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Natural Remedies for Dog UTI: Effective, Easy Treatments

| Modified on Jan 13, 2024
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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.
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Apple Cider Vinegar Mixed in Food
Posted by Sofie And Mia (New York, Ny) on 08/13/2009
 ★★★★★

Editor's Choice

I noticed yesterday that my little yorkie, Mia was urinating more often and hanging out in the bathroom by herself. This is really unusaul for her because she loves to be with me all of the time. I also remembered reading or hearing that when animals are ill, they will often hide. After not seeing her for a couple of hours, I called to her and she finally came out. Her entire backside was wet. I looked in the bathroom to see of there was any leak but there was not. I thought that she may have been licking herself because I noticed earlier that she was licking herself more often than usual. I smelled her, and there was not a foul odor, but it smelled like it could have been urine. I immediately bathed her. Afterward, when she was dry, I put her on my lap and felt something wet. I looked and saw that it looked like she might be leaking urine. I began furiously searching the internet (mind you, this was about 2AM. I found that these could be symptoms of a "UTI." I looked for for something I could do immediately until I could take her to the vet and I found this website. It listed Apple Cider Vinegar and Yogurt, two things that I had on hand as an effective home remedy.

She is a tiny dog, so I mixed 1 teaspoon of Apple Cider Vinegar, with 1 and 1/2 tablespoons of lite vanilla yogurt. She loved it. I kept an eye on her throughout the night (I hardly slept myself. She did not get up to relieve herself, and there seemed to be no leakage.) When we got up for our morning walk, she urinated as usual. It is now 1 pm, and there is still no leakage, and she hasn't had to urinate again.

She is laying in her bed, playing and not hiding in the bathroom anymore, nor has she licked herself. I am keeping an eye on her. I took today and tomorrow off, thinking I was going to the vet, and wanted to keep an eye on her. It looks like I may not need to go to the vet. I will definately keep an eye on her, and I will repeat the treatment again later. But as of right now, she seems much better.

Apple Cider Vinegar Mixed in Food
Posted by Mary Ann (Canton, Ohio) on 08/03/2009
 ★★★★★

After waking up to a bathroom with several pee puddles on the floor laced with a tiny bit of blood, we quickly realized that our yellow lab Sadie had a problem. She's never had pee issues and simply couldn't stop squatting to pee. Naturally, this happened early on a Sunday, so the vet was unavailable. When I read all of the feedback about apple cider vinegar, I was a skeptic. But, not wanting her to suffer, I decided that I should at least give a couple of rounds of the stuff a try. I mixed two tablespoons of ACV into Sadie's dry food and added a bit of warm water, then stirred thoroughly. Surprisingly, she gobbled down the mixture quickly (of course, what Lab ever refused food?). I repeated this about four hours later and then one more time before we went to bed. During the evening, it was obvious that she started to feel better and the trips outside lessened considerably. She slept through the entire night with no incidents, had another dose this morning, and spent a normal day at home today. I'll continue to give her the mixture for three days since that seems to be what others have done. Thank you everyone for your wisdom on this canine treatment! I am a believer!

Apple Cider Vinegar Mixed in Food
Posted by Theresa (Mpls., Mn) on 10/29/2017

Editor's Choice

Hey Juanita,

If your dog is unable to urinate you are dealing with a very serious problem and should take your dog to your vet. If you are dealing with a UTI, with frequent urination voiding very small amounts at a time, watch her closely on the ACV remedy and if she does not improve please call your vet and have a conversation about which tests are needed and what would be the most economical path forward for you and your dog.

Cranberry Capsules
Posted by Monica (Reseda, California) on 03/01/2012
 ★★★★★

Editor's Choice

I tried apple cider vinegar on my 2 1/2 year old male cat, Benzi and it worked for a while but it was a strugle to get him to swallow it and, the moment I stopped giving it to him the infection would come back in a couple days. I found this cranberry capsules that treat UTI's in humans and have been diluting 2 capsules in 1 oz of distilled water and have been giving it to him twice a day for 2 weeks now and no sign of UTI's! Not to mention he doesn't mind the taste of it at all. I highly recommend them. I had taken him to the vet back in January and spent 700.00 dollars on a flush and antibiotics and diet food. A few days later he was sick again, so for those that say take him to the vet right away, unless you can afford 1000.00 dollars every vet visit, try alternative natural remedies, They Work!

Apple Cider Vinegar, Yogurt, Cranberry
Posted by Mary (St. Cloud, Minnesota) on 07/27/2009
 ★★★★★

As a retired vet assistant and pet owner, I know both sides of the picture when a pet is ill. For urinary problems that recurr, retesting, antibiotics, etc. can become financially limiting especially in areas of the country where veterinary costs are extremely high. I have had great success using ACV, yogurt and cranberry/blueberry extracts to control bladder infections in one of my small dogs who has a recurring problem. My dogs eat a raw diet or no grain dry dog food and no one else has any issues. However, with the first few times of my corgi having a bladder infection, I chose to see my vet to rule out diabetes, bladder or kidney stones, cancer, etc. When it was clear that is was probably a genetic pre-disposition and our unusually hard well water, using the ACV, yogurt and cranberry therapy has been completely successful. Also adding some cottage cheese (1/4 cup every other day) to her diet is very helpful and she loves it! I think it is extremely important to use your head when it comes to caring for your pets. If you think your vet is unusually expensive, look for someone else. However, vets with years of successful experience are worth every penny it may cost. Discuss finances with your vet. A good vet is willing to work with you to find the best treatment options for your pet and your pocketbook. Also, chose a vet that is open to alternative therapies and treatments including accupuncture and chiropractic as these vets seem to continue to learn and do not allow ego to block different care of your pets. It's very unfortunate that veterinary costs have skyrocketed in the past several years. Routine tests and vaccinations now cost as much as treatment of an illness used to cost. Alternative remedies can be much more successful and MUCH easier on the pocket book. Just do your research before treating your pet for anything!

Apple Cider Vinegar Mixed in Food
Posted by kcm (Mt Laurel, NJ) on 06/11/2009
 ★★★★★

I read some of the previous comments about the acv and yogurt to cure a dog's bladder infection. I have to admit I was a bit skeptical, but I thought what do I have to lose. I couldn't get a vet appointment for several days and Daisy (my 19 month old golden retriever who is 75 lbs) was peeing or trying to peeing many, many times throughout the day. You could tell she was struggling to pee and was just not a very happy dog. I put 2 tblspns of apple cider vinegar with 2 tablespoons of plain activa yogurt in her dog food and mixed it around. She ate it all and within 24 hours she was a completely different dog. I feed her the mixture twice a day, once in the morning and once at dinner. She is now back to normal. I am going to give her this mixture for several more days to make sure her infection is completely gone. This is the best solution ever! Not only did it save me a ton of money in vet bills, it works so quickly to bring her back to her active self.

Apple Cider Vinegar Mixed in Food
Posted by Lisa (Lafayette) on 12/04/2015

Maybe she's trying to tell you something about the boyfriend...? LOL sorry, just joking...I couldn't resist!

Apple Cider Vinegar, Yogurt
Posted by Kathywithaktheonkyway (Angier, North Carolina ) on 05/24/2017 1 posts

Editor's Choice

My husband and I have been together for almost 19 years and we rescue and adopt out FURbabies. And because we couldn't have children it has become even more of a passion for us to continue this for as long as we can and we currently have 12, (We had 13, but one of our our dogs, Bambi Lynn, suddenly passed away overnight after I took her to the Vet on May 5, 2017!😥), of our own, of which 6 are dogs and 5 are cats and we're fostering 1 of the dogs named Caesar, since September 2015, since their owners had to move into a rental home where their landlord won't allow them to have their pets. Our FURbabies are our family and we love them with all of our hearts. Our FURbabie dog, Lucy Lu, has Degenerative Myelopathy since last Summer and it's slowly been getting worse with her not being able to walk on her back legs. She had to stop going on walks with me with our other seven dogs, so I bought a harness for her and also a wheelchair. She is on Glucosamine Chondroitin and Meloxicam for arthritis and miraculously on January 1, 2017, she jumped up on her back legs and ran so fast down the front steps that I didn't expect it and I fell. Lol😝

Well, on this past Sunday morning, May 21, 2017, I took her outside to go to the bathroom and I noticed she couldn't pee very much which concerned me. I looked it up online and it said that it's definitely a side effect of her Degenerative Myelopathy. So I googled what I could do to help her with her urinary problems since it was on a Sunday and that's where I found this recipe for Apple Cider Vinegar, Plain Yogurt and Water for hydration. My husband went to the grocery store to get the yogurt and I mixed 1.5 tablespoons of the Apple Cider Vinegar with the Yogurt and added a little water for hydration and mixed it all together. I taste tested it before I gave it to her before I mixed it and after I mixed it and it tasted the same and she loved it! And the best part is that it actually worked and she's been peeing just fine ever since. I give it to her 2 x a day and it's like a treat to her.

i can't thank you enough for this recipe! It truly has been a blessing to us! ❤🐾❤


Apple Cider Vinegar Mixed in Food
Posted by Anne (Preston, MD) on 12/05/2008
 ★★★★★

I just want to comment on the UTI in regards to dogs. I have an older german shepard that was on antibiotics for weeks and everytime I took her off the drugs the infection came back, seemingly worse. The dog was in pain and the vets said there was nothing to do but put her on SRONGER meds, I was not willing to do that. I gave her 2 tablespoons of ACV in her food and within several hours she was no longer in pain. Amazing! For about 3 months I gave her ACV about 3 or 4 times a week and then stopped giving it and she's never had symptoms again. I now give it maybe 3 or 4 days a month just to help keep everything in check. The vets said there was nothing they could do after I spent hundreds if not thousands of dollars. Makes me wonder.....

Apple Cider Vinegar Mixed in Food
Posted by Rebecca (Winter Park, Florida) on 10/05/2008
 ★★★★★

I found this website last night while searching for home remedies for my dog's UTI. I thought why not lets give it a shot. With the horrible economy I can't afford a $200 dollar vet bill. I started using the ACV last night. I gave my 65 pound 5 year old boxer 1.5 tablespoons mixed in with some plain yogurt. When she went out for her morning potty break she urinated only one time. It was normal in color with no blood. Just the night before she was going every 5 minutes or so and nothing was coming out and when urine did come out it was bloody. I have continued to give her the ACV today and plan to keep her on it for about a week. Boy was this one of the most effective home remedies I have ever found.

Apple Cider Vinegar Mixed in Food
Posted by Beverley (Rancho Santa Margarita, California) on 09/26/2008
 ★★★★★

After reading all of the posts here, I decided to try the ACV treatment on my 6 year old male cat "Hunter" who had a UTI. He wouldn't drink his water with it in it so my husband and I had to give it to him every morning and night by syringe. I put 1 teaspoon in a 16.9 oz bottle of water and then we just filled the syringe from that. Five days later and he is absolutely fine. Thanks so much to your posts here I couldn't afford another $300.00 vet bill.

Apple Cider Vinegar Mixed in Food
Posted by Pete (VeryRural, MN) on 09/25/2008
 ★★★★★

Kayla is now in day 5 of the ACV treatment. btw Kayla weighs appx 45#s. I chose the dosing of 1.5Tbsp as it is a rather innocuous substance and wanted to make sure she got all the meds she needed.

I've not called my vet yet on the bladder infection as it seems to be getting better every day. Today (Thursday) is the first day that Kayla hasn't had any dry pees, they've tapered off slowly since day one of the ACV. Most notable and worthy of mention again is the fact that the very first dose of ACV halted all outward signs (pacing, whimpering, discomfort & zero accidents in the house) within just an hour or two after she consumed it in her food. She felt immediate relief and was resting comfortably in bed without waking for hours. I'm thinking of continuing the ACV @ 1.5Tbsp in her food twice a day for a total of two weeks, then perhaps twice weekly as a preventative measure. I'll come by and post again in a few days.

This was quite remarkable, a $1.19 remedy that'd cost me nearly $300.00 just 6 months earlier.

Could I make a modest donation to this site?

EC: Thanks, Pete. Very kind of you to offer. Donation info is here: https://www.earthclinic.com/donations.html

Dietary Changes
Posted by Lauren (Queens) on 02/13/2018
 ★★★★★

Low phosphorus/Low crude protein for dogs with UTI's

Hey all you amazing folks at Ec....just wanted to share this with all you pet lovers out there. Approximately two months ago, I noticed my 10 year old cocker spaniel was passing blood when he pees. Needless to say, I was petrified when it first happened because my dog is my life lol. I immediately went to Dr. Google and quickly realized it can be caused by a UTI. Since I am into holistic, I started treating him with a few herbs which I purchased on Amazon. All was well for a while but then I noticed that as soon as he ate his kibble, after a few meals, the same thing happened. I went online again this time determined to find the true cause of this.

That's when I discovered that the phosphorous content as well as the crude protein in the food has to be super low in cases like this. I immediately got to work and found a food with 0.6% phosphorous from a company called First Mate with below 15% crude protein and guess what guys, it's been a month now and thank God he's good. I forget to add that I also started preparing some home cooked meals mostly with chicken and veggies which I feed him sometimes as well. Just wanted to share this with other animal lovers out there who might be faced with the same problem. Have a blessed day guys.

Apple Cider Vinegar Mixed in Food
Posted by Mrs. Little (Mississippi ) on 05/28/2016
 ★★★★★

My 5 pounder was unable to urinate...I took him outside, he squatted but nothing came out...after reading the information on this site, I decide to try the apple cider vinegar before running to the vet...I must admit I was quite skeptical about trying this method, but I can truly say that it WORKS! After the first dose my Rasco was feeling better....I gave him 1 1/2 tbsp of ACV in his water bowl...about 30 min later he went out to pee, he ate his food (which he hadn't ate in 2 days), and drank most of his water.

Iodine
Posted by Whitehawk (West Allis, Wisconsin) on 07/16/2012
 ★★★★★

We treated our 14 pound dog's urinary tract infection with food grade iodine. We gave him 8 drops of Iosol (Brand Name) iodine in 4 cups of water. UTI cleared up in 2 days. Reduced iodine dosage to 2 drops for maintenance. According to research at Harvard, women should take 15 drops of Iosol every 3 hours in 8 oz of water until the UtI is gone. Usually 2 or 3 days. Excess Iosol is excreted in urine.

Apple Cider Vinegar Mixed in Food
Posted by HappyInNC (asheville, nc) on 10/13/2008
 ★★★★★

ACV (apple cider vinegar) Today was my first visit to this site...found it on a search engine, and I have now bookmarked it! My little girl (22lb corgi mix-dog) was showing typical signs of a urinary tract infection. I tried the ACV suggestion about 6-8 hours ago and her lethargy has done a 180, as has her warm nose, the constant peeing, and obvious discomfort. On the "magic-8-ball"..."all signs point to yes"...Thank you SO much for the suggestion, it saved me $300 I dont have for a Dr Visit. I first tried it in H2O, wouldnt drink it, in wet food, didnt like it, then in plain yogurt, and she ate it in that put about a tsp and mixed it in good.I will update if things do not continue to improve, but from everything I have read, dont think i'll be back!

Apple Cider Vinegar Mixed in Food
Posted by Pete (VeryRural, MN) on 10/01/2008

I see a lot of 'YEA' comments were taken down & I wonder why. The entire two weeks of ACV treatment will have cost me $1.19 as opposed to the $275.00 vet visit w/2 weeks antibiotics that I paid 6 months ago. Kayla has no signs whatsoever and is back to normal behavior 100%. I'm not qualified to make medical evaluations but I am retired and single & so my two dogs are with me close to 24/7, I know for a fact that after 12 days/nights of ACV treatments that Kayla is cured.

I recommend that you try ACV twice a day on your dogs food for bladder infections before resorting to antibiotics for the most obvious reason, it is important NOT to expose your self or your pets needlessly to any extra antibiotic treatments.

Be diligent in following through and try a natural remedy first. There are vitamins and minerals missing in our canines and felines diets from packaged foods, a natural remedy such as ACV should not be overlooked.

Once again I'm going to mention that Kayla found immediate relief in the ACV, soon after the first dose (1.5Tbsp) of it in her food she was sleeping nicely and didn't wake up to the anxiety of her infection.

EC: No YEA posts have been removed from the bladder infection remedies for dogs page! Perhaps you were reviewing another page like acv for dogs...

Apple Cider Vinegar, Yogurt
Posted by Lady Dawnie (Orlando, Fl) on 11/14/2016
 ★★★★★

Hi, my Sasha is a 8yr. old 80 pound American Pitbull who has been dry peeing for a few days. I thought about ACV as I use it daily for many things for my family. However, I knew she would not drink her water if she smelled Apple Cider Vinegar in her bowl. I'm so happy I found this site. I mixed 2 teaspoons of organic apple cider vinegar with 2 teaspoons of plain greek yogurt. After tasting this well mixed creamy remedy I added 2 teaspoons of applesauce to sweeten the bitter taste before giving it to Sasha and she loved her new treat. I will repeat in the morning. Sasha is sleeping like a baby. I will update after a few days of am and pm treatments.

Thanks for saving me a small fortune!

DMSO + Lugol's Iodine
Posted by Bette With A Pebble ((Nj, Usa)) on 05/10/2023
 ★★★★★

DMSO topically along with Lugol's iodine cured severe UTI with 15 year old dog. Had tried many natural remedies internally including Uva Ursi, Lugol's, oregano oil and even resorted to some strong prescription antibiotics without success. I had read, that here in the USA, the only medically accepted use of DMSO was for Interstitial Cystisis. Had read that most of the DMSO you absorb gets excreted in your urine. I probably put less than a teaspoon of DMSO on her clean lower belly after I had rubbed a dropper full of the Lugol's on it first, using the bottom of a 2 oz. mason jar to apply (DMSO eats through gloves and I didn't want any of that in her body). I did this once daily, when down for the night when I could make sure she was on a clean cotton sheet so as not to absorb anything else in with the DMSO, for about two weeks to be sure, but noticed a great improvement after two days.

I used 99.9% pure low odor DMSO Pharmaceutical grade from Amazon in a glass dropper bottle, brand starts with "Heilt". As a side note, I noticed dark hairs coming in where I applied the solution, where she hadn't had much hair. This remedy does make you want to itch, so you may want to use it as a last resort.

Apple Cider Vinegar, Yogurt
Posted by Mama To Many (Tn) on 03/06/2018

Jana,

I would probably try 1/4 teaspoon apple cider vinegar in 2 teaspoons of yogurt twice a day.

I am making a wild guess that your dog is 15 pounds? If your dog is much smaller you could cut that amount in half.

Both are food and you can't really overdose.

~Mama to Many~

Apple Cider Vinegar in Goat Milk
Posted by Monica (Anmore, Canada) on 01/31/2021

So sorry for your loss. Hope her passing wasn't from a vaccine. My little poodle girl went downhill after a shot & got auto-immune disease Adissons disease). She's passed away now & I still mourn her death, 6 months ago. I will never ever vaccinate again. Ingredients like formaldehyde in them will surely cause damage or death, resulting in huge business for the vets & Big Pharma who wrote their textbooks & funds their training. Shameful. Same with shots for people. It's a wonder we are all still alive.

Apple Cider Vinegar, Yogurt
Posted by Carol (Pasadena, Ca) on 02/23/2017

My mini pin mix puppy recently had diarrhea which has been cleared, now she's not drinking water but is urinating frequently. This morning she woke me up early but couldn't wait to get out of the door & peed. I didn't see blood however as soon as we were outside she went again then strained to go at least 4 more times within mins. She's not crying or seems to be in pain (yet) but I don't want her to get worse or dehydrated. She's a rescue that's been through multiple homes so I don't know her history. She's not eating food with grains. I've had her on blue buffalo but recently switched her to Orijen for puppies. Any advice on ACV doseage?


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