Apple Cider Vinegar for Yeast Infections in Dogs

Hi Eileen,

Sounds like an allergy of some kind, either food or from the enviroment. Nibbling paws is usually a yeast issue.

Two suggestions, one is to wipe off his feet every time he comes in from the outside with a wash cloth soaked in warm water that has a hint of dog shampoo in it. I've been doing this regularly with my dog who also chews his paws at certain times during the year (fall and spring) and it has helped immensely.

Other suggestion is to look into possible food allergies. Get him on a grain free diet. if that doesn't work, have him tested at the vet to see what food allergies he has. He might also be having an allergy to something outside so the washing off of paws should help. Good luck!

Hey Eileen,

Upgrading the groceries usually helps. Also consider treating the drinking water with borax or baking soda. This advice from Ted:

"Sometimes we are dealing with internal/systemic yeast or an internal fungal infection - and sometimes despite the best nutrition out there we will experience an individual that for some reason is deficient in a mineral such as boron. If the dog is low in magnesium quite often allergies will arise. If you are dealing with yeast try adding 1/16 teaspoon of epsom salt in 1 liter of drinking water for 2-3 days - max; this is not intended for long term use, just to nip a break out in the bud. When you stop the epsom salt in the water you can then start adding 1 teaspoon baking soda to 1 liter of water; do this for 5-7 days. This is a 'break out' or crisis dose. After a week you can cut it back to a maintenance dose of 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda to the water. If you suspect a fungal component you can add 1/16 teaspoon borax along with the baking soda in 1 liter of water. In acute and extreme cases 1/4 teaspoon of borax in 1 liter of water is indicated. Many humans take 1/8 - 1/4 teaspoon borax in 1 liter of water daily as a detox and antifungal/antiyeast, so long term use is not an issue, however all these remedies are something you should 'play by ear' and should be adjusted as you see fit. The water additives address mineral deficiency issues and should be addressed first."

Chlorexidine Gluconate sells in big gallon jugs Online!!! Wonderful in the bath for their yeasty feet or soak their feet in Chlorexidine mixed with water in ice cream pale...so you can lift paw into it.. Also use More ACV if putting in food for bigger dogs. I've done 1/4 C for 70 lb dog... and I Use FOR my Canine ear infection: ""****Monistat from female aisle****""(generic Brand is ok)...but only use generics for "Monistat only" not other brands bcuz of side ingredients. BUT Rinse off a face wipe then wipe ear out to get Any brown out of their ear FIRST. Do Not confuse that with any lysol cleaning wipes..These are For human Skin Wipes I mean...Chlorexidine Wipes are Best... Even one dot of brown Could be yeast and then apply monistat. Sometimes you must use an oil like coconut oil comes hard from grocery stores to get brown dot loose Using face wipe...Maleleuca ointment or TC3 oil any form through maleleuca only buy from online or individual. In ears or paws topically of course. Plz post all this helps

The ratio of Apple Cider Vinegar / Greek yoghurt to mix with food?

Try even the off brand of woman's yeast cream. You can rub a small amount into their skin.

Also follow Dr. Jones his utube channel ( Veterinary Secrets ) He very good and does a lot of natural treatments. Hope it helps!

My dog has been on antibiotics for 3 months already because he was getting hot spots. What the doctor did is gave him antibiotics whenever he got hot spots. I was so mad because antibiotics weren't good for his health and she kept prescribing him antibiotics. I took my dog to the dermatologist and he said he has fungus around his neck and head. He has been prescribed ketoconazole medication for two weeks. He still takes it and it seems to help him. And there is this mouse called Douxo S3 PYO Antiseptic Antifungal Mousse for Dogs. Try this mouse hopefully it will help.

Hi, I would be careful shaving that area. Only a professional should do it. I think that if you bathed her first that would be sufficient. Make sure the ACV is well diluted... More than 50% water may be necessary. More important is to put ACV in her food, also mixed in with water. My dogs don't like ACV, but they will eat it after it's been mixed with water and soaked in their kibble for a few minutes. Probiotics may also help the dog's issue, but if it it is caused by the food, which it sounds like it might be, you will need to find another brand. Please let us know how she is doing!

My dog has a yeast infection due to the change in her diet we had to implement as she has liver shunt. There aren't a lot of options we can find in the way of food, and have been feeding her the hills LD dry food, plus some cottage cheese/boiled vegetables/white rice as instructed by the vet.

I'm now thinking the carb content in the white rice AND the potato they told us would be fine is actually bringing on this yeast infection!! We can't feed her any animal protein so raw meat and bones are out of the question. Her health is great - no seizures etc - except this yeast!!

Any suggestions? I really don't want to put her on steroids :(

Hey Kate!

A simple approach for yeast is adding borax to your pet's drinking water. For a female add 1/8th teaspoon per liter of drinking water, and do this for 7 days - then reduce to 1/16th of a teaspoon of borax for another 7 days - the take 7 days off and repeat the cycle. In addition you can also bath your girl in Ted's Anti-fungal/Anti-staph dip:

Mix 1 tbsp of MOM with 1 tbsp epsom salt and 1 tbsp borax into 1/2 cup of hydrogen peroxide plus 1 cup of plain water. Apply and do not rinse. This solution should knock out any staph infection or yeast infection going on in the skin.

Hello. We have been searching for something to help our yorkie out. She has struggled for some time with yeast infections in her ears and all over her body. She has had the same problem that you mentioned of losing hair on her legs and parts of her body becoming black in color. We really want to find her some relief. Nights are especially hard for her. Can you please tell me more about the diet you switched your dog to and the mixture of ACV you used? We reluctantly gave in to steroid treatments and antibiotics after taking her to several vets in our area but would really like to find a more natural way of helping her. Any help would be so greatly appreciated.

Sorry ... what is MOM? Thank you!

Hope you didn't apply it full-strength. That would have hurt badly and he's probably scratching from pain. Did you read the other posts on this site about the amount of dilution to apply? You should see what the vet can find from looking into the ear, then you would know what kind of remedy to try.

It is supposed to be white vinegar, not apple cider vinegar.

Please, please, PLEASE use only THIS remedy (Healthy Ear Recipe (from Arcane) for healing your dog's ears (it's been posted multiple times here on EC):

DO NOT PUT STRAIGHT VINEGAR (organic OR white vinegar) into a dog's ears if they're red/inflamed/sore, etc. It'll only sting!!!

READ THIS RECIPE 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...

i just made this, bathed him and applied to his neck and ears he whined Lil when put in ears I cleaned all the gunk out gently and his ears were red and inflamed.. I hope and pray this works, thank you

Hey Glamm,

Red and inflamed ears may benefit from garlic infused olive oil before treatment with ACV. If this were my dog I would use the garlic infused olive oil twice to three times per day to both calm the ears and clean them. When the ears are less 'ouchy' I would then use the diluted ACV treatment to continue to clean out the gunk as well as quell the infection.

To Glamm: Do not put the Arcane ointment on his neck. Only put it in the dog's ears.

My dog, an 11 yr old Akita/Retriever mix, has had a tough year of a recurring ear infection in 1 ear only.

He has had ear infections in the past - but its always in the same ear. This year, the ear has taken a turn for the worse. He was having dark, waxy stuff coming out of his ears and was in pain, so we took him to the vet, but his inner ear was so inflamed she could not even see down it. The vet prescribed a cocktail of anti inflammatory/anti fungal/anti everything medication, including Zymox.

I noticed an improvement while he was on the meds, but after 2 very expensive rounds of these medicines, we are back to a painful ear - especially at night (2am). I don't want to go back to the meds since they obviously didn't treat the underlying condition.

I have switched him to a grain free diet since then, but he needs relief ASAP.

Can I use ACV if his ear is this inflamed and painful? Would the Arcane solution work better in this case? I am willing to try ANYTHING at this point as my dog is in pain and now his hair is starting to fall out in clumps - just brushed out enough hair to fill a grocery bag, poor guy. Does this sound like an underlying yeast issue-turned-infection? I was thinking of trying the Arcane solution topically and putting ACV in his water or food instead of on his ears.

Hello Mia,

If this were my dog I would not hesitate to use the Zymox as it can be applied to a dirty sore ear - no need to clean out the gunk first. This to immediately address your dog's pain.

You mention you switched to grain free only after your vet prescribed the cocktail of meds that worked only temporarily; if the diet was the issue - the underlying cause of the problem - then the meds could only work so far until the diet was switched. You certainly could try the Arcane formula, which is an OTC cocktail of very similar medications that your vet prescribed. I would use the Zymox first if at all possible because it is a thin formula that can drip deep into the ear while the Arcane formula is more of a cream or gel and it takes some time to slowly melt into the ear.

As to the underlying issues - you changed the diet, and that is a good first step in the right direction. Other steps include getting a handle on the systemic yeast that thrived on the old diet. Consider Ted's Borax Protocol for dogs and also alkalizing the drinking water; when mine get gunky allergy ears [and like your dog, seems on only one side - the side that they sleep on! ] I alkalize the water in varying doses of baking soda for 3-4 weeks, and will do course of the borax water in between. This seems to really help knock the yeast down. Keep in mind that if your dog is sensitive to something in the diet or environment that staying on top of this yeasty ear will be an ongoing issue - there may be no permanent cure for it, only keeping any yeast infection at bay with constant cleaning and paying careful attention to diet.

Does anyone have any info on if it is harmful to use ACV on her face??

My vet in Fernandina Beach florida told me ACV/water 50/50 to flush the ears weekly to restore the PH balance. If I don't... the lab smells. I just took a Mastiff to foster for adoption for Mastiff Rescue of Florida--will start the ACV and go for yogurt today.

I have a westie - a breed well-known for skin issues. I have struggled to help him since he was 3. He forms scabby bumps that break open and ooze, will develop red rashes around his rear-end, his arm pits and legs even scabbing on his face. Its been so difficult.

The best thing I have ever done for him is got an RX shampoo called Ketochlor. In one washing I saw an amazing difference!! Not kidding! I also found virbac makes a similar leave-on lotion that really helps.

But I am dealing with 2 things: skin allergies and yeast. For the yeast, I add probiotics to his food...just break open a cap and put in on his food.

For food he gets chicken or beef with venison. I add either olive oil or fish oil to his food because his skin is also dry and he needs the fat.

If the yeast gets really bad, I put desitin ointment on those areas.

Its a constant battle but it works!

I have a 10 year old SharPei and German Shepherd mix. Two breeds known for skin issues. She's had seasonal allergies her whole life but this year has been especially bad. We've always dealt with her yeast issues with predisone - but steroids are not only bad for the animal, they lose effectiveness over time. The yeast and allergies has been compounded over the last couple years due to hypothyroidism. Sandy dog is having a rough year. She currently has a yeast infection on her skin that I just can't seem to beat. I had it almost cleared up using Malaseb shampoo, but then we went to the beach for a week and she was wet all the time and it came back. So, here we go again. The poor dear hates the baths, but it seems to help the itching immediately. I switched her food to Blue Wilderness this week and I'm going to start giving her the acidophilus supplement. She gets yogurt, but not every day. Guess we'll change that too. And no more human scraps. Anyway, I wanted to share that the Malaseb shampoo really does work. We've also used Be Soothed tea tree oil shampoo in the past - it works fine on lesser yeast infections. OH, and this will seem weird - but if you have spot yeast infections in the armpit or around the genital area you might try generic monistat cream its usually miconazole cream. You can find it in the drug store. It works awesome for killing the yeast. Unfortunately, for the whole dog, it would be rather messy and expensive. lol

I have a 10 year old SharPei and German Shepherd mix. Two breeds known for skin issues. She's had seasonal allergies her whole life but this year has been especially bad. We've always dealt with her yeast issues with predisone - but steroids are not only bad for the animal, they lose effectiveness over time. The yeast and allergies has been compounded over the last couple years due to hypothyroidism. Sandy dog is having a rough year. She currently has a yeast infection on her skin that I just can't seem to beat. I had it almost cleared up using Malaseb shampoo, but then we went to the beach for a week and she was wet all the time and it came back. So, here we go again. The poor dear hates the baths, but it seems to help the itching immediately. I switched her food to Blue Wilderness this week and I'm going to start giving her the acidophilus supplement. She gets yogurt, but not every day. Guess we'll change that too. And no more human scraps. Anyway, I wanted to share that the Malaseb shampoo really does work. We've also used Be Soothed tea tree oil shampoo in the past - it works fine on lesser yeast infections. OH, and this will seem weird - but if you have spot yeast infections in the armpit or around the genital area you might try generic monistat cream, its usually miconazole cream. You can find it in the drug store. It works awesome for killing the yeast. Unfortunately, for the whole dog, it would be rather messy and expensive. lol

I would suggest you feed a dog with yeast issues a grain free/potato free food such as nature's variety instinct or great life grain free. Also make sure any treats do not contain any grains or potatoes... Yes, they are expensive but compared to vet bills and meds it is actually cheaper. Find a shampoo that does not contain any grains such as oatmeal.... Tea tree or neem works... It has been my experience that most vets do not have much knowledge of nutrition or using food to heal. Google yeast free diets for dogs. I now have a foster golden with this issue and am using the foods above....

I've tried a grain free diet and it has seemed to work. I heard their raw diet works well too. I have an English bulldog who constantly gets ear infections.

hi, my dog a west highlander has a very bad yeast infection. I'll start tomorrow with the ACV treatment and yoghourt. I use for a short time the shampoo and conditioner Pet Esthe. It is 100% natural. The ingrediens are from bamboo and charcol. After the first wash my dog my dog didn't scrached at all for two days. I hope with the vinegar I get rid of the yest.

Please know that after years of searching for a remedy for my dog's itching, scratching and allergy to fleas. I read (in one of my many searches) that if your dog has allergies and or licks their feet. They have candida albacan (spelling may be off). You need to take her or him off all carbs, to starve the yeast. So I took my dog off of all dog food, bought some beef liver, heart, and ground beef. She gets one patty (ground beef), one liver and one slice of heart for breakfast and dinner, nothing else. I also give her activated charcoal and diatomaceous earth to help get rid of the yeast. It's only been one day but I think this will detox her from the yeast and any other allergies she may have. Good luck. BTW, she is a 70lb pit bull.

I have a 14 week old blue pit bull pup named Bella, she's a rescue dog and I got her at only 4 weeks old. Needless to say she had not been weaned so I weaned her on Purina Puppy Chow and a weaning formula from PetSmart. She was not infested with fleas thank goodness but I very quickly noticed she was scratching and itching a lot. I kept her on the basic puppy chow and formula until she was 6 weeks old, at that point her itching was getting much worse and I could see her skin, which is very pink on her belly looked red and felt hot to the touch, so I took her completely off the puppy chow and started her on Pedigree Healthy Digestion (canned) and One Beyond kibble by Purina. She's a very active and rambunctious little gal with loads of energy, I caught her rolling and tumbling in poision ivy. Seemed like she was drawn to it for some reason, my husband went to the point of fencing the area with the posion ivy off, anyway I beleive she is allergic to it just as most human's are. At this point I know I am dealing with allegies and that she also has yeast. Thanks for all the great information on yeast infections! I am using tea tree oil shampoo and white vinegar rinse, also started her on probiotics, fish oil and DE. I am now searching for the right food for her. I am open for suggestions, please. Blue Buffalo Wilderness has been highly reccomended as well as Precise lamb meal and rice.

Hey Irish!

Your baby sounds like a lil' doll-baby! [Yes, I am partial to the breed! ]

The probiotics are certainly a step in the right direction; consider this formula - DDS w/FOS - am and pm for 3 weeks as a start. After 3 weeks consider switching to a PB8 formula for an additional 3-6 weeks. Probiotics are good, but they are not all the same - the DDS w/FOS contains both acidophillus and sort of a starter medium to help get the bacteria established in the gut. The PB8 has additional strains of acidophillus and also has a bacteria 'feeder' to further help establish the 'good' bacteria in the gut.

You are right to consider a change in diet. There are so many kibbles out and the branding and advertising can make it confusing and hard to choose. The right diet is whichever one your pup thrives on. If you started on a puppy chow, at 14 weeks you should be switching to an adult forumla. The main ingredients in the diets you have been feeding is CORN. This can cause all sorts of problems as you have seen. Consider feeding a 5 or 6 star diet from the diets rated on this site:

http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/index.php

I typically hard switch diets rather than fiddle with the gradual mixing of kibbles; to avoid loose stools simply feed a small quanity to start, and increase the portion over 2 days. If after switching fully to the new diet you see loose stools it may be due to feeding too large a portion, so reduce the portion size; this is particularly true for high protien/mostly meat based diets such as Orijen.

Be on the lookout for yeasty gunky ears and urinary tract infections; if you notice frequent urination keep an eye out, as high corn diets are thought to contribute to UTIs and now that your girly is heading down the road to puppy puberty changes in her vulva may also create an environment for a UTI to take hold.

Ahh - pibble puppy breath! I can smell it from here!

Hello, my puggle has a ear yeast infection. How do I use the Apple Cider Vinegar? Do I put it in her ears or in her water? Please help my baby is so uncomfortable

Hey Bonnie!

Please read up on ear infections on EC - use the scroll bar on the right to search remedies.

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

My cat has a yeast ear infection that is not going away. Can I use Apple Cider Vinegar to treat this and how would I do so? I am only reading about using this for dogs with ear yeast infections.

My poodle has yeast In her ears . Can you tell me how to treat with ACV please. Thank you

I bought Dr. Karen Becker's book about what to feed our cats and dogs for optimal nutrition. My pitbull has yeast and after thousands of dollars on vet bills, medications including antibiotics, steroids and atopica. We also took him to a dermatologist, we gave him injections for allegies. Sadly these "doctors" even advised to feed him sweet potatoes as treats. At that time I was new to owning a dog. Now I feel like over the first year of his life taking the advice of these vets actually caused more harm to him. He is now on a raw diet, getting meats, vegetables, bones and also organ meats. His yeast has significantly reduced but hasn't fully gone away. I think there's more I can do and just researching. All in all though to help your dog it begins with diet. Sadly store bought dog food is mostly bad for them. If you can't give them a raw diet try at least buying the "raw diets" for dogs that some stores are now carrying.

It would be great if everyone who posts on here was thorough in their directions and specific on their ingredient amounts.

I read an article (can't remember where at the moment) that stated to put a teaspoon in their water twice a week. It also stated that if they consume too much it can cause kidney stones. I put some in my dog's water a couple of days ago and she lapped it up. I was concerned she'd detect it and wouldn't drink it. I have also changed her food from Iam's Proactive Health Adult Mini chunks to Zignature Trout and Salmon Meal Limited Ingredient Formula Dry Dog Food.

I have also purchased an anti-fungal anti-microbial shampoo from Pet Meds. It's called "Be Super Clean."It's extremely thick so I diluted it a bit. It also doesn't lather much. It seemed to be working but now my Basset is still itchy after baths and soaks of water, peroxide and white vinegar. this mixture is good for foot soaks too.

I actually read the ingredients in Mane and Tail Shampoo and found nothing that will add to the yeast issue (sugars, oats, etc).

I continue to find solutions as it seems one thing work for awhile and I have to then try something else.

Good Luck!