Apple cider vinegar is a safe choice when you want to treat or prevent any health condition of your dog. Since it’s a vinegar, it has a PH slightly towards the acidic side. But your dog’s body is naturally prone to developing excess alkalinity which apple cider vinegar (ACV) can balance effectively and safely. ACV can help your dog inside out. It can be safely used as a purely natural topical treatment for different skin conditions. But make sure you get organic raw apple cider vinegar for optimum benefits and results. Here are some amazing benefits of apple cider vinegar for your dog:
#1 – Improves Paw Health
#2 – Maintains a Healthy Gut
Just like humans, dogs can also develop digestive issues. These can be caused by diet imbalances or acidity reasons. Apple cider vinegar actually has enzymes that can help your dog’s digestive system. To treat conditions like diarrhea and constipation, you can mix a spoon of apple cider vinegar in your dog’s drinking water.
#3 – Clears Dead Skin and Dandruff
Notice dead skin or dander on your dog’s fur? Apply apple cider vinegar directly to your dog’s coat. Then wash it away by using a suitable shampoo and clean water. You can treat your dog’s coat with apple cider vinegar once a month for prevention if there are no existing conditions.
#4 – Relieves Itchiness ad Soothes Skin
Sometimes dogs develop a stubborn itch on their coat. Mix half part apple cider vinegar and half part water. Fill it in a spray bottle. Spray this solution over your dog’s coat keeping it off the eyes. This will soothe their skin and coat from mild irritation caused by itchiness. If the skin is too irritated, make sure to check with your vet.
#5 – Cleans Teeth and Maintains Oral Health
Apple cider vinegar when added to your dog’s drinking water or food, can help get rid of any deposits on your dog’s teeth. It also helps to delay tooth decay that can cause serious problems for your dog in its senior years. So, taking care of their dental health when younger is the best solution.
#6 – Relieves Joint Aches
As your dog ages, they can start to develop arthritis, making it painful to move like before which actually makes them lethargic. Using Apple cider vinegar for your dog will reduce their arthritic inflammation. Just mix apple cider vinegar in their food twice a week, and it can help reduce joint problems within a couple of months. This will make your dog enjoy its final years to the fullest.
#7 – Controls and Removes Odors
Sometimes dogs can develop a strong odor for some unknown reason without any underlying medical cause. Spray your dog’s coat with half part water and half part apple cider vinegar solution. The smell is most likely caused by bacteria which are killed by the apple cider vinegar being a natural antibacterial agent.
#8 – Boosts Immunity
Dogs can develop different diseases if their immune system is compromised. To keep your dog’s immune system guard up, include apple cider vinegar in their diet. We never know which infection might be lurking in your dog’s body. So, it’s better to keep your furry fellow in check and safe.
#9 – Maintains Healthy Blood Glucose Levels
If you’re a dog parent then you must know, just like humans, dog glucose levels can fluctuate as well. Sometimes bloodwork at the vet reveals imbalances in a dog’s glucose levels. To prevent such problems, you can include small doses of apple cider vinegar in your dog’s drinking water. In case you didn’t realize sugar is bad for dogs just like humans, regardless of glucose levels. So, keep them away from cakes, chocolates, and cookies.
#10 – Boosts Energy Levels
You can tell your dog’s energy level is good when it’s happy and goofing around. Small doses of apple cider vinegar can boost your dog’s energy levels. Sometimes dogs become weak due to intestinal parasites. Apple cider vinegar can get rid of those making your dog get out and about again.
#11 – Provides Anti-Aging Benefits
You may not bother to care if your dog is young, but apple cider vinegar has anti-aging benefits for your furry friend. Sometimes environmental factors can cause damage to DNA causing premature aging. Apple cider vinegar has antioxidant enzymes that can slow this damage.
#12 – Removes Tear Stains
Tear stains are caused by internal PH levels of your dog. Adding a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar to your dog’s drinking water will increase the PH level in your dog’s body. This will prevent staining caused by tears. Some stains can also be a result of infection. Try using it topically to get rid of the stain as well.
#13 – Maintains Ear Health
You can use apple cider vinegar to clean your dog’s ear. If ear hygiene isn’t maintained properly, your dog can develop ear infections or mites. The easiest way is to use a cloth, or a cotton ball soaked in ACV to clean your dog’s ears after a shower. You can also use this remedy once a week if your dog seems to be doing fine.
#14 – Relieves Food Allergy Symptoms
When you’re not familiar what you dog might tolerate food wise use apple cider vinegar. You can put some of it in its meal to prevent food allergies. This will not eliminate the food allergy completely. But the symptoms won’t be severe even if you try some new food.
#15 – Repels Ticks
Ticks can easily find their breeding ground on your dog’s coat. They can also cause serious damage to your dog if not checked. So, it is always better to prevent them. Rinse your dog with 1:1 apple cider vinegar and water solution. If you must take your dog out in areas known to have ticks such as a farm, you can spray your dog with the water / apple cider vinegar solution beforehand.
#16 – Prevents and Relieves UTIs
If your dog has unfortunately caught a urinary tract infection, then apple cider vinegar can do wonders to its urinary system. While you might not avoid an antibiotic treatment for the UTI, you can surely relieve the symptoms while the infection is still active. Regular consumption of apple cider vinegar can also control bladder and kidney stones in dogs.
#17 – How ACV Can Balance Your Dog’s pH Levels
Raw dog food such as meat can sometimes develop bacteria due to weather conditions. To keep the bacteria away from the surface of the raw dog food, you can spray it with full strength apple cider vinegar. It will eventually give a lot of other health benefits too as it enters your dog’s digestive system through their food
We hope these benefits have given you tons of knowledge about treating different conditions for your dog. Though, take care not to exceed the recommended daily dosage. For small dogs use half a teaspoon and for larger ones use one teaspoon a day. If symptoms don’t improve it is a good idea to get your dog checked at the vet’s clinic.
How is Apple Cider Vinegar is Made?
Apples are the main ingredient. The apples are then turned into cider and that cider is then fermented. The fermentation process involves the breakdown of the cider’s sugars by using yeast and bacteria. The yeast and bacteria first turn the sugars into alcohol and, as the fermentation process continues, the alcohol turns into vinegar.
The initial vinegar without processing has a light yellow-brown color. Unpasteurized and unfiltered ACV contains a cloudy sediment known as the “mother.” The mother actually holds all the beneficial living bacteria and nutrients that are needed to activate most of its benefits.
Keep in mind if using clear vinegar which has been processed and distilled, strips all the beneficial components out of the vinegar.
