Sunday 16 December 2007

adding apple cider vinegar to the dog's drinking water

In September the vet suggested to us that we add some apple cider vinegar to Penny's drinking water, in order to help her joints. (She seemed to be limping.) We tried it but decided to discontinue it because she wouldn't drink it.

I'm thinking that I might give it another try, because I've been reading about the benefits of this addition to the diet. There's an article at Earth Clinic that quotes Wendy Vollhard:
"...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
Earth Clinic says:
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.
Another article on this subject was at AnimalHouse.Co, the home of a business in Pennsylvania in the US. This site has a feast of information on all sorts of subjects relating to dogs.

By the way, I loved their Trivia page. For instance, I learned that in the early 1940s, Swiss inventor George de Mestral came up with the idea of velcro™ after he went on a walk with his dog and noticed that his pants and his dog's coat were covered with cockleburrs, which have a natural hook-like shape.

We have a plant in our park that has burrs and it seems to me that I spend ages getting them out of Penny's coat after a walk. What a pity that velcro™ has already been invented. I could get rich...

2 comments:

Amber-Mae said...

Hmmm, does it really work? Even if it does, we ain't gonna let our hoomans shove it down our throat or we will just vomit the whole thing out! It's disgusting tasting & my mommy agrees with me... Right mommy? She used to take a tablespoon a day to loose weight,. It's very acidic & it helps to burn down the fats in her body. Yes, she's fat!

Love licks,
Solid Gold Dancer

parlance said...

I used to take apple cider vinegar, too. I can't quite remember why - maybe for a cold? I didn't really mind it so much, but I know what you mean about it tasting too acidic.

I'm going to remember it as an alternative medicine, anyway, just in case. I'm not fond of medications and would prefer 'natural' things like this if possible.