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Apple Cider Vinegar For Dogs |
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Health benefits of apple cider vinegar
Health benefits of apple cider vinegar for people and their pets. It is antibacterial and anti-fungal and gives the immune system a good boost. 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.
Apple Cider Vinegar is cheap, easy to use and it really benefits our health in numerous ways. Hippocrates, the father of medicine thought of it as a powerful elixir and a naturally occurring antibiotic and antiseptic that fights germs. Ancient Egyptians, Roman’s and Greeks used it. And Apple Cider Vinegar is mentioned in the Bible as an antiseptic and healing agent. Even Columbus had barrels of vinegar on his ships for the prevention of scurvy. Indeed, Apple Cider Vinegar has been used for thousands of years, as both a health and cleansing agent.
Apple Cider Vinegar can benefit both people and their pets. It is antibacterial and anti-fungal and gives the immune system a good boost. As a high potassium electrolyte balancer, it remineralizes the body and helps normalize the blood’s alkaline acid balance.
Apple Cider Vinegar is proving most beneficial to people or animals with arthritis because it breaks down calcium deposits in the joints while remineralizing the bones. It has proven to be equally beneficial to dogs with hip dysplasia.
Apple Cider Vinegar is a good remedy for food poisoning and helpful in digestive upsets. It is also effective for urinary tract infections and it lowers high blood pressure. In animals, it is helpful in skin and coat problems. For those on diuretics, it is helpful in replacing potassium depletion. Use one teaspoonful in the dog or cat’s drinking water daily as a healthy tonic. Two teaspoonfuls in a pint of water, for yourself.
For centuries, people have recognized cider vinegar’s health benefits to fight infection, promote digestion, and even in fighting osteoporosis. So when you eat that salad with the cider vinegar and oil dressing, you’re reaping large health benefits as well as good taste!
Check with your vet before administering Apple Cider Vinegar as some medications can be affected by it. Do not use if your pet has any kind of yeast infection as the vinegar can exacerbate this condition.
Too much acid can lead to liklihood for calcium oxalate stones to form in overly acidic urine (6 or lower would be too acidic) 6.5 to 7.1 is considered acidic or neutral (ideal).
Anyone considering adding acidifying products should be sure to check their dog's urine pH before giving anything which would acidify the urine if it is not necessary. Bayers urinalysis strips are good and available from chemists product code 2283 would be the ones to get and Boots chemists usually get them in by next day if they do not have them in stock and they are faily inexpensive..
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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! "
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APPLE CIDER
VINEGAR FOR YOUR DOG
The Encyclopedia of Natural Pet Care (Revised Edition), CJ Puotinen
The Encyclopedia of Natural Pet Care (Revised Edition), CJ Puotinen
Many herbalists recommend vinegar for pets, especially because it can be poured over garlic and others herbs to make medicinal tinctures. Even without those herb, cider vinegar is an important ingredient in your pet’s diet. Use any raw, unpasteurized, unheated, organic vinegar …. Do not use a vinegar that is uniformly clear and clean looking, such as vinegar sold in the supermarkets. These are dead vinegars with none of the enzymes and other live factors that make raw, unpasteurized vinegar so valuable.
Long a folk remedy, cider vinegar has been shown to improve health of dairy cows, horses, dogs, and other animals. It reduces common infections, aids whelping, improves stamina, prevents muscle fatigue after exercise, increases resistance to disease, and protects against food poisoning. Cider vinegar is rich in the vitamins, minerals, and trace elements found in apples, especially potassium; it normalizes acid levels in the stomach, improves digestion and the assimilation of nutrients, reduces intestinal gas and fecal odors, helps cure constipation, alleviates some of the symptoms of arthritis and helps prevent bladder stones and urinary tract infections.
Add apple cider vinegar directly to food or drinking water, starting with small amounts and building up to 1/2 to 1 teaspoon per 15 pounds of body weight for dogs and cats (1 teaspoon per day for the average cat, 1 tablespoon for a 50-pound dog or 2 tablespoons for a 90-pound dog). By gradually adding small doses to your pet’s food over time, you can help even the most finicky eater to accept this valuable food.
SOURCE: The Encyclopedia of Natural Pet Care (Revised Edition), CJ Puotinen, Keats Publishing, ISBN 0-658-00996-6
The above information is simply informational. It's intent is not to replace the advice of a veterinarian nor to assist you in making a diagnosis of your pet. Please consult with your own veterinarian for confirmation of any diagnosis. Your pets life may depend on it.