ACV, he will eat just anything I feed him, poor dog all I had to mix it with was bread and bean soup. LOL, he made faces but he ate it!!! So I'll do it again tomorrow, hopefully it does the trick!!! Thanks everyone!

I also have a mini dachshund, she's about 11 pounds. Can you tell me the amount of ACV you gave her?

Our little mini daschund (teckel over here in europe) is in a second round with bladder infection now....she is sooooooooooooooooo picky won't eat ACV it in her reg. food...any suggestions?? Thank you in advance

Paula, Try parsley tea, mince a tablespoon parsley , stems and all, boil eight ounces water, pour over parsley. Allow to steep for 20 mins. Strain and give warm, Offer three times a day. must be made fresh daily.

About 1 teaspoon on yogurt twice a day. Diluted in water.

Hi Paula;

I used a 10 cc syringe to feed apple cider vinegar and water to my poodle a couple of hours ago, will give him one more dose before bed.

Megan

Vanessa (Beautiful Hawaii) ---

I would use quality pumpkin oil over the food and ACV in caps or diluted. My cats and dogs don't mind. If you read up on P Oil you will be amazed. So I bought it as in the people section of EC a woman had cured herself with P Oil in three months. The health benefits are tremendous.

Namaste, Om

Hello Vanessa!

You might consider D-mannose for your girl - many have good long tern results with its use.

If the sea salt has not cured the UTI I would discontinue its use; it may no longer be a UTI that you are dealing with.

You can try 2-3 of the ACV pills per feeding.

Incontinence tends to occur in drips and dribbles when your dog is awake, and puddles when she is sleeping. UTI's tend to be in drips and dribbles also, but is accompanied by blood in the urine and pain/whining.

Vanessa --

My female cocker spaniel/poodle mix suffered from repeated UTIs. We finally switched vets and the new vet informed me that she had a bladder full of bladder stones and that unless the stones were removed, that she would continue to be reinfected by the bacteria that were present in the stones. I saw the stones on an x-ray and there hardly seemed room in her bladder for any urine.

My dog had surgery to remove the stones which filled a baby food jar which ranged in size from 1/4 of a pea to one larger than the diameter of a quarter.

The stones come from a certain bacteria that converts uric acid to magnesium struvite, which then sticks together and forms stones in the bladder. The infection can cause stones to form in a relatively short time, perhaps even as little as 2 weeks.

I now test her urine on a weekly basis with pH strips to make sure it is sufficiently acid (the bacteria makes the urine alkaline, so you can find out very quickly if your dog has a UTI that is not causing symptoms).

I started doing research about the stones and sure enough, I learned lots about "struvite stones." Even after the surgery she had some recurring stones. I ended up putting significant amounts of water in her food which helped to dissolve the stones and gave her a raw diet to make sure her urine was sufficiently acid to make it harder for the bacteria to infect the bladder. She is now happy and healthy, but I continue to put 1/4-1/2 cup of water in her food to make sure that she has plenty of fluid flushing out her bladder.

If your dog has recurring UTIs, be sure you have them checked out for stones. I would've saved my dog a lot of discomfort and perhaps a surgery bill if our original vet had alerted me early on to the condition.

Pkpk, the vet did an ultrasound on her bladder and it was fine. Pumpkin oil was suggested by another member and going to try that next.

How ever many capsules to equal 2 tablespoons.

Same amount Honey. If your fur baby is eating the capsules fine, then you can give 2 tablespoons of Honey by the spoon full. She make lap it up off a spoon. :-)

I see your comments were 12/20/15 which was awhile back, but anyway, don't give an animal salt. Ever. (You can soak an injury in Epsom Salts, but don't drink it).

How long did it take for the symptoms to go away? I am on day 2 and I have def noticed a difference but my dog is still peeing frequently so I am unsure of how long to wait it out.

Hi Dr. Benton, I am interested in your point of view here. I recently adopted a dog that was misrepresented to me. I was told he was 6-7 years old and had kennel cough. When the dog was transported to me, I had to take him to the vet less than 24 hours later because he was on the verge of death. The vet I saw told me that he is more like 10 years old (lifespan of the dogo argentino breed being 10-12 years). He was very skinny, had vomiting, blood in his stool, cataracts, kennel cough, and arthritis. We decided to hospitalize him to try to see if we could get him better. When he came home, he had some discolored urine toward the end of the pee, which had gone away after two subsequent urinations. During this time, we also had xrays, blood chemistry, and a fecal test done. All tests came back with normal results. He was on clavamox, metronidazole (if m remembering correctly) for 7 days, cerenia for 4 days, sucralfate for 5 days, and pepcid ac permanently. The kennel cough seems to have cleared up and the blood on the stool went away. It's very hard to find something that he will eat, so we're not getting weight back on him and struggling to not lose weight. He drinks water just fine. Now I'm concerned because he had one pee that smelled very bad. I brought him to the vet Friday because his vomiting started back up and they put him back on cerenia and pepcid. Then he had cloudy pee toward the end. Saturday he was fine in the morning and all of a sudden just looked dumpy. He then had blood in his pee. This ended after about 6 hours when he looked happy again and even had a great appetite comparatively. The cloudiness at the end of urination hasn't gone away. When I told my vet these things they suggested getting an ultrasound at another clinic. Is there any way this could be a uti? I'm really struggling here with what is the right thing to do. He seems to get better but then has these setbacks. I don't want him to suffer. If it is as simple as a uti I can keep trying but if not I think it would be best to euthanize him at his age. Any thoughts would be helpful. Thanks in advance.

How long do u give it to them? My English bull dog has been on antibiotics for 6 weeks 4 weeks for dermamites and now amoxicillin for the uti. I am giving her the amoxiciin and acv.

Try pumpkin, it is good for his digestion & improves appetite, they usually love pumpkin (canned pumpkin from the baking isle in the grocery store), it is great for diarrhea also & constipation, it is a high fiber, so keeps them regular, (put a heaping tablespoon in his feed & also a TBLS of apple cider vinegar every feeding as well, also put a half cup of water in his meals to make sure u r flushing his kidneys. I hope this helps your sweet boy. These are easy things to try & sure can help.

As a Professional Animal caretaker of 45 years, I found these simple things to help many ailments.

My 5yr lab was doing the squat, tickle, squat, tickle, squat, no tickle. She had a uti last yr, so I figured we were headed to vet. Saw the Acv remedy here. She wouldn't drink it, wouldn't eat it mixed in food. So I poured 2 tbsp down her throat. She gagged, but kept it down. Next morning, yesterday, tried second dose. She gagged, spit, & vomitted it up. Then, she continued to vomit all day. She lost her morning meal. She was drinking very little, but was just vomitting the water. Finally took her water away. Nothing helped. I could see the stomach spasming & she'd run for the door, gagging, throwing up. Today, I fed her half of her morning meal. She ate, drank very little, & has no interest in milk bones. Worried now the Acv only induced vomitting & could have flipped her stomach. Please advise.

Hi Jonna, did you give the apple cider vinegar straight because you must always mix it with water try giving her collidial silver 20 mls per day spaced through the day.

Gracious me, I think the way you treated your dog is the cause of spasms and lack of appetite.

Would you want someone to force 2 Tablespoons of vinegar down your throat, especially when you aren't feeling well? You try taking 2 Tablespoons straight. Yes, it will make you feel awful.

Kindness will go a long way with your dogs health.

Yes, please try Suzyq's remedy of colloidal silver. It is tasteless and easy to add to water.

Never give a dog undiluted Apple Cider Vinegar internally or externally.

I know you were desperate to help your dog, but why on earth would you force 2 Tablespoons of straight apple cider vinegar down her throat? It's written all over the net that ACV MUST BE DILUTED IN WATER 50/50 for pets. I hope your dog is okay. Please update us.

Can I try the ACV on my 8 wk old pit bull puppy? She has all the signs of of a uti and I can't afford the vet right now.

Dear Jill,

I would use Apple cider vinegar for a puppy with a suspected bladder infection, just a much smaller dose.

I am guessing he is about 10 pounds?

I would try 1/4 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar mixed in food or water 2-3 times a day.

Hello Jill,

You can try dosing your pup's drinking water with ACV, but most will turn their noses up, so you might have better luck soaking the kibble in plain water and then spiking it with canned food -and then add 2-3 tablespoons ACV to the portion you will feed and mix in really well; the smelly canned food hides the scent and flavor of the ACV. I would also try 1 tablespoon to 1 cup of water and use a syringe to get it down. If you tip your pup's head up/nose towards the ceiling and gently grasp your puppy's cheek near the corner of her mouth and pull it out you can make a pocket, and gently add the ACV water into the pocket - don't forcefully squirt it as it could get inhaled into the lungs. Most puppies will drink what you give them in this manner, and you can dose her with ACV water in between her meals that are spiked wiht ACV. I would dose 10 cc's every 2 hours of the ACV water but let her rest undisturbed over night for the first day. I would continue dosing ACV in her food and dose every 4 hours for the 2nd day. If you see improvement do not stop - continue dosing in her food for the next 7 days. One thing to consider is what you are feeding as corn and grain based diets have been linked to UTI's in dogs. So read the dog food label and if you see corn or grain you should switch to a grain free food. Good luck and keep us posted please!

My 6 month old Aussie is showing signs of a bladder/kidney infection. A few weeks after we got her at 8 weeks, she had a bladder infection, which the vet treated with 7 days of amoxicillin and low dose vitamin C. He suggested we keep her on a low dose of vitamin C or cranberry pills, which we have done. After reading these posts, I tried the ACV in yogurt, but she wouldn't touch it. I also tried some mixed in with homemade chicken broth, but she wouldn't touch it. I have also put some in her favorite water dish, but she walks away. Any ideas on how to get get to take it? I have a syringe for liquid medications, but neither my hubby or myself could hold her still. Our local vet has passed; the 83 year old vet that gave her her puppy shots is in the hospital, leaving us with the closest vet being 85 miles away.

Hey Annie,

You might try instead the sea salt remedy instead of ACV. You could simply put the salt in soft food and roll it into a ball - most dogs will gobble it down and not notice the salt. One thing to consider for a UTI is diet - take a peek at your dog food ingredient panel and if you see grains or corn it is time for a grocery upgrade to a meat based diet as a grain based diet has been linked to skin troubles and UTI's in dogs.

If you gave it to her straight, no wonder she vomited. Even humans dilute ACV for themselves.

Just an update on my Plott Hound with recurring UTIs -- not a single symptom since starting the ACV in September. I now have her on 1/2 tsp mixed with yogurt, mixed with her food, for maintenance. Thank you Earth Clinic folks!

Hi I have just joined this group my 7 year old Rhodesian Ridgeback has had the same issues for last 10 weeks & booked in for an ultrasound on 28 October. Long weekend here in New Zealand 🇳🇿 so I was desperate yesterday as he had blood in urine & white cells but the vet has not prescribed any medication for long weekend & his urine is very bad smell. I did purchase some Blackmores Cramberry 15000 & emptied a small portion on his food last night today his urine is not quite as smelly but I wonder if I could use apple cider vinegar also? Are you meaning 2 Teaspoons or Tablespoons of apple cider vinegar with yoghurt?

Kind Regards Margaret