Benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar

[Ollie's Mom]

http://www.natural-dog-health-remedies.com/apple-cider-vinegar-for-...

Hi friends, I found this article and am interested in adding apple cider vinegar to Ollie's diet. He is 6 months old 75% standard poodle and 25% golden - roughly 37lbs. He eats Canidae. So can  just add a capful of Apple Cider Vinegar (store bought) to his food twice a day? Or do I have to dilute it with water? Does anyone else do this? If it helps with eye goobers, skin, breath, hips I'm all for it!

[Jessica, Loki and Moose]

Oh cool! I didn't know you could add it to food, I have been heavily diluting it with water and spraying it on Loki's hair after a bath and it stops the tangles and makes it feel much softer but I will have to look into adding it to his food to, thanks for the article!

[Nancy and Georgia Brown]

Thanks for this article. I will check it out. I too am all for it as long as it doesn't keep her from eating her food as she is quite the picky eater.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

There is lots of fun discussions on here about apple cider vinegar, but the upshot is that it is pretty much hokum. You can use vinegar as a hair rinse - external.

[Deb's Yarrow and Schatzi]

Hi Ollie's mom. A few months ago I started putting Apple cider vinegar into Yarrow's food. She was scratching 24/7 and after treating her for everything we and the vet could think of, I read an article on yeast in dogs causing them to scratch. Even though I could see no evidence of yeast I decided to go ahead with the the apple cider vinegar remedy. We take it ourselves every day but didn't know it was good for dogs too. Now, I can't remember the dosage for Yarrow's weight but I took an empty stevia bottle with a dropper on the cap and washed it out and put the vinegar in it. Then I added just one drop to Yarrow's food the first time. Only one drop so that she would not be put off by the strong smell of vinegar. The second day I put 2 drops on her food. Just 3 little drops on the third day.... I got up to 12 drops twice a day when I decided that I just needed to put her back on her puppy food. Long story short, it worked. No more itching. No more allergy tests, Benadryl or Revolution or Apple cider vinegar. But that's how you introduce it to Ollie, one drop at a time.

[Mary ann & Lincoln]

If you use it as after a bath as a rinse does it work on darker dogs or does it lighten their fur?   I saw a lemon rinse too and was wondering if it lightens like it does on human hair! 

[Jessica, Loki and Moose]

Hi there! Loki is mostly black with a tiny bit of brown and white and I have been doing this to him ever since I picked him up at 12 weeks- he has fleecy waves that matt easily so this is a huge help. Anyways I haven't noticed any change in his color besides more white from his adult coat which is now coming in. I haven't tried the lemon one but I imagine it would lighten them a bit but I only say that because I use it to lighten my hair!. I usually mix one cup of water with 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar and 2-3 drops of an essential oil, usually lavender but that's only because Loki wags his tail when he smells it :) I'm also only doing this about once a month when I give him a bath so I don't think I'm ever using enough were it would have a chance to lighten his coat.

[Mary ann & Lincoln]

Thank you.  Lincoln doesn't mat very much, at least not yet, but it still would be a good rinse.  Too cold to give him a full bath this week, so will try it soon.   

[Jessica, Loki and Moose]

No problem! If your worried about it lightening his coat you could add rosemarry oil instead of lavender its supposed to prevent grays/darken hair- in people at least, I have no clue if this actually works on people or dogs but just something I've read!

[Tina, Tucker & Bailey]

Hi, I use apple cider vinegar/water mixture after I wash my boys every time. But you need to dilute it, 5:1. That's 5 parts cold water to 1 part apple cider vinegar. You pour it onto the dog and massage it into his coat and skin then rinse really well. You will find that it gets out all of the shampoo residue and helps the hair to dry faster, bonus their hair is soft and shinny. This actually has helped with Tucker's itching problem. He is a black Labradoodle and it has not lightened his coat at all.

[Mary ann & Lincoln]

Good to know.  I iwll try it next time I bathe him.  It is so cold here he has not had a bath in over a month.  We use some pet wipes on him and a waterless shampoo to freshen him.