The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
Posted by kim (sebring, florida) on 03/01/2008 ★★★★★
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.
Posted by Joyce (Joelton, Tn) on 06/03/2008 490 posts
Spray your dog with pure ACV - no diluting required. Works the same way for you - except instead of spraying it on, I wet a wash cloth in vinegar and make like I'm taking a bath. After letting it dry and getting dressed, I head for the fields or woods with no fear of ticks, chiggers, or sand flies.
Posted by LovesDachshunds (Bayonne, The United States) on 06/29/2008
Every month I give each Dachshund a Sentinel flavor tab, which you get from your Vet, and I also use as backup Frontline Plus for dogs. So far so good.
I am a Dog groomer. I ran across this remedy about 4 months ago and tried it on my dogs..I was unhappy with products like frontline (which I was a firm believer) because it seemed like I would still see a flea or "flea dirt"... Nothing is on my girls. NOTHING!!! So now I am letting all of my customers know. I tell them it can take 4-6 weeks to see the benefit. I put it my girls drinking water... 1 tsp.ACV to 1 quart water. When I started trying the acv, I thought what the heck.. If it doesn't work for the fleas it has alot of other benefits.
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.
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.
Almost all of the comments about apple cider vinegar combating fleas indicate that the ACV is put into drinking water. I have tried that at the doses indicated in the comments here but my pets will not drink vinegar- infused water, Neither will I for that matter! What can be done to get them to ingest the ACV?? R. L.
Does the ACV water mixture need to be refrigerated or can it be stored on the counter? I know the bottle of ACV says to refrigerate after opening but is it the same with a diluted form?
The wonderful Theresa from Minneapolis, MN has been helping pet owners and their beloved pets around the world on Earth Clinic since 2013.
About Theresa
Theresa from Minneapolis was born and raised in the inner city, always wishing she had been raised on a farm.
Her love for creatures great and small began at an early age, starting with caterpillars - which continues to this day, along with an interest in all insects and 'creepy crawlies'.
Theresa's interest in pet health started with a bird keeping hobby at age 14, where she learned from another hobbyist that the simple addition of Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) in a bird's drinking water kept fungal infections away; she was able to share this with her avian vet who in turn prescribed it to her own clients; Theresa was surprised to learn that she could teach her vet a thing or two. This important lesson - that each of us can be a teacher - was a turning point for Theresa, and fueled her quest for the knowledge held in lore, and remedies passed by word of mouth. That quest for knowledge continues to this day, as new and old remedies alike are explored. She may not have experience with a particular issue, but she will research it to the best of her ability and share what she finds freely, in the hopes that you can heal or improve your pet's health.
-----------------------------
How To Show Theresa Your Appreciation
If you would like to thank Theresa for her helpful posts, she asks if you would please consider making a donation to one of her favorite local rescue organizations, or by making a donation to help the genius contributor, Ted from Bangkok, recover from his stroke.
NOT Robert here, but I would like to answer ASAP: NO - your DOG does NOT need a rabies shot, or any other shot at this great age. If this were my geriatric pooch I would to a blood panel to ensure all organs are working properly and I would say NO to any thing else the vet might offer - no shots, no topical flea meds, nothing but the blood panel - because the blood panel will provide you good information. JMO.
Posted by Romana (Chaparral, Otero County) on 02/10/2009 ★★★★★
I would like to Thank you for having this web site!! For those who have no idea how ACV works wonders on cats .. I use it for a flea spray and none of my pets have ever had fleas or ticks . Thanks R.L.W & kitty crew Chaparral N.M
Posted by Maribel (Detroit, Michigan) on 11/15/2008
hi everyone but i have a question... i see that some people reccommend the acv and some don't but is it safe to use it on pregnant dogs or lacting dogs, and or on the pupies??? I have a 1yr. 11 month old chihuahua that has been now itching badly and we hav seen fleas on her. we have not been putting any flea products on her since sh'e 6 weeks pregnant. we usually put something on her every month or was her once a week. but like i said she's pregnant and their isn't much we can do. even though now that shes been pregnant for these 6 weeks my children, husband and i ahve been getting bite by these fleas. so i was wondering if someone can tell me if it is asafe to use the acv and the borax for here and my children in the house??? please help i'm going crazy with this..,.. and my children are getting bit all over...
I have purchased ACV in a tablet form. I wrap it in cheese and give to my dog. I also am taking it myself. It's much better than drinking it! We just started it for fleas, so I'm not sure if it works yet, but I'll try to post back.
I just got a kitten, he's 8 weeks old. He is infested with fleas. I also have an 18 year old cat who now has fleas thanks to the kitten. I treated him with Zodiac spot on...What a waste of money, infact it seemed to get worst. I was wondering if ACV is safe for a kitten his age?
Posted by Toni (Ponca City, Oklahoma) on 10/21/2008
I don't have a comment yet, just read your articles yesterday, however, I have hardwood floors in an old two-story house. I have many cats, 2 older dogs, aquarium fish and 2 parrots. No one had comments on the hardwood floors, danger to birds and cats walking on some of the treatments mentioned, namely distomaceous earth. I got a flea infestation this year and they are attacking me too, but no sores (not allegeric I assume). Any suggestions about cats walking around on these treatments or my birds inhaling any of these products? Pets and me leaving the house is not an option.
Would appreciate your feedback and I will use the ACV and garlic as a spay on the hardwood floors, on the cats and dogs and in their water (organic, I assume or distilled?)
I don't have hardwood floors, I have vinyl and carpet, what I use for fleas on my floors may work for your hardwood floors. Since I have 10 cats,I use one box of baking soda to 4 tablespoons of table salt, mix them togethor and sprinkle on the floors covering the whole floors leave standing for 24-48 hours, then vaccum repeat process every 15 days for 6-8 weeks depending on how bad the infestation is. Why does this works for me is the baking soda kills live fleas, and the salt dries up the eggs, bonus its safe to use around your pets (no hazardous chemicals), and it leaves my carpets smelling fresh. For my cats I put 3 drops using a eyedropper of ACV into their water, this leaves their coats shiney, velvety soft, and thick, plus it gets rid of fleas, its been proven fleas don't like acidic skin. I hope this helps you.
The wonderful Theresa from Minneapolis, MN has been helping pet owners and their beloved pets around the world on Earth Clinic since 2013.
About Theresa
Theresa from Minneapolis was born and raised in the inner city, always wishing she had been raised on a farm.
Her love for creatures great and small began at an early age, starting with caterpillars - which continues to this day, along with an interest in all insects and 'creepy crawlies'.
Theresa's interest in pet health started with a bird keeping hobby at age 14, where she learned from another hobbyist that the simple addition of Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) in a bird's drinking water kept fungal infections away; she was able to share this with her avian vet who in turn prescribed it to her own clients; Theresa was surprised to learn that she could teach her vet a thing or two. This important lesson - that each of us can be a teacher - was a turning point for Theresa, and fueled her quest for the knowledge held in lore, and remedies passed by word of mouth. That quest for knowledge continues to this day, as new and old remedies alike are explored. She may not have experience with a particular issue, but she will research it to the best of her ability and share what she finds freely, in the hopes that you can heal or improve your pet's health.
-----------------------------
How To Show Theresa Your Appreciation
If you would like to thank Theresa for her helpful posts, she asks if you would please consider making a donation to one of her favorite local rescue organizations, or by making a donation to help the genius contributor, Ted from Bangkok, recover from his stroke.
You can absolutely give your prego girl the vinegar diluted with water - HOWEVER for oral usage use only the raw, unfiltered, live cultures/'with the mother', organic Apple Cider Vinegar as this is the type that provides health benefits.
The wonderful Theresa from Minneapolis, MN has been helping pet owners and their beloved pets around the world on Earth Clinic since 2013.
About Theresa
Theresa from Minneapolis was born and raised in the inner city, always wishing she had been raised on a farm.
Her love for creatures great and small began at an early age, starting with caterpillars - which continues to this day, along with an interest in all insects and 'creepy crawlies'.
Theresa's interest in pet health started with a bird keeping hobby at age 14, where she learned from another hobbyist that the simple addition of Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) in a bird's drinking water kept fungal infections away; she was able to share this with her avian vet who in turn prescribed it to her own clients; Theresa was surprised to learn that she could teach her vet a thing or two. This important lesson - that each of us can be a teacher - was a turning point for Theresa, and fueled her quest for the knowledge held in lore, and remedies passed by word of mouth. That quest for knowledge continues to this day, as new and old remedies alike are explored. She may not have experience with a particular issue, but she will research it to the best of her ability and share what she finds freely, in the hopes that you can heal or improve your pet's health.
-----------------------------
How To Show Theresa Your Appreciation
If you would like to thank Theresa for her helpful posts, she asks if you would please consider making a donation to one of her favorite local rescue organizations, or by making a donation to help the genius contributor, Ted from Bangkok, recover from his stroke.
If the dog has fleas, the puppies have fleas too. My approach would be to clean out the nest area well and install new bedding, in conjunction with giving the dam and pups flea baths. I would use a dish soap like Dawn - this will break down the oil barrier on the flea's body which will cause it to drown. While Dawn is strong and repeated baths will cause dry skin, one time bathing will not hurt them. You can add 1 teaspoon of ACV to 1 liter of your dog's drinking water to help change her PH to deter the fleas.
The absolute best home remedies for killing fleas on dogs and even pregnant dogs and pups is a bath in pure liquid Castile Soap, unscented. This soap alone kills fleas and it's completely safe for your dogs coat and skin! You can also mix it up in a sprayer to spray your yard. I also use Apple Cider Vinegar to spray on my dogs and in the home to kill the Fleas. Use 1/4 cup ACV with 3/4 cup water. You can also squeeze some lemon in the bottle in addition to the ACV. Spray the dogs, furniture, bedding, rugs, etc. these remedies work and do not harm your pet.
The wonderful Theresa from Minneapolis, MN has been helping pet owners and their beloved pets around the world on Earth Clinic since 2013.
About Theresa
Theresa from Minneapolis was born and raised in the inner city, always wishing she had been raised on a farm.
Her love for creatures great and small began at an early age, starting with caterpillars - which continues to this day, along with an interest in all insects and 'creepy crawlies'.
Theresa's interest in pet health started with a bird keeping hobby at age 14, where she learned from another hobbyist that the simple addition of Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) in a bird's drinking water kept fungal infections away; she was able to share this with her avian vet who in turn prescribed it to her own clients; Theresa was surprised to learn that she could teach her vet a thing or two. This important lesson - that each of us can be a teacher - was a turning point for Theresa, and fueled her quest for the knowledge held in lore, and remedies passed by word of mouth. That quest for knowledge continues to this day, as new and old remedies alike are explored. She may not have experience with a particular issue, but she will research it to the best of her ability and share what she finds freely, in the hopes that you can heal or improve your pet's health.
-----------------------------
How To Show Theresa Your Appreciation
If you would like to thank Theresa for her helpful posts, she asks if you would please consider making a donation to one of her favorite local rescue organizations, or by making a donation to help the genius contributor, Ted from Bangkok, recover from his stroke.
Liquid castile soap is made up of lye and olive oil; I wonder if the lye component is what kills the fleas. I always thought the soap broke down the flea's oil barrier which in turn allowed the flea to drown. In any event, I have had great results bathing dogs in Murphy's Oil Soap- the kind for wood floors, as well as any of the Dr. Bronner's products.
Hello there, I have 2 11 month old beagles and they have fleas like crazy! I gave them a bath earlier with flea and tick shampoo, a boat load of fleas went down the drain, dead but there's still living fleas on them! Do I use straight apple cider vinegar or dilute it and put it in a spray bottle?
The wonderful Theresa from Minneapolis, MN has been helping pet owners and their beloved pets around the world on Earth Clinic since 2013.
About Theresa
Theresa from Minneapolis was born and raised in the inner city, always wishing she had been raised on a farm.
Her love for creatures great and small began at an early age, starting with caterpillars - which continues to this day, along with an interest in all insects and 'creepy crawlies'.
Theresa's interest in pet health started with a bird keeping hobby at age 14, where she learned from another hobbyist that the simple addition of Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) in a bird's drinking water kept fungal infections away; she was able to share this with her avian vet who in turn prescribed it to her own clients; Theresa was surprised to learn that she could teach her vet a thing or two. This important lesson - that each of us can be a teacher - was a turning point for Theresa, and fueled her quest for the knowledge held in lore, and remedies passed by word of mouth. That quest for knowledge continues to this day, as new and old remedies alike are explored. She may not have experience with a particular issue, but she will research it to the best of her ability and share what she finds freely, in the hopes that you can heal or improve your pet's health.
-----------------------------
How To Show Theresa Your Appreciation
If you would like to thank Theresa for her helpful posts, she asks if you would please consider making a donation to one of her favorite local rescue organizations, or by making a donation to help the genius contributor, Ted from Bangkok, recover from his stroke.
You can dilute the vinegar with water 1 part vinegar to 5 parts water.
If they got live fleas on them after a bath, sounds like you need to redo the bath. Start at the NOSE and work your way back. Get the nose and muzzle wet, either with the vinegar solution or Dawn dish soap for shampoo. Work around the eyes, and make sure you have all of the fur saturated. Work slowly over the head and when you get to the ears make sure you get inside - not the ear canal but the entire ear leather on both sides. Work your way around the neck - get it nice and saturated. Once you get the head out of the way the rest is much quicker and easier to do. If you use the dish soap as shampoo, make sure you rinse with vinegar to neutralize any soap and to balance the PH of the skin.
What may also be of help to you is a simple flea trap. You will need a small desk lamp, dish soapy water, and a white plate or shallow tray. Put the lamp on the floor in your pet's sleeping area and put the sudsy water under the bulb - just turn it on at night and then look in the morning for black specks. You can move this trap all over the house to trap newly hatched adult fleas and rid your house of an infestation.
I have a shitzu that is biting himself in the back and tail. I believe he have some fleas as well. I just a bottle of Apple Cider Vinegar All purpose. This will first time I have tried it and I needed instructions on how to use it and much. Thank you for your help how about cats also.
Posted by C.K. (St. Louis, Missouri) on 08/20/2008
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.
Posted by JOYCE (NEW CASTLE, IN) on 07/09/2007 ★★★★★
APPLE CIDER VINEGAR IS WONDERFUL! WE STARTED USING IT FOR OUR THREE DOGS TO KEEP THEM FROM GETTING FLEAS. I WAS AMAZED TO FIND THAT IT ACTUALLY WORKS! I WAS FURTHER AMAZED TO SEE THAT IT HAD CURED AN ALMOST RAW ARE ON MY PUG. HE HAD AN AREA (ABOUT THE SIZE OF A QUARTER) THAT HE HAD RUBBED UP AGAINST & SCRATCHED UNTIL ALL THE HAIR WAS GONE! (NOT TO MENTION HIS PITIFUL CRIES!) I HAD TAKEN HIM TO THE VET & HE WAS PUT ON AN EXPENSIVE ALLERGY PILL, BUT I'M REALLY DISTRUSTFUL OF MEDICATIONS, SO I QUIT USING IT. I USE ABOUT 3 TABLESPOONS OF THE ACV IN A GALLON OF THEIR DRINKING WATER. IT IS AMAZING! I THANK GOD FOR THIS WEBSITE & FOR ACV!
Posted by Christy (Waxahachie, Tx) on 06/25/2007 ★★★★★
I have a 12 year old dog named Shelby.She has suffered with hot spots and has lost quite a bit of her hair.I also have a 4 yr old named Madyson.The fleas at my house were taking over. Since trying the Apple Cider Vinegar, our lives have become better. No more fleas on my dogs or in my house. Shelby's hair has started to grow back. It has been fabulous!!! Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful information. I have passed it on with hopes that many pets will live happy lives :)
I like the moth ball idea for my vacuum because it is a shop vac and it only has a filter but no bags are required. I will try this along with some of the other remedies for getting rid of fleas. Does baking soda actually kill fleas or discourage them???
Posted by Chris (Manila, Philippines) on 01/04/2010
Pls help, I tried putting acv to my dog (5mo old shar pei) on his back which is almost bald, with red bumps, but he cringe and kept on shaking his whole body. I think the acv stings him. Per his vet he's got the localized mange. Did I do something wrong? how come he isnt relieved from the itch when I applied the full acv? I also tried the 50/50 solution and wont work with him also, he cant sleep with it. Pls help
Posted by Marianne (Toronto, Canada) on 10/22/2014
I have been reading some of the posts about using ACV to help rid fleas. my dog is having a really bad time with fleas. I've just sprayed with with a mixture of water and ACV and treated the house but, you say it's not the regular ACV that helps. Can you please tell me what exactly I should get and possibly where I can get it? thanks!
The wonderful Theresa from Minneapolis, MN has been helping pet owners and their beloved pets around the world on Earth Clinic since 2013.
About Theresa
Theresa from Minneapolis was born and raised in the inner city, always wishing she had been raised on a farm.
Her love for creatures great and small began at an early age, starting with caterpillars - which continues to this day, along with an interest in all insects and 'creepy crawlies'.
Theresa's interest in pet health started with a bird keeping hobby at age 14, where she learned from another hobbyist that the simple addition of Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) in a bird's drinking water kept fungal infections away; she was able to share this with her avian vet who in turn prescribed it to her own clients; Theresa was surprised to learn that she could teach her vet a thing or two. This important lesson - that each of us can be a teacher - was a turning point for Theresa, and fueled her quest for the knowledge held in lore, and remedies passed by word of mouth. That quest for knowledge continues to this day, as new and old remedies alike are explored. She may not have experience with a particular issue, but she will research it to the best of her ability and share what she finds freely, in the hopes that you can heal or improve your pet's health.
-----------------------------
How To Show Theresa Your Appreciation
If you would like to thank Theresa for her helpful posts, she asks if you would please consider making a donation to one of her favorite local rescue organizations, or by making a donation to help the genius contributor, Ted from Bangkok, recover from his stroke.
I can't speak of using ACV for the house - but I would bet that the regular kind would work, and also the white kind would work.
That said, ACV for medicinally or to take internally, the only kind to use is the raw, unpasturized, organic, with live cultures [aka "with the Mother"] - this can be found at the grocery store but carries a higher price tag than the regular ACV.
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.
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.
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.
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