If you have a dog, you will have heard it said at least once: "washing your dog with vinegar is the best way to ensure a healthy and clean dog".
Actually, that's not the case.
Vinegar has no cleaning properties and does not wash away dirt (if by that we mean "remove bacteria"). However, if we just want to remove bad odors from the fur and have a semblance of cleanliness, then vinegar is fine.
Properties of vinegar
Vinegar is a natural product widely used in household cleaning. It is a good anti-limescale, can help neutralize bad odors in the refrigerator, and also acts to prevent mold on fruit. You can also use it to clean windows, perhaps using apple cider vinegar which has a less invasive and more delicate odor.
However, it does not have disinfectant properties, and if used incorrectly or inappropriately it is also very polluting . Vinegar is composed of acetic acid, a corrosive acid, which promotes the release of nickel from metals (have you ever used it to clean silverware? It is truly unbeatable) and can cause the onset of SNAS - Systemic nickel allergy.
If you use it in the washing machine, for example, it will then be released into the environment, polluting the soil and water. Based on the toxicity (acute and chronic) and the level of degradation of acetic acid established by the European DID (Detergent Ingredients Database) List, 100,000 liters of water will be needed to cancel its effect on sea fish.
(To calculate the VCDtox - Critical Dilution Volume Toxicity, a solution of 1 litre of 6% vinegar was considered, i.e. with 60 grams of acetic acid).
But getting back to the topic of this article, can I use vinegar to wash my dog?
Washing your dog with vinegar is like not washing him at all
As we saw in the previous paragraph, vinegar can be useful for household cleaning, but on dog fur it does not have great cleaning effects.
Although it is a common belief that bathing your dog in a solution of water and vinegar is a good idea, or rubbing his fur and paws with a cloth soaked in vinegar helps keep our four-legged friend nice and clean, in reality this is not the case.
Sanitizing means "reducing the number of bacteria to levels safe for public health" (and is very different from disinfecting, as we explained in this article ). And vinegar, in this, has no power.
Furthermore, Fido's skin is very delicate (its pH is 7 and, in some breeds, even 8) and must therefore be treated with delicate products that do not irritate.
The pH of vinegar is 2, so it is completely opposite to that of the dog. And that is why it is really ineffective if we are looking for a pet detergent that does its job, that is, sanitizes (or even disinfects).
So how do you wash your dog?
How (and when) to clean your dog's fur
Another false myth about dog grooming concerns timing. Some people say that dogs should be washed very little (at most once a year) so as not to remove their natural protection: sebum.
This statement hides a partial truth.
Sebum helps keep your dog's fur healthy and ensures that the coat performs its function of protection from UV rays, heat, cold and insect bites. Using degreasing detergents to wash your dog risks damaging and reducing its presence, compromising the protective function of the fur, causing dermatitis and itching in the animal and lowering its immune defenses.
However , two days are enough for sebum to re-establish the right balance , so the mistake is to think that the dog does not need to be washed often to preserve its natural protection.
This is not the case. The dog should be washed when needed , taking this information into account and without stressing him.
But even more importantly, it should be washed with delicate products , based on natural ingredients that respect the animal's pH, free from stabilizers, allergenic additives or artificial fragrances, and that are safe to lick.
Hypochlorous acid is really effective in this . Suitable for the daily cleaning of ears, eyes, paws and coat of dogs, cats and other pets, it is also a valid ally to soothe the sensation of itching, cleanse and refresh the skin and promote cell renewal.
Want to know more? Discover our Ecasan Pets Hygiene and Wellness.
