Through the years, fur parents have been starting to incorporate natural remedies into their pet’s diets. A common natural remedy that we use often is vinegar. We have been accustomed to using vinegar in a lot of our dishes, from salt and vinegar chips to salad dressings, A lot of people believe that there are actual benefits you can get when you incorporate it into your diet, You may have also heard about how great it works for cleaning.
However, you may wonder if it’s the same case for your dogs. Being a loving fur parent, you always think about ways you can add something to your dog’s palate and make it more nutritious. But just like how you check the contents of your own food, you should also check whether an ingredient you are planning to add to your dog’s diet is good for them or not. Taking your time to research and understand what goes into your dog’s meal can ensure your dog’s safety and health.
So with this, you might wonder whether you can share your vinegar chips with your dog or will it be bad for them? Can I also use it to clean them? Vinegar, will it help, hurt, or benefit them?
Is Vinegar Bad for Dogs?
Vinegar, in small controlled amounts, can be beneficial for your dog’s health. Just like everything in life, too much is never good. While incorporating vinegar into your dog’s diet can be beneficial. it is still possible to feed them too much and cause them to get sick. So, it is best to consult your veterinarian and wait for their go signal before adding it to your pet’s meals.
Signs Your Dog Can Use Vinegar
Before you even try to feed your dog vinegar, it is extremely important to get a go-ahead signal from your dog-tor. It is important because your dog might be allergic to a specific substance found in the vinegar, causing him to react poorly which can cause more damage than good.
Vinegar is great for your dog’s health because it is great in balancing pH levels, which can affect plenty of aspects of your pet’s biology, like their blood sugar levels, urine pH, and their ability to fight off infections. Vinegar also works great in detoxifying and cleanse out your pet’s internal organs. Cleansing out their liver, kidneys, and bladder is the best way to help their other organs function better and combat harmful toxins and viruses in their surroundings. Vinegar can also improve your dog’s immune system and relieve any muscle soreness or hot spots.
However, knowing what kind of vinegar to use is also important. For example, apple cider vinegar has acetic acid that works great to extract more valuable minerals in your dog’s food. So, adding it into your dog’s food can help them absorb their meal’s nutrients better. Other types of vinegar, like white or clear vinegar, might not work as great.
Even though your veterinarian has given you the go signal to feed your dog vinegar, does not mean they can consume it in large amounts. It is possible to overfeed your dog’s vinegar and get them sick. Look out for any symptoms that might mean your dog has had too much vinegar.
Symptoms Your Dog Has Had Too Much Vinegar
- Scratching
- Drooling
- Unable to Focus
- Ears are Tucked Back
- Tails are Tucked
- Twitching Whiskers
- Excessive Thirst
- Diarrhea
- Itchiness
- Vomiting
- Gastrointestinal Upset
Is Apple Cider Vinegar Good for Dogs?
Dogs that have apple cider vinegar incorporated into their diet may have a healthier gastrointestinal (GI) system, better fur coat quality, and lesser allergies than others. Apple cider vinegar works best to reduce inflammation in your dog’s body and improve their immune system by balancing the pH level.
Apple cider vinegar has a pH level of 3.1 to 5, hence it is slightly acidic. That being said, just because apple cider vinegar offers multiple benefits does it mean it is good for all breeds. Not every dog may gain benefit from ingesting apple cider vinegar if their pH level is already in an optimal range. Your dog’s pH level is an extremely important balance system that plays a significant role in determining whether your dog is in optimal health.
Your dog’s veterinarian can check this by checking your dog’s urine. While measuring your fur pet’s pH is not essential before feeding them vinegar, it is best to test them if you notice they are not responding well when you fed them the ingredient.
Serving Ideas for Your Dog
As you have learned, your dog can gain multiple benefits if they have vinegar added to their diet. However, whether you are unsure of how to serve it or incorporate it into your pet’s meal or you are worried that you might overfeed them. Here are some serving ideas you can follow.
- Only add a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar into your dog’s water bowl. Just a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar is enough to benefit your dog, too much can be harmful. Make sure you prepare another bowl of water without any vinegar mixed into it.
- Sprinkle a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar over their dinner bowl.
How to Train Your Dog to Eat Vinegar
Just like humans, there might be certain ingredients your dog might not love. Vinegar can be one of them. Training your dog into eating vinegar or food that has vinegar can be tricky. But training them into not eating too much vinegar can also be a problem. Just like always, patience, sternness, and training are a must to help them.
Again, before incorporating vinegar into your dog’s diet, make sure that your dog’s veterinarian has approved it to make sure there are no bad side effects and allergies that might happen. Once they approve, decide the best way to include it into their diet, whether it may be through pills or just traditionally served along with their food.
If your dog turns out to be picky and does not like the food with apple cider vinegar sprinkled on top, it is best to be stern and be patient.
This does not mean you must starve your dog just to make them eat the food you prepared, instead, set an impression that mealtime is mealtime whether they like the food or not.
Layout their meal that has vinegar at a specific time. Give them enough time to decide and if they do not eat it, pick the food up and try again at the next mealtime. No matter how picky your furry pet is, they’ll certainly eat the food if they are hungry.
You should also make sure your puppy only consumes vinegar that is in their food. There are certain steps you can do to ensure they do not accidentally consume more of the recommended amount of vinegar with their diet.
Safety Tips When Keeping Vinegar Around Dogs
- Store the vinegar in a safe place. Make sure it is in a place where your dog does not have access. With this, you can train your dog to never step foot inside the kitchen if you are not there.
- Never eyeball when adding vinegar to your dog’s meal. Make sure it is properly measured according to the veterinarian’s suggested amount. You can also train your dog to never lap up any vinegar if in any case you accidentally spilled it.
- Do not free-feed your dog vinegar. Only give it to them when it is sprinkled on top of their meals or diluted with water.
- Have a talk with your dog’s veterinarian and plan ahead if any case your dog ingests too much vinegar.
Vinegar and Water On My Dog?
Vinegar on your dog’s food is one thing, vinegar used to clean them is another. Using vinegar to clean your dog may sound odd, but it can actually benefit your dog in multiple ways. Using vinegar along with water is actually a safe and easy way to handle different problems your dog might have., from skin irritations, ear infections, and even make them smell better.
You may not be able to use white vinegar for your dog’s meal but you can actually use them for other purposes. Both apple cider vinegar and white vinegar are useful and helpful for your dogs, but they are actually used in different ways.
How to remove doggy odor
If you notice your dog having a strong and unpleasant odor, rinse him using white vinegar to get rid of the stink. While you might think you are trading a strong smell for another, white vinegar does not leave a lingering smell when it dries.
It is recommended to use a cup of distilled vinegar for every 2 gallons of water to deodorize. To remove the unpleasant smell, soak your dog well with plain water first then pour the vinegar mixture over him, making sure his fur is fully coated with the mixture. Do not rinse him off with water and just wait for the vinegar mixture to dry. Once the mixture fully dries, both the doggy odor and the vinegar smell disappear.
How to clean my dog’s ears
Breeds with long and hanging ears tend to trap moisture inside their ears which can cause irritation and infections. The hanging flap on the ears of dog breeds like poodles, cocker spaniels, and Newfoundlands might be a struggle to treat.
You simply mix 2 parts water with 1 part white vinegar. This mixture can create a simple cleaning solution you can use to clean their ears. You can use a cotton pad to apply, removing as much wax and dirt as you can, thoroughly cleaning the external parts of the ear, as well as inside the flap and around the outside of the ear canal.
How to treat skin problems
Skin problems like rashes, ringworm, fungus, and other bacterial infections can be extremely uncomfortable for your dog. Using apple cider vinegar can be used to treat various skin infections.
Make a solution using equal parts of apple cider vinegar and water and apply it to any skin problems and trouble spots on your dog’s skin. If your dog is itchy, you can put 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar into a quart of water to rinse. It is best to let the mixture air dry for best results. If your pet’s skin problems are too severe and cannot be cured with vinegar alone, make sure to have them checked with their veterinarian as soon as possible.
How to treat itchy skin and dandruff
If your dog has itchy skin and dandruff, using apple cider vinegar can be the best way to help relieve them. The acidity found in the apple cider vinegar helps balance out the skin pH of your dog and the antiseptic and antibacterial properties help treat infections and dandruff naturally. It also works best to help calm the dog’s skin irritations and inflammation.
If you think your dog has sensitive skin, make sure you do a 24-hour spot test to make sure they do not develop any bad side effects like vomiting. more irritation, and redness. Once you have confirmed your dog does not display any bad side effects, you can start to treat the skin problems by using a diluted 50/50 solution of apple cider vinegar and water in a spray bottle. You can apply this to your dog’s coat to improve both your dog’s fur quality and dandruff. Since this mixture is very potent compared to the other, avoid any open sores or hotspots.
Where To Buy Apple Cider Vinegar for My Dog?
It is best to purchase organic apple cider vinegar with the “mother” to make sure you get the best quality. This should be raw, organic, and unfiltered. Unfiltered apple cider vinegar may appear cloudy with fibrous material while commercially produced products may appear clear. but is not a real traditionally-made apple cider vinegar.
It is recommended to buy unpasteurized apple cider vinegar for your dog to make sure the beneficial bacteria are not removed. Organic is the best choice to make sure there is no unwanted pesticide added into the product.
Using a good quality apple cider vinegar offers a lot of potential health benefits for your dogs when used the right way. If you think your dog may suffer potential health risks, make sure you discuss with your dog-tor prior to incorporating vinegar into your dog’s diet or using it into your dog’s bath to make sure you are conducting the right treatment and avoid any more possible health risks and harm.