Your Dog Advisor
An introduction to vinegar
Does the word “Acid” scare you? Well, it scares me too. I guess it scares everyone. (*weird giggles*) But Vinegar is not the scary kind of acid.
We consume several types of acids but not the dangerous ones, but the necessary ones. For example, citrus and vinegar.
We also know about the acidic components in the food we consume. It’s not dangerous for us anyways.
But, wait wait! What about your dogs? Are acid-base components good for your lovely ones? Skeptical. Right???
Now that is a good question.
The quick answer would be yes, its sound beneficial.
Note: Only to some extent.
But wait? Then why it’s said so or what does it do? Does it really benefit your Dog? Or is it just some random thing to consume?
Don’t worry, just relax you guys, this article gonna help you out…
Apple cider vinegar- A dietary supplement for your Dog!!!
First of all, do you know there are different varieties of Vinegar available in the market?
Let me mention some of them like, white vinegar, apple cider vinegar, rice vinegar, malt vinegar, cane vinegar, beer vinegar, coconut vinegar, raisin vinegar. Each and every kind of vinegar cannot be lauded as a wonder product for your Doggie.
But among this Apple Cider Vinegar( ACV) is most commonly used by many pet lovers for their pooch.
There are many reports and blogs that suggest using ACV (Apple Cider Vinegar) in the case of Acidic Reflux in your Pooch.
To be noted: Organic, raw and unpasteurized Apple Cider Vinegar( ACV) to be the exact choice.
Vinegar is just the best to absorb the nutrients from the food he intakes.
Vinegar extracts the minerals and vitamins the dog needs from the food he consumes.
Okay then let’s check out the pros as well as the cons of vinegar for your canine.
How beneficial is ACV for your Dogs?
To be simple, there are no theories or evidence to prove the drawbacks of vinegar to your Doggie.
In fact, every dog has its own likes and dislikes and some Dog and their body may respond entirely different than that of others. So how much this could benefit your Doggie may vary.
Most important – DOGS DO NOT HAVE THE SAME DIGESTIVE CAPACITY LIKE HUMANS, BUT VINEGAR IS GOOD FOR DOGS.
Now let’s get into the positive factors of ACV in your Dogs
Aids in digestion
In certain pets with a grain-based diet, chances of improper digestion are more and more which in results lead to a higher pH level than a healthy Dog needs.
pH level balance is of due importance, as the improper balance in pH level can affect their blood sugar level, urine pH, and their ability to fight against infection.
The pH level of the body of your dog can be balanced with vinegar and that is pretty much like undergoing an alkaline diet.
(Confused about what to feed your dogs for the alkaline diet? Simple – bananas, apples, broccoli, alfalfa, beans, and celery. Ain’t that an easy list? It’s going to help your dogs too. )
By adding vinegar to your Dog’s diet (maybe in food or water) helps in maintaining a normal pH level and relieve the problem of digestion.
Well, vinegar not only supports digestion in dogs and but also boosts your Dog’s appetite and stimulates the bacteria which fosters the breaking down of proteins and fats. Excuse me! You heard that?! WOW! Cool!
Moreover, It can be a great food supplement, you know? With minerals, vitamins, magnesium, potassium, and iron…. Doesn’t that sound perfect?
Is it all? No.. Not only this but also used as an additive to Dog’s food so that it can absorb all the vital nutrients that are essential for his body. And can you guess how is this possible?
Let me tell you, the acetic acid in vinegar is what that helps to extract all the essential minerals and nutrients needed for his body.
So it has become pretty clear that vinegar is not that bad for dogs. The only thing you have to take care of Don’t feed it directly to your dear ones.
Warning! MAINTAINING pH LEVELS ARE IMPORTANT. OTHERWISE, IT CAN SERIOUSLY AFFECT THE OVERALL HEALTH OF YOUR DOG.
Act as a repellent against pest
If you are like the most and want to minimize the dosage of chemicals as flea-repellent for your Fido… then definitely vinegar would be the answer for natural flea and tick repellent.
And have you ever tried vinegar as a repellent? If no, you should have….
Especially there are some seasons even the cleanest Dog might be facing these annoying pests and see sometimes not only any particular seasons it can come anytime.
In such situations, this gonna help you out. So you need to know how? Right?
Dilute 50-50 ACV and water well and spraying it on their fur and rub gently before going for an outing with your canine. This will help them from preventing attacks made by fleas and ticks.
Or else you can try this same solution as a preventive solution to clear dandruff on their fur. You can also add a few drops of vinegar to your pet’s drinking water, to help repel fleas and ticks from their fur.
Here the acidic nature of vinegar aids in preventing fleas and ticks (it really sounds woow…isn’t it?)
NOTE: Do not forget to monitor your Dog for any adverse reactions before using apple cider vinegar internally or externally.
Good for treating hot spots
Do you know that itchy skin and rashes can be treated with ACV? What you heard is right.
But be careful, do not apply on open wounds as the wound will sting.
While choosing vinegar you should be more cautious as distilled white vinegar do not contain “mother” (a brown colored cob-web like the formation of yeast and bacteria from the fermentation process.
This include all live enzymes and bacteria that gives this product all its health benefits needed)
Then your next choice should be an organic or raw or unpasteurized apple cider vinegar is mostly recommended by many holistic researchers.
50% ACV and 50% of distilled water when mixed together can be an effective medicine for treating hot spots on your Fido.
A natural ear cleanser – ACV
How often do you check your Dog’s ear for wax and gunk? And for sure you may have tried many ear drops or may maybe many household tricks to remove unwanted wax in your Doggie’s ear. Correct?
Well, have you ever chosen vinegar for cleaning ears, not any but apple cider vinegar?
No, not at all? Okay then try it for once that gonna help you out… You know there are many holistic vets who suggest it as a proactive regimen to use half ACV and half purified water to prevent ear infection.
Now, you might be a little bit doubtful about how to use it? Don’t worry.
You need to check your Dog’s ear, daily for wax. Using the ACV and purified water in an equal amount you can clean their dirty ears.
At first, take a cotton ball and dip it into this solution and swab out the ears until no gunk appears on the cotton ball.
Really, this is gonna work for your Dog to remove all those debris from ears and most importantly kill both the yeast and bacteria that caused infection.
To Relieves fungal infection
Do you possess a Doggie with floppy ears? Then definitely this will benefit you.
Because of their floppy ears chances of yeast or bacteria formation are quite a bit more than the others.
The lactic acid in apple cider vinegar is helpful to clean up yeast problems on your pooch’s ear and skin.
Like humans, fungal or yeast infection if worsened will cause severe problems to your pooch.
It’s not fun anymore. and here the best way to treat them is with actual medication.
However, once your dog is healed, you can use diluted apple cider vinegar with water occasionally.
Other than that you may have several times faced a situation when your pooch becomes quite irritating due to the fungal or yeast infection on their paw? And you immediately take them to your vet.
It’s good but have you ever tried vinegar as a solution to this problem? Not any vinegar especially Apple cider vinegar? Yes or no? Let it be anything. But Soaking your dear one’s paw into this solution can relieve the existing irritation. (NOTE: Ensure you pat dry well after soaking their paw.)
Therefore, within this period of time, you got an overall idea of how you can simply help your pooch in overcoming some problems.
Okay okay, dear Dog Lover Stay here,
Now, let’s discuss some obvious drawbacks of vinegar as a diet supplement.
So, what should you do when vinegar as a remedy is not working for your Doggie.
Now, You need to think deeply in some situations. And I am sure you got confused?
Relax… be cool, will explain it in detail..
Each and every product has positive as well as negative factors. Yet, we have been discussing only the pros but that doesn’t mean there are no cons.
Hmmm.. There are some nutritionists who mention Vinegar as a poison but do you think it’s so poisonous? Yes, it can be but only to some extent and how?
Ingestion of white vinegar or apple cider vinegar sometimes may cause an allergic reaction in your pet. There are some situations when it may lead to stomach upset and vomiting. Eventually there are some situations when it may lead to diarrhea in some cases.
Intake of undiluted vinegar can also cause gastrointestinal problems. Probably, this sounds to be true for all those pooches who are not 100% healthy and small dogs with sensitive stomachs and those with kidney problems.
For this reason, IT’S BETTER TO CONSULT YOUR DOG’S VETERINARIAN REGARDING ANY CHANGES YOU WISH TO INTEGRATE INTO HIS DIET.
Be sure, whatever your Pooch eats is appropriate and doesn’t interfere with his existing medical conditions.
Not all Dogs are the same and so their bodies. Some Dogs may not accept the taste of Vinegar like others.
So while feeding vinegar in water, it’s better to place two bowls of water, one with added vinegar and another without, to ensure that your pet is having enough water.
NOTE: It is quite important to promote an alkaline diet for your dogs. This helps free your dogs from acidic dangers and effects)
Frequently asked questions
Does apple cider vinegar cure UTI in Dogs?
It is true that apple cider vinegar is a natural way to relieve discomfort caused by Urinary Tract Inflammation. It helps to neutralize the bacteria in urinary bladder and maintain a proper balance between acid and alkaline in the Dog’s digestive tract.
This can be helpful in minor conditions which doesn’t mean you need to skip your Doggies trip to the veterinarian or prescribed medications.
Can vinegar hurt a Dog’s eyes?
Ideally speaking,better if you avoid undiluted vinegar having direct contact with the eyes as it can cause severe irritation, redness and sometimes even injure your Doggies eyes too.
So, What’s the takeaway
DON’T MISTAKE ACIDS FOR VINEGAR. There are different kinds of acids and vinegar is a friendly one.
Choosing the wrong one will end up bad. Very, very bad. You might have come across your dog experiencing acid reflux.
Don’t let it happen again.You should keep that in mind not only when feeding acidic food, but all kinds of food.
Share your love, not your food.
It’s your best friend and no one in the whole wide world is going to love you like your dog. So take care of him. Very well.
