Labradoodle & Goldendoodle Forum
Interesting Info on Apple Cider Vinegar for hotspots, fleas, etc.
Here is something I found...I don't know if all of it works but worth a try if I have an issue in the future...it can't hurt. I personally know the ACV does have a lot of holostic, natural remedies and have personally used it for myself. So here is the info:\
Apple Cider Vinegar for Dogs
Every home with dogs should have apple cider vinegar. It's a remedy with multiple uses for dogs: alleviating allergies, arthritis, establishing
correct pH balance. You can also give apple cider vinegar to cats and horses.
As written in an excellent, 1997 article by Wendy Volhard:
"...If your dog has itchy skin, the beginnings of a hot spot, incessantly washes its feet, has smelly ears, or is picky about his food, the
application of ACV may change things around. For poor appetite, use it in the food - 1 tablespoon, two times a day for a 50 lb. dog. For itchy
skin or beginning hot spots, put ACV into a spray bottle, part the hair and spray on. Any skin eruption will dry up in 24 hours and will save
you having to shave the dog. If the skin is already broken, dilute ACV with an equal amount of water and spray on.
Taken internally, ACV is credited with maintaining the acid/alkaline balance of the digestive tract. To check your dog's pH balance, pick up
some pH strips at the drug store, and first thing in the morning test the dog's urine. If it reads anywhere from 6.2 - 6.5, your dog's system is
exactly where it should be. If it is 7.5 or higher, the diet you are feeding is too alkaline, and ACV will re-establish the correct balance.
If you have a dog that has clear, watery discharge from the eyes, a runny nose, or coughs with a liquid sound, use ACV in his or her food. One
teaspoon twice a day for a 50 lb. dog will do the job.
After your weekly grooming sessions, use a few drops in his or her ears after cleaning them to avoid ear infections. Other uses for ACV are the
prevention of muscle weakness, cramps, feeling the cold, calluses on elbows and hock joints, constipation, bruising too easily, pimples on skin
surfaces, twitching of facial muscles, sore joints, arthritis and pus in the urine. There are also reports that it is useful in the prevention of
bladder and kidney stones.
Fleas, flies, ticks and bacteria, external parasites, ring worm, fungus, staphylococcus, streptococcus, pneumococcus, mange, etc., are unlikely
to inhabit a dog whose system is acidic inside and out. Should you ever experience any of these with your dog, bathe with a nice gentle herbal
shampoo -- one that you would use on your own hair -- rinse thoroughly, and then sponge on ACV diluted with equal amounts of warm water.
Allow your dog to drip dry. It is not necessary to use harsh chemicals for minor flea infestations. All fleas drown in soapy water and the ACV
rinse makes the skin too acidic for a re-infestation. If you are worried about picking up fleas when you take your dog away from home, keep
some ACV in a spray bottle, and spray your dog before you leave home, and when you get back. Take some with you and keep it in the car,
just in case you need it any time. Obviously for major infestations, more drastic measures are necessary. ACV normalizes the pH levels of the
skin, makes your dog unpalatable to even the nastiest of bacteria and you have a dog that smells like a salad, a small price to pay! "
Apple Cider Vinegar for Dogs
Every home with dogs should have apple cider vinegar. It's a remedy with multiple uses for dogs: alleviating allergies, arthritis, establishing
correct pH balance. You can also give apple cider vinegar to cats and horses.
As written in an excellent, 1997 article by Wendy Volhard:
"...If your dog has itchy skin, the beginnings of a hot spot, incessantly washes its feet, has smelly ears, or is picky about his food, the
application of ACV may change things around. For poor appetite, use it in the food - 1 tablespoon, two times a day for a 50 lb. dog. For itchy
skin or beginning hot spots, put ACV into a spray bottle, part the hair and spray on. Any skin eruption will dry up in 24 hours and will save
you having to shave the dog. If the skin is already broken, dilute ACV with an equal amount of water and spray on.
Taken internally, ACV is credited with maintaining the acid/alkaline balance of the digestive tract. To check your dog's pH balance, pick up
some pH strips at the drug store, and first thing in the morning test the dog's urine. If it reads anywhere from 6.2 - 6.5, your dog's system is
exactly where it should be. If it is 7.5 or higher, the diet you are feeding is too alkaline, and ACV will re-establish the correct balance.
If you have a dog that has clear, watery discharge from the eyes, a runny nose, or coughs with a liquid sound, use ACV in his or her food. One
teaspoon twice a day for a 50 lb. dog will do the job.
After your weekly grooming sessions, use a few drops in his or her ears after cleaning them to avoid ear infections. Other uses for ACV are the
prevention of muscle weakness, cramps, feeling the cold, calluses on elbows and hock joints, constipation, bruising too easily, pimples on skin
surfaces, twitching of facial muscles, sore joints, arthritis and pus in the urine. There are also reports that it is useful in the prevention of
bladder and kidney stones.
Fleas, flies, ticks and bacteria, external parasites, ring worm, fungus, staphylococcus, streptococcus, pneumococcus, mange, etc., are unlikely
to inhabit a dog whose system is acidic inside and out. Should you ever experience any of these with your dog, bathe with a nice gentle herbal
shampoo -- one that you would use on your own hair -- rinse thoroughly, and then sponge on ACV diluted with equal amounts of warm water.
Allow your dog to drip dry. It is not necessary to use harsh chemicals for minor flea infestations. All fleas drown in soapy water and the ACV
rinse makes the skin too acidic for a re-infestation. If you are worried about picking up fleas when you take your dog away from home, keep
some ACV in a spray bottle, and spray your dog before you leave home, and when you get back. Take some with you and keep it in the car,
just in case you need it any time. Obviously for major infestations, more drastic measures are necessary. ACV normalizes the pH levels of the
skin, makes your dog unpalatable to even the nastiest of bacteria and you have a dog that smells like a salad, a small price to pay! "
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle on
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Hi: The scientific research does not support these claims; while ACV may be harmless, a dog (or person) suffering from some of these diseases mentioned IS in fact being harmed if there is a better or more efficient way of alleviating pain, itching, infections, and/or permanent damage from the progression of disease, (as in the case of arthritis). Here is some scientifically based information on the subject, from Georgetown University Medical School:
"Given the scientific implausability behind most of vinegar’s claims, not surprisingly, there is no scientific evidence that it has any medicinal properties. The FDA has even issued warning letters to nutraceutical companies selling apple cider vinegar products for making unsupportable claims that it reduces cholesterol levels or hardening of the arteries; lowers risks for heart disease, heart attacks or strokes; or is effective for conditions ranging from obesity to arthritis. Even the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), a division of the National Institutes of Health specifically tasked to investigate natural or unconventional modalities, has found no studies to support vinegar.
The acid-alkaline (pH) theory for disease defies biological plausibility and is one of the longest-running hoaxes. “Anyone who tells you that certain foods or supplements make your stomach or blood acidic does not understand nutrition,” said Dr. Gabe Mirkin, M.D., at Georgetown University School of Medicine and board certified in four specialties. As he wrote in an article, “Acid/Base Theory of Disease is Nonsense”:
No foods change the acidity of anything in your body except your urine. Your stomach is so acidic that no food can change its acidity. Citrus fruits, vinegar, and vitamins such as ascorbic acid or folic acid do not change the acidity of your stomach or your bloodstream. An entire bottle of calcium pills or antacids would not change the acidity of your stomach for more than a few minutes.
All foods that leave your stomach are acidic. Then they enter your intestines where secretions from your pancreas neutralize the stomach acids. So no matter what you eat, the food in stomach is acidic and the food in the intestines is alkaline. Your bloodstream and organs control acidity in a very narrow range. Anything that changed acidity in your body would make you very sick and could even kill you.
All chemical reactions in your body are started by chemicals called enzymes... All enzymes function in a very narrow range of acidity. If your blood changes its acidity or alkalinity for any reason, it is quickly changed back to the normal pH or these enzymes would not function and the necessary chemical reactions would not proceed in your body."
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Permalink Reply by Adina P on
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The part about the body keeping blood pH at a very steady state is very important to remember. Metabolic acidosis (being an acid state) and metabolic alkalosis (an alkaline state) are issues that land you in the hospital and have nothing to do with what somebody eats or doesn't eat and it's not cured by what somebody eats or doesn't eat. The body would rather suck calcium out of its bones to keep blood pH steady than choose strong bones because that's how critical blood pH is to the function of everything in the body.
That aside I'm sure there are helpful things that apple cider vinegar can do, but anytime one ingredient, food, substance is claimed to have that many functions for health and the ability to cure things it's important to question the source and the validity of the data.
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Permalink Reply by Lake Girl, Lizette on
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I have used ACV as a remedy for skin inflammation due to contact dermatitis and discovered it relieved the itching and irritation. I do not advocate any of it's claims...I personally would not give it for internal use but feel that I would have tried it on the hotspots which one of my previous dogs had occasionally. It would have been worth a try instead of the medication which she licked off which wound up inside of her instead of outside. It bothered me that she licked the creams off instantly.
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