How Much CBD Oil Should I Give My Dog?

CBD Dosing for Dogs

How Much CBD Oil Should I Give My Dog?

If you’re considering CBD Oil for your dog, there are some important points you want to keep in mind. In recent years the pharmacological constituents of full spectrum CBD derived from hemp have been studied leading to published research on the benefits of CBD as an anxiolytic (anti-anxiety), anti-seizure, anti-inflammatory, antiemetic, and antipsychotic, as well as having neuroprotective properties.

CBD (Cannabidiol) has also been shown effective at high doses for the treatment of a variety of conditions ranging in psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia and canine dementia, as well as diabetes and nausea.

CBD Dosage for Dogs

When It Comes to CBD Oil for Dogs, Less Is More!

At lower potency doses, CBD has physiological effects that promote and maintain canine wellbeing, including reducing inflammation and oxidative stress. For instance, CBD is more effective than vitamin C and E as a neuroprotective antioxidant and can ameliorate dry skin disorders.

CBD Oil for Dogs Dosage

This new research is pointing toward a future in which CBD for dogs–whether derived from the whole plant or via single-cannabinoid extracts–may be an effective treatment for a wide range of diseases that affect humans as well as our canine counterparts.

Dogs Have an Endocannabinoid System

Just like humans, animals also have an Endocannabinoid System (ECS). The ECS is this complex array of cannabinoid receptors found in the brain, organs, skin, bones, and generally throughout the entire body.

Through what is called “cannabinoid signaling” this system is what helps us maintain whole body homeostasis. That all-important balancing act between the body’s metabolic processes–meaning that it controls and regulates pain & inflammation, appetite, sleep, inflammation, and cell metabolism, including the life cycle of cells. The last of which is especially important in canine cancer therapy.

On the opposite side, a lack of cannabinoids could cause disruption to multiple systems in the body. It is theorized that this disruption, or lack of homeostasis, then leads to more significant and life-threatening problems.

Like us, animals produce their own cannabinoids to interact with and signal the ECS. And like us, animals also run into endocannabinoid deficiencies. This is where whole-plant-based, full-spectrum hemp CBD extracts comes into play but using them will require a certain degree of mindfulness through observation and experimentation.

Finding Your Dog’s Unique Dosage ‘Sweet Spot’

CBD from hemp is, in essence, a food with very beneficial effects on canine health. As such, it should be considered as just one of the many components to your pet’s total daily wellness regimen–like proper diet, exercise and behavior training.

Determining an effective dose of CBD for your canine friend depends on a number of different factors: size (weight) of your dog, breed, health condition, disease history, concentration of CBD drops plus individual variances in metabolism and delivery mechanism (see more under Sublingual Application).

But before we dive any deeper, it’s important to emphasize that every dog is different. As any pet owner knows, K9’s come in all shapes and sizes, from tiny Chihuahua to Great Danes and everything in between.

For each breed, the dosage of CBD is always going to be different, meaning you should begin with the lowest recommended dose and gradually increase over time.

Once you begin dosing your dog with hemp CBD oil drops, finding the optimum ‘sweet spot’ for treating your pet will require a systematic diligence on your part, so be prepared to keep a Daily Canine Journal.

Be observant & write everything down–take copious notes! Over a period of time (one to two weeks) you should start to see trends. Try and notice nuances towards a change in your pet’s behavior (less anxiety) or activity level and in the general quality of life of your pet.

Consistency is what is going to determine the window of opportunity to fully capture the healing benefits of CBD oil drops.

Since every dog is going to have a different reaction to hemp CBD oil it’s important to be vigilant in the beginning to measure and document his response. Be aware of subtle differences or changes and write them down in your dog’s Daily Canine Journal.

Your pet’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. These interpretations are recorded at each level of CBD administration. The idea is to calibrate a regimen for your dog that uses the least amount of CBD oil to achieve the desired effect.

This is a period of trial and error. CBD is not so much a ‘condition-specific’ (anxiety, arthritis, epilepsy) as it is an individual ‘dog-specific’ medication. You, the Pet Parent, are the best source to determine actual effective dosage. This is an experiment so go-low & go-slow.

Start with a low amount and titrate up until you find the effective ‘sweet spot’.

Be willing to engage in the science of healing your dog. The work you put in now will be justly rewarded later when you see your dog acting, feeling & behaving infinitely better. Click To Tweet

If after giving your dog a tiered amount of CBD drops (over a two week or month period) 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 hemp CBD source.

Be aware that a different hemp CBD oil may provide the long-lasting relief you and your pet were seeking. It may take two or three trials of different CBD products over a three-to-six-month period to home in on the best source for your specific canine. Discovering the optimum dosage for your dog is like trying to hit a moving target–but with diligence and patience you can find your dog’s CBD dosage Sweet Spot.

Also, with animals we must avoid thinking in terms of human-sized doses. The general rule of thumb is this: give the smallest dose possible and gradually work your way up until you find the smallest yet most effective dosage level. And be prepared to alter that dosage up or down (titrate) for desired effect.

But knowing exactly what dosage you’re giving your pet can be tricky. Very few of the products you find will have an actual concentration dosage recommended instructions clearly listed on the label. And because many of the products on the market are highly potent and animals have a smaller body size, we have to be extra careful.

Before starting your pet on a course of action make sure you understand the applications and limitations in using hemp CBD oil.

Sublingual Application Is More Effective Per Dose

Through sublingual application of concentrated oils & tinctures pet owners are discovering the expansive benefits of hemp CBD oil for their K9.

Sublingual dosing means that you are administering CBD through tissues beneath the tongue. Through this method of administration, the cannabinoids come into close contact with blood rich tissues in the mouth and are immediately absorbed into the bloodstream, thereby increasing the clinical potency.

Sublingual drops of Canine Support Formula are considered a better choice of dosing K9’s than oral ingestion (or topical on the skin) for a couple of reasons.

First, sublingual CBD application is more easily adapted for delivery to dogs because canine patients need only a small amount of CBD to deliver a ‘therapeutic effect’. A dropper bottle dispensing single measured drops is infinitely more precise and easily tolerated when a canine is having difficulty eating solid food or swallowing water.

Sublingual dosing is also the quickest form of relief–ideal for dogs whose conditions require them to rely on fast-acting therapeutic effects, such as those with chronic pain, arthritis, or uncontrolled epilepsy.

Sublingual dropper application delivers the positive effects of CBD in as little as 30 seconds, up to 20 minutes following correct administration.

Second, because of the decreased bioavailability in the digestive tract of oral CBD capsules due to the presence of digestive enzymes it is more difficult to monitor the actual effective dose needed to treat your pet with oral capsule or edible CBD treats. It’s possible that 20-60% of the original oral dose of CBD is lost due to acidic stomach acids and lower bioavailability.

Also, whether you are using sublingual drops or other methods of administration, when it comes to CBD keep in mind that hemp-derived compounds like CBD possess ‘Bi-Phasic’ properties. This means that HIGH doses and LOW doses can actually lead to the opposite intended effect.

In other words, more is not necessarily better!

CBD Dosing for Dogs

Why You Can’t Apply Human CBD Dosing to Your Dog

Pharmacokinetic Differences

Before we discuss relevant animal research on CBD possible effects on various parameters, several important differences between route of administration and pharmacokinetics between human and animal studies have to be mentioned.

First, CBD has been studied in humans using oral administration or inhalation. Administration in rodents often occurs either via intraperitoneal injection or via the oral route.

Second, the plasma levels reached via oral administration in rodents and humans can differ. Both these observations can lead to differing active blood concentrations of CBD. In addition, it is possible that CBD targets differ between humans and animals.

Therefore, the same blood concentration might still lead to different effects. Even if the targets, to which CBD binds, are the same in both studied animals and humans, for example, the affinity or duration of CBD binding to its targets might differ and consequently alter its effects.

CBD Drug Interactions

Along with other hepatic enzymes, CBD is metabolized via the CYP3A4 enzyme in the Cytochrome P-450 complex Enzyme system. CBD will interact with the same enzymes that metabolize drugs that also use the enzymes belonging to the cytochrome P450 family.

Therefore, the co-administration of CBD with certain drugs may create metabolic “interference” For instance, various prescription drugs inhibit this system–leading to slower CBD degradation and can consequently lead to higher CBD doses that have longer pharmaceutical activity. In contrast, other drugs induce CYP3A4 metabolism causing reduced CBD bioavailability.

It’s interesting to note, approximately 60% of clinically prescribed drugs are metabolized via CYP3A4.

As with the success of medical cannabis for human patients, CBD benefits for animals are also dependent on the proper dosage, and weight of your dog has the most bearing on dosage. For animals, the dosage must be adjusted to ensure that the tincture or treat will be effective for your dog’s specific condition or symptoms.

How Much CBD For My Dog?

Proper CBD Starting Dosage

Although there have been no specific studies completed as of this writing defining specific dosages for specific medical conditions in canines, anecdotal reports from vets and pet owners who have used CBD containing products recommend that a fairly low dose of CBD can be given with good results.

CBD doses as low as 0.05-0.1 milligrams per kg of body weight (0.025-0.05 mg/pound of body weight) have been shown to be effective. When those lower dosage ranges are not clinically effective, CBD can be given at higher doses with no fears of adverse side-effects, except possibly some mild sedation.

Consider using a dose as high as 1-5 milligrams per kilogram once or twice daily for certain conditions like arthritis pain or cancer.

CBD should also be given serious consideration as an everyday-feeding addition to support your K9’s youthful exuberance and general overall homeostasis as he grows into maturity.

There is a growing body of anecdotal evidence that hemp CBD oil can help with numerous K9 diseases. What has not been well-defined, though are the dosages of the cannabinoids that work for a multitude of canine conditions. Once there are randomized, placebo-controlled studies, we can then better define effective dosages of CBD recommended for specific conditions.

Until then, we will need to moderate and medicate our pets cautiously–starting with a lower dosage amounts of hemp CBD oil and gradually working up to a dosage range that seems to work best for your K9 companion.

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