Is apple cider vinegar a safe home remedy for my dog's ear issues?

Hello, I wouldn't recommend using apple cider vinegar in your cat's ear. Using a gentle ear wash made for pets is the best option for ear cleaning at home. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hello and thank you for your questions about Apple Cider Vinegar. Most people use the vinegar topically. They apply it to skin rashes, the under side of the feet or other areas of redness. Vinegar is an astringent so it will help remove pathogenic microbes on the skin and it also soothes the skin. Some people feed it to their dogs to acidify the GI tract but I don't think there's much value in that and thus I don't recommend it. Some people also use it the clean ears but again, I've seen problems when it stays in the ear and is not properly dried out. I think there are much better ear cleaners that are made for dogs and actually dry on their own or remove water within the ear. Some people also see a value in this for a flea repellent but once again, I don't think it works well and that there are much better products. So I don't recommend it for that purpose. Anytime you use the vinegar you want to mix it water in varying concentrations depending on the intended use. Always get the organic formula. For skin issues, I think it has benefits, I don't recommend to use it for the other listed properties. Be careful using it on open wounds, it can sting. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Although relatively safe I would recommend using an alcohol free dog ear cleanser which is correctly balanced to help remove wax and help dry the ear also. If painful your dog should be assessed by your vet first to rule out infection or a ruptured ear drum and they can demonstrate safe ear cleaning and preventive care

I wish I had a good home remedy option for you, but apple cider vinegar or hydrogen peroxide will not resolve that mass. Similar to what your doctor did for you, your vet may be able to use liquid nitrogen and freeze the mass off, but that would require a trip to the vet. There is a salve called blood root salve that some people will use at home, but is considered potentially very dangerous and not recommended to be used for benign masses or without veterinary supervision, so I would not recommend trying that on this particular mass. I would recommend having your veterinarian evaluate the mass and decide if they can remove it with a local anesthetic or with liquid nitrogen. Good luck! I hope that answered your question. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Pus is usually a sign of either a bacterial or fungal infection. If you pour vinegar and water into the ear now, this will cause immense pain to your dog as there is severe inflammation as well. Please do not try to clean the ear with apple cider vinegar and water now. This needs to be seen by a veterinarian who will examine the ear canal closely, ensures that the ear drum is not damaged, and will determine the cause of the infection and the prescribe medication an pain medicine as indicated by the diagnosis.

Canaural (medication with Diethanolamine Fusidate, Framycetin Sulphate, Nystatin and Prednisolone) can be used safely and effectively to get rid of mites in few days. I would recommend to take Joy to your veterinarian and have him treated appropriately. Unfortunately home remedies are not that effective in this case. Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

I am unsure if she presented with this irritation during her recent exam with the vet which would have alerted them to thoroughly check this area or not; however this appears to be a possible mild vaginitis with a secondary yeast infection. A skin impression/cytology is ideal to confirm this diagnosis through your vet. We typically treat these with a pet formulated topical chlorhexidine/ketoconazole skin wipe or spray. I have never used hydrogen peroxide, vinegar or yogurt to treat a yeast infection in a dog, nor do I see any reliable information on the veterinary boards to suggest that this is a plausible treatment; therefore, I wouldn't recommend it. I have seen where vinegar can reduce some yeast populations on the skin, but complete resolve is not guaranteed. Instead your vet should be able to supply the appropriate medicated topical treatment to help resolve Isa's apparent vaginitis. I can sense that you feel this may have been missed on her recent exam and may have some resentment about that; however I would still recommend returning for the appropriate treatment for Isa. I hope her skin infections gets resolved soon. Take care.