What do you get when you mix apples with water and allow them to ferment? The answer is one heck of health tonic for bulldogs!
Apple cider vinegar (ACV) has been gaining great popularity as an all-natural health remedy for dogs and it’s one concoction you want stocked in your bully’s pantry.
Here’s our list of benefits apple cider vinegar can provide to your bulldog:
Top 15 Apple Cider Vinegar Benefits for Bulldogs
- Allergies: Runny nose, watery eyes and other allergy symptoms can often be eliminated
- Bacteria: Anti-bacterial agent that kills off bacteria on and in the body
- Digestion and elimination: Keeps digestive tract on track by killing foodborne bacteria, especially in raw meat diets
- Electrolytes: Balances out positive and negatively charged ions that circulate freely in your pet’s blood and other bodily fluids
- Fungus: Decreases the chances of fungal overgrowth
- Hot spots: Kills off bacteria festering on hot spots
- Immune system: Strengthens the immune system, making it easier for your pooch to fend off infections, allergies, parasites and viruses
- Inflammation: A natural anti-inflammatory ideal for bulldogs’ common condition of arthritis as well as other diseases caused by inflammation
- Mucus and phlegm: Helps break it down for easier breathing
- pH levels: Balances pH levels in your bulldog’s system, helping to protect the liver, kidney, bladder and other vital organs
- Plaque: Cleans plaque off teeth, keeping oral health in tip-top shape
- Tear stains: Perfectly natural tear stain remover
- Teeth, nails and soft tissues: The potassium in ACV fights tooth decay, strengthens nails and assists with the repair of soft tissues
- Urinary tract infections: Say goodbye to the nasty and all-too-common UTIs
- Yeast infections: Helps clear up these nasty, painful infections
Four Ways ACV Can Improve Coat and Skin
The balancing and enhancing of your dog’s internal systems is often evident externally with a soft and shiny coat. ACV can additionally help with:
- Itching and scratching: Quells the constant itching that leads to constant scratching, giving your dog sweet relief
- Disinfection: Rub ACV on your bulldog’s coat to keep him snazzy after a bath
- Fleas: A bath in soapy water can drown existing fleas, and a post-bath ACV rubdown can deter them from coming back.
- Other: Can help dandruff, pimples, thinning hair and ear infections
Apply ACV Internally or Topically
Now that you’re thoroughly convinced you must use ACV as a regular remedy, it’s time to find out how.
Internally: Start small, with a 1-teaspoon dose mixed into your bulldog’s food twice per day for a 50-pound dog, adjusting the dose by weight as necessary. If needed, you can increase the dose up to 1 tablespoon, twice daily, for a 50-pound dog. Adding it to his water is another option, but you need to ensure he drinks the full portion of water to receive the full dose.
Topically: Rub or spray ACV directly onto your dog, or mix equal parts vinegar and water to apply to tender areas, such as open sores or wounds.
If bathing your dog to remove parasites and pests, rub a 50:50 mix of ACV and water on your bulldog after the bath, allowing it to air dry. The mixture kills existing pests while preventing future infestations from recurring.
You can also spritz your dog with diluted or full-strength ACV before a walk to keep fleas and other pests at bay.
[…] imbalance: Adding a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar to the drinking water can change the water’s pH. Tums are another way to help balance the pH […]