What’s The Proper Dosage of CBD For My Dog?
CBD or Cannabidiol is an exciting Cannabinoid that occurs naturally in hemp and cannabis plants. Cannabidiol is among more than 400 compounds that are found to provide promising therapeutic action and healing for numerous canine medical conditions.
However, one of the most important factors in realizing a positive outcome from CBD treatment for your dog is to know how to calculate, measure and administer the proper CBD starting dose to reach the optimum ‘Sweet Spot’ amount for your own pet.
CBD Dosage for Dogs by Weight
CBD from hemp is, in essence, a food with very beneficial effects on canine health.
Like proper diet, adequate exercise and on-going behavioral training, CBD for dogs should be considered as just one of the many components to your dog’s total daily wellness regimen.
But determining an ‘effective dose’ of hemp derived CBD oil for your dog depends on a number of different factors: size (weight) of your dog, health condition, disease history, concentration (percentage) of CBD plus individual variances in metabolism as well as the method of delivery can all effect the starting dose for you dog.
As any pet owner knows, dogs come in all shapes and sizes–therefore, each dog’s dosage of CBD is always going to be different; meaning you should begin with a lowest recommended dose and gradually increase over a period of time.
How Much CBD Oil Should I Give My Dog?
For a number of reasons, pet owners say they want to start giving CBD based medicines like Canine Support Formula to their dog, but they’re not quite sure about the right dose. What is the best way to calculate the ideal amount of CBD for our four-legged friends?
The short answer is, there’s a dosing range that is recommended to start with and it’s best to begin at the low end of this range. A good starting dosage is based on your dog's body weight using a milligram to kilogram (mg/kg) benchmark. Click To TweetStart with a minimal amount of CBD (0.25 milligrams) per kilogram of canine body weight. This starting CBD measurement should be divided into two (or three) equal portions given throughout the whole day.
After a week, incrementally increase the dose with additional milligrams until you’ve achieved the desired effect for whatever is being treated. Again, track, measure and document the increased amount. A good rule of thumb is increasing the original dose amount by 2X (from 0.25 up to 0.50 mgs per kg) after observing signs for 2-weeks.
Once you’ve achieved the desired outcome for your pet (e.g., pain-relief, down-regulating seizures, reducing anxiety, etc.), then you’re probably done making dosage adjustments in the short term and you can maintain that level of CBD on a regular daily maintenance schedule for your dog.
Over time, adjustments can be made, up or down, depending on the continued observed effectiveness of this original dosage amount.
CBD Dosing for Dogs
How To Find Your Dog’s ‘Sweet-Spot’
Once you begin dosing your dog with CBD, finding the optimum ‘sweet spot’ for treating your pet will require a systematic diligence on your part.
Be prepared to keep a Daily Canine Journal to track your dog’s progress. Write everything down–take copious notes documenting not only the CBD dosage but your pet’s reaction from the very first trial dose.
Over a period of time start to look for trends in your dog’s responses. Try to notice nuances towards a change in your dog’s behavior, activity level and in the general quality of life of your dog. Be observant and write it down!
Consistency is what is going to determine the window of opportunity to fully capture the healing benefits of CBD for your dog.
Since every dog is going to have a different reaction to CBD it’s important to be vigilant in the beginning to measure and document his response.
Your dog’s journal should include his daily dietary intake of food, water, treats and activity levels along with your own impressions of his moods, behaviors and personal idiosyncrasies, (yes, you should include his BM frequency).
These facts & interpretations are recorded at each level of CBD administration.
This is a period of trial and error. CBD is not so much ‘condition-specific’ (e.g., arthritis vs epilepsy or lymphoma cancer) as it is an individual dog specific medication. You, the Pet Parent, are the best source to determine actual effective dosage for your specific pet’s needs.
The idea is to calibrate a regimen for your dog that uses the least amount of CBD to achieve the desired effect or result.
This is an experiment, so go-low & go-slow. Start with a low amount and titrate up until you find your dog’s effective ‘sweet spot’. The sweet-spot is the smallest amount of CBD that achieves the greatest impact!
If after giving your dog a set amount of CBD for two weeks or month and you still don’t see the results you want or expect, just know that not all dogs respond the same–even to the same CBD source.
Be aware that a different CBD may provide the long-lasting relief you and your dog were seeking. It may take two or three trials of different CBD products over a three-to-six-month period to hone in on the best source for your specific dog. Be patient, all dogs are different.
Reminder– higher doses of CBD are not necessarily better and may actually produce the opposite effect!
Bi-Phasic Properties of CBD Are Important for Proper Dosing
A biphasic drug is one that has differing effects on the body at different blood concentration levels.
One of the most well-known biphasic drugs is alcohol, which acts as a stimulant until blood alcohol levels reach 0.05 percent. After this point, continued consumption of alcohol causes sedation and depression. Because of cannabidiol’s biphasic properties, it can be used to treat a large variety of problems on both ends of the spectrum.
When CBD interacts with the canine endocannabinoid system (ECS) at low doses it has been shown to increase wakefulness, alertness and can also contribute to elevated mood.
However, at higher doses, CBD has a sedating effect instead. For example, dogs who consume larger amounts of CBD may be sleepy, lethargic and calm, as opposed to alert and energetic.
When giving your dog CBD for the first time it is extremely important to take the recommended dose at regular intervals. Raising or lowering your dog’s dosage may produce the opposite of the desired effect.
So be patient, look for changes and apply CBD systematically using a Daily Canine Journal.
CBD Tincture Dosage for Dogs
Knowing exactly what starting dosage you’re giving your pet can be tricky. Very few of the CBD products you find will have an actual concentration dosage recommendation listed on the label. And because many of the products on the market are intended for human not canine consumption it’s easy to give a less-than-optimum amount.
Also, with animals we must avoid thinking in terms of human-sized doses. The general rule of thumb is giving the smallest dose possible based on your dog’s physical weight and gradually work your way up until you find the most effective response.
And be prepared to alter that dosage up or down (titrate) for desired effect.
CBD Dose: Every Dog Is Unique!
As pet owners recognize the health promoting possibilities of CBD for their own dogs, Cannabidiol has become less of an alternative treatment option and more of an accepted way to provide vital relief for pets with anxiety, arthritis or even cancer.
Although there is a growing body of scientific evidence supporting the use of CBD to improve the lives of our canine companions, there still remains a lack of real-world application for individual dosage requirements for different canine medical conditions.
Pet owners can be the leading authority to answer these questions by contributing their own science-based empirical evidence–
With perceptive observation, consistent documentation and a true devotion to achieving better health of their own dog, pet owners who are willing to share their own positive CBD experiences are fast becoming indispensable leaders toward building a broader knowledge base of CBD as a healing nutrient for all dogs.
Curtis has been passionate about the health and welfare of animals since his first dog rescue.
After studying Sports Medicine & Biology at the University of Oregon, Curtis went on to excel in a career of Clinical Nutrition, later owning a health care supplement company serving private-practice physicians.
Known for his expansive knowledge of natural health and alternative medicine, Curtis believes that natural plant-based therapies can be applied to veterinary animal care which led him to study the science of Cannabinoid Medicine. His expertise in Functional Medicine led him to formulate a unique hemp-based canine care product, Canine Support Formula, fulfilling a dream to combine natural pet-care strategies with the new therapeutic potential of medical cannabis.
In reverence for his own dog, Parker, Curtis has dedicated his company–K9 Medibles–to improving the health and longevity of all dogs.
To learn more about Curtis and how K9 Medibles can help your dog, click HERE.
Recently started my 2 Cockers on cbd oil to get them off of medications. One in particular is on phenobarbitol for seizures. How will I know when to reduce or eliminate the phenobarbitol?
HI Mike, that’s a great question and one which requires some investigation and input on your part. To start, Phenobarbital works by decreasing the neurotransmitter glutamate in the brain. It takes two weeks to start working but can stay in the system for extended periods because barbiturates dissolve easily in fats and can accumulate in tissue. That’s helpful when you want the drug to cross the blood-brain-barrier to treat seizures but means the drug can also be released from this fat storage over a long period of time. Essentially, you won’t know how much pheno is present in the blood if you choose to stop dosing it. So you will have to monitor your dog’s seizures (frequencey, duration, recovery time, etc.) if you want to give him the best chance of reducing the frequency and intensity of seizures. What CBD does is bring down the level of glutamate re-cycling in the brain so there is a more balanced level of both GABA and glutamate. CBD also works by reducing the amount of free-radicals produced in the brain that creates an over-excited neurotoxic state (too much glutamate) that results in fear, anxiety and stress responses (eg. fight or flight) that contributes to seizures. You will need to track the dose and response to reducing the medications while you increase the amount of CBD.
I started my golden retriever on cbd oil A couple weeks ago. I didn’t know about dosage so just put a tiny drop on a treat for her. The vet xrayed her leg & she has has pulled legimet in her knee. I have a brace on her to help keep weight off her knee. How often should I give this to her?
Humans please realize that giving CBD on a treat means it enters the dogs STOMACH and then the liver – unless you’re treating seizures (a liver issue) its simply NOT as effective! Goes out the pipes if ya know what I mean. You;ll want to dose the animal DIRECTLY into the MOUTH to be absorbed by the Mucal membranes. I know its hard to get it under the tongue – just get it into the mouth, preferably on the side . Least that’s how I do it – inject the dropper between my doggo’s lips and down the side, easier for BOTH of us! BTW the CBD oil does wonders for my 100 GSD mutt who now has cancer (only 5 y.o.! the result of the wildfires here in No CA last Oct no doubt!) His appetite is better, is far more comfortable (not shuddering, panting or unable to settle which shows discomfort and pain BTW) He’s back to his “old self” in personality and demeanor . PHEW!
Where do you buy the oil
My bulldog has a tumor on face that is believed to be cancer. It is so hard Vet was not able to get biopsy…she started with inflammation know as gingival hyperplasia in mouth that was determined to be benign by biopsy…but I am trying to do something to help tumor on cheekbone, in mouth that had come up since, as well as gingival hyperplasia..I have gone through one small bottle of 100 mg CBD oil so far…but want to get some 150 mg CBD oil that vitamin shop has now…I have also been giving her coconut oil on gums too…however, I am somewhat lost and very confused on what to do for her
For some reason I could not download the calculator that tells how much CBD oil to give. My dog is male, 8 years old and 101 lbs. he has had a recent diagnosis of cancer on the bone if his left front leg. Can you tell me what a good starting point would be as I want to aggressively treat.