Does Apple Cider Vinegar Help With Dog Incontinence?

Apple cider vinegar has been proven to help with dog incontinence. It’s ok to give your dog apple cider vinegar every day, but be sure to monitor the dosage. Small dogs can tolerate one teaspoon per day. Medium dogs can have two teaspoons daily, and large dogs, one tablespoon.

There is almost nothing more heartbreaking than when your normally energetic and happy pup is sick, lethargic, and simply not himself.

When your dog is suffering from incontinence, or the lack of bladder control, it can be grueling for both you and Fido.

If you notice your dog is suffering from incontinence, the first step is to take him to the veterinarian and follow the doctor’s advice. But what if you wanted to try a holistic approach?

People have recently recognized the health benefits of holistic and natural treatments for various ailments. One of the most common treatments is apple cider vinegar.

It has been used to treat and alleviate many issues for humans, but can apple cider vinegar also help your dog in his time of need?

Can You Give A Dog Apple Cider Vinegar for Incontinence?

Giving your pup apple cider vinegar for incontinence has been proven to work! This is because apple cider vinegar is excellent for helping clear out the bladder.

You can give your dog apple cider vinegar daily to help treat this issue. However, it is important to note that dosage and how to feed it to your dog are essential.

Dosage and Administration

There are two great ways to give your dog apple cider vinegar.

1. Soak a slice of bread with the vinegar
2. Put a couple of capfuls of the vinegar in your dog’s water

But how much is enough? It depends on the dog and its size. Small dogs can tolerate one teaspoon per day. Medium dogs can have two teaspoons daily, and large dogs, one tablespoon.

You should also not give your dog too much apple cider vinegar as this could increase the pH in his urine. If that were to happen, it would cause more issues, such as a urinary tract infection. This would worsen his discomfort and pain.

When giving apple cider vinegar to your dog, always dilute it. Like humans, dogs shouldn’t have apple cider vinegar without diluting it or adding it to food first.

It’s painful to ingest without being watered down/added to food and can cause more issues than it can help. The mixture should be at least 50/50.

When adding any new food to your pup’s diet, be sure to do so gradually. Build up to the maximum amount allowed for your dog’s weight and size. Keep a close eye on your dog when first giving him the vinegar to ensure he tolerates it well.

Best Types of Apple Cider Vinegar for Your Dog

Make sure you don’t just buy some random apple cider vinegar for your dog. You should use unpasteurized vinegar when administering this to your pup.

If it isn’t unpasteurized, it will not contain the most important and helpful parts of apple cider vinegar, such as the bacteria and enzymes.

The vinegar should not only be “unpasteurized” but also raw and unfiltered. This will ensure the vinegar contains all the ingredients necessary to help your dog feel better.

Symptoms of Incontinence and What to Do About Them

The biggest telltale sign of incontinence in your dog is dripping urine. There are also other symptoms, such as irritation from dripping urine and more licking of the genitalia than normal.

You should take your dog to the vet as soon as you notice these symptoms in your dog. The vet will do a physical exam, blood test, and urinalysis.

Once your vet diagnoses your dog, listen intently to their professional advice and the medication they prescribe.

While there, talk to your vet about using apple cider vinegar. Get their opinion on its usage, dosage, and any other views and advice they might have.

Other Uses for Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple cider vinegar can help dogs with their incontinence. However, this isn’t the only advantage of ACV..

Urinary Tract Infections

You can use apple cider vinegar to prevent urinary tract infections. ACV positively affects dogs and their bladders. This is because of its higher acetic acid content. This helps fight off the “bad” bacteria in the bladder and other areas of your dog’s body.

Gut and Gastro Issues

As mentioned above, apple cider vinegar contains bad bacteria-fighting acid. When ingested, apple cider vinegar can raise your dog’s gut’s alkalinity. This creates a hostile environment for worms and other harmful organisms that frequent the gut.

Since dogs often love to eat items that are likely to contain worms and other gut harming parasites — like trash and fecal matter — it’s best to give your dog apple cider vinegar as a preventative measure!

It can also increase the number of good bacteria in a dog’s intestine (like it can for us!). Because it creates more of the “good” bacteria, it can help your dog with his digestion. It can aid in creating and keeping a good flora population.

Even if your dog doesn’t have any gut issues, giving him apple cider vinegar regularly can be preventative and stop any problems from arising.

Ear Infections

Apple cider vinegar is excellent for treating and preventing various types of infections, one of which being ear infections. ACV is a natural bacteria-fighting liquid as it’s antimicrobial.

When giving apple cider vinegar for ear infections, simply squirt a diluted mixture into your dog’s ear or ears, then massage.

You can do this daily for weeks. This method can also be used as a preventive measure, so your pup will always have squeaky clean and healthy ears!

Skin Health

Apple cider vinegar can also be applied to your dog’s skin and hair for multiple uses. For one, if your dog has any acne, burns, or other skin issues, the application of diluted apple cider vinegar can help his problems.

ACV can also help repel fleas. Spraying some on your dog before a walk can be beneficial, as fleas don’t like the smell or taste of the vinegar. It can’t kill fleas that are already on your dog, but it sure can keep any new ones far away!

Which Dogs Shouldn’t Have Apple Cider Vinegar?

Most dogs will be able to handle apple cider vinegar well. However, there will be some outliers that don’t handle it well.

If your dog has intestinal lining irritation, do not give apple cider vinegar to your pup! This can put them in a great deal of pain, and we certainly wouldn’t want that.

If you give your dog apple cider vinegar and it irritates their skin, which is possible with overuse, then stop using it on your dog.

What to Do Before Giving it to Your Dog

Apple cider vinegar is perfectly safe for dog use, especially when being used for his incontinence. But, a dog owner must be careful and rule out the possible causes of this issue.

Treating the symptoms of incontinence or any other health issue can be relieving, but getting to the root problem/cause and potential underlying issue is the first obstacle that should be tackled.

As mentioned above, it’s important to visit your vet whenever an issue arises, such as urinary incontinence. Don’t just treat the symptoms. Figure out why it’s happening in the first place.

A Healthier, Happier Pup

Apple cider vinegar can be very beneficial to dogs. It can make them healthier, build a better immune system, and even help with their health issues, especially incontinence.

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