Apple Cider Vinegar For Dog Skin Allergies
ACV can help relieve itchy skin and rashes caused by yeast and poison ivy. The best way to apply it is by making a 50/50 solution of apple cider vinegar and water in a spray bottle. Apply it directly onto itchy spots.
Caution: Do NOT put it on open wounds. The vinegar will sting if the wound is raw.
If you can’t apply topically and yeast is your main concern, you can feed ACV to your dog in her food or water. In The Veterinarians’ Guide to Natural Remedies for Dogs, Donna Starita Mehan DVM explains that yeast doesn’t do well in an acid environment. So feeding 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of ACV twice daily can help.
How is Apple Cider Vinegar Different From Other Vinegars?
Its name comes from the Latin words vinum (which means wine) and acer (which means sour). Vinegar can be made from any liquid that contains sugar, which includes everything from fruit juice to plain sugar water. Within a few days of being exposed to air, naturally occurring or added yeasts cause the sugar to ferment, turning it into alcohol. If not interrupted, fermentation continues in response to naturally occurring or added acetic acid bacteria until all of the alcohol becomes acetic acid. This is how wine, beer, and ale are used to create wine and malt vinegars. Some vinegar factories shorten the fermentation process to just two or three days by using modern bacterial cultures and special pumps, but traditional vinegars valued for their culinary use are still made the old-fashioned way.
However it’s made, vinegar has a distinctive fragrance and a low pH. On the pH scale, water is neutral at 7.0, tomato juice is acid at 4.1, distilled white vinegar is more acid at 2.4, and the pH of lemon juice is 2.2. Apple cider vinegar tends to be less acidic, with a pH between 4.25 and 5.
One of the earliest known vinegars was made 5,000 years ago in Babylon from fermented dates. In ancient Rome, fermented rye, figs, grapes, and dates were popular ingredients. Today’s vinegars are made from corn, barley, and other grains; grapes; apples; and other fruits.
According to the Vinegar Institute, an international trade association representing vinegar manufacturers and bottlers, worldwide vinegar sales are now approaching $225 million annually, with the fastest growth in organic vinegars. Nearly half of the vinegar sold in North America is balsamic, with red wine vinegar the next most popular at 13 percent and cider vinegar tied with rice wine vinegar at 8 percent each.
Only 1 percent of sales go to distilled white vinegar. However, distilled white (usually made from corn) and distilled apple cider are the most familiar supermarket vinegars. These inexpensive vinegars are filtered and pasteurized to make them sparkling clear. Better-quality wine, cider, or malt vinegars are often aged for years in wooden barrels to improve their flavor and left unfiltered and unpasteurized.
To vinegar connoisseurs, there’s a world of difference between distilled or rapidly produced vinegar and traditionally made vinegars that are brewed slowly in small batches and aged to perfection. Some gourmet vinegars cost over $200 per 100 milliliters (about 7 tablespoons).
Traditionally made organic apple cider vinegar is widely sold and far less expensive than gourmet balsamics, but it too is valued for its culinary uses. Some popular brands, such as Bragg, Spectrum, Eden Organics, Solana Gold Organics, and Dynamic Health, are made from organic apples that are crushed to make cider, then aged in wooden barrels.
Because it is raw and unfiltered, this vinegar is not clear like distilled vinegars. Instead, it contains a dark, cloudy substance that resembles dusty cobwebs. This substance, called the “mother” or “mother veil,” consists of naturally occurring pectin and apple residues whose protein molecules are connected in strand-like chains. As the Bragg website explains, “The presence of the mother shows that the best part of the apple has not been destroyed. Vinegars containing the mother contain enzymes that other vinegars may not contain due to over-processing, filtration, and overheating.”
Apple cider vinegar is usually light golden brown or orange in color. While the acidity of homemade cider vinegar varies, most manufacturers maintain a 5-percent acetic acid level, which is recommended for the safe pickling and preserving of low-acid foods.
Using apple cider vinegar (ACV) as a supplement
Apple cider vinegar can also be added to your dog’s diet to help improve their overall health. It acts as an antibacterial and probiotic, which is great for gut health. And there are studies that it lowers cholesterol and triglyceride levels (heart disease risk factors) in animals.
While there isn’t enough scientific evidence to support apple cider vinegar as a replacement for medication, adding it in small doses to your dog’s diet could improve your pup’s overall health. It may:
Keep in mind that dosage is very important. Too much vinegar in your dog’s diet can cause adverse reactions. Here are some general dosage recommendations based on your dog’s weight, but we highly recommend talking to your dog’s vet before adding apple cider vinegar as a supplement to their diet.
Recommended dosage based on weight:
*Make sure to mix in with water or food.
Similar to using apple cider vinegar on your dog’s skin, you don’t want to give it to them straight. Mix it in with your dog’s water or dog’s food. And if you do mix with water, make sure you have a fresh water bowl on hand in case your doggy doesn’t like the taste or smell. You don’t want your pup to become dehydrated because they refuse to drink the water that contains apple cider vinegar.
Benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar for Dogs
Although it has been used as part of natural healing for centuries — even as early as 5,000 BC when the ancient Greeks prescribed it to treat colds! — in recent years, apple cider vinegar has been touted as a bit of a cure-all. A quick Google search will show claims that taking it is an effective treatment for everything from acne to weight loss; from controlling diabetes to curing hiccups! Apple cider vinegar is popular as a natural treatment for humans — so what about apple cider vinegar for dogs? Is it safe? And if you can use apple cider vinegar on dogs, what should you use it for?