Treating your dog’s skin this way will help prevent dry skin and itchiness.
Be aware that ACV’s astringent properties may sting your dog’s ears or cause the delicate skin of the ear canal to dry out.
If your dog dislikes being sprayed, dip a washcloth into the mixture and rub your dog’s coat. There is no need to rinse your dog afterward. The smell will dissipate after the ACV dries.
Put on long sleeves and gloves. Before you start treating your dog, it’s important to protect your own skin from flea bites. Work outside if you’re dealing with live fleas and ticks. Bathe your dog in the solution. Avoid getting the solution in its eyes. Cover every part of its fur and use your fingers to work the solution all the way to the skin. You want to work up a good lather to help kill the fleas. Let the solution sit on your dog for ten minutes. If it’s a particularly bad infestation, have a second batch of the solution handy so you can do a double flea treatment.
Keep in mind that apple cider vinegar’s effects will vary from dog to dog. There is no scientific evidence to suggest that it improves the health of every dog. Some effects may be the result of the placebo effect.
A large dog can handle twice a day treatments. If your dog is over fifty pounds, use two teaspoons per day. If your dog’s symptoms don’t improve after a week, you should take it to the vet to see if a stronger medication is required.
Keeping a good pH level is important. Pests like fleas, ticks, bacteria, parasites, ringworm, fungi, staphylococcus, streptococcus, pneumococcus, and mange are less likely to bother dogs with slightly more acidic urine and an acidic skin/fur coat outer layer. Apple cider vinegar can promote these qualities. [7] X Research source Opponents of ACV use argue that there is no proven scientific data that shows that ACV effectively repels fleas. They argue that any benefits derived from bathing in ACV are likely to be a result of regular flea combing and treating the environment, rather than the ACV directly.
Bladder stones can form after prolonged ACV use. ACV is acidic and raises the level of acid in your dog’s urine. Highly acidic urine in dogs leads to oxalate bladder stones. This is because oxalate crystals precipitate out of ACV solution. Potentially, the bladder stone could block the urethra (the tube through which the dog urinates), limiting your dog’s ability to urinate. This is an emergency situation, which will require surgery to remedy. [8] X Research source Richard W. Nelson and C. Guellermo Coutu, Small Animal Internal Medicine. Nelson & Couto. Publisher: Mosby. It is certainly NOT advisable to give ACV to any animal with a history of bladder stones of the oxalate variety. In theory, you could monitor the dog’s urinary pH using dipsticks. The ideal pH should be around 6. 2 - 6. 4, so if the dipstick indicates a pH more acidic than this (below 6. 2) then it would be best to discontinue using ACV until the pH recovered. [9] X Research source Richard W. Nelson and C. Guellermo Coutu, Small Animal Internal Medicine. Nelson & Couto. Publisher: Mosby.
