How Apple Cider Vinegar helped with my dogs tick infestation

by Brill, Peanut & Marley's, Owner Judy
(Phoenix, AZ USA)

I was in shock, my dogs have never had fleas or ticks until we bought a house that had been vacant for years on the hillside.

The cute squirrels and raccoons and wildlife were fun to watch and then summer came.

I had never seen ticks this bad.

I bought flea and tick shampoo, tick collars including a prescribed by my vet and paid to my vet, the liquid Frontline Plus I squeezed on the backs of my Havanese, toy poodle and Lhasa and confined them to one end of the house.

Days went by, the ticks were still there!! My sleepless nights and constant checking was too much, I could not wait any longer, the vet staff said I would have to tweeze them off the dogs!! Gross!!

I searched the internet for a better option and from what I read I would try Apple cider Vinegar.

I shampooed my dogs again with an oatmeal shampoo then rinsed with Apple cider Vinegar, to my surprise my dog did not mind it and some of the ticks started to come off by themselves which I would quickly tweeze off the ACV soaked fur strands and drop into a plastic cup containing ACV which quickly killed the tick.

The tougher ticks that did not come off, I sprayed, sprayed, sprayed with ACV I had poured into a spray bottle, until I could see the mouth parts then getting next to the skin with the tweezers, tweezed the tick mouth parts easily and with no resistance removed the blasted tick. The ACV wet fur made it easier to separate the fur away from the tick to allow a really good hold of the nasty thing by its nasty tick lips, eeewww!!

I will not use anymore so called "safe" pesticide type products on my dogs from what I read the possible long term effects they have may take years to show. I am angry I followed the advice and paid for the liquid Frontline Plus from my Vet. The ingredients list is terrible.

I love the internet which provides great info like the use of ACV which is safe for my dogs, I would not have known.

Thank you.