Just like humans, dogs and cats too have an endocannabinoid system. CBD, a powerful compound in the cannabis plant, reveals great potential as an alternative type of treatment for dogs, cats, and other pets struggling with a range of health conditions.
In recent times, the CBD for dogs market has skyrocketed. According to a Forbes report, the annual sales of CBD products for pets have now surpassed $600 million. But there is still little reliable information on how much CBD dosage for dogs you can give due to a lack of regulation and research.
Finding the right CBD for dogs’ dosage can be tricky because there are many different factors to determine the effects it will have on your dogs. This article will help you find the right dosage of CBD for dogs. After reading the article, you can determine the perfect CBD oil dosage for dogs.
Considerable Things Before Giving CBD to Your Dogs
Determining the right and perfect CBD oil dosage for dogs can be complex, especially for people just getting started with CBD for dogs. Before buying CBD for your dog, you should consider the following three important factors:
Consumption Method
One of the important factors to determine how much CBD you will give your dog is the type of product you use and the brand of the product you’re using.
You can get CBD products for dogs in 4 main forms:
- CBD and Hemp oil
- Topical rubs
- Capsules
- Treats (edibles)
The best option for dogs is CBD and hemp oils, as they offer the highest bioavailability. So, less CBD is needed to produce your desired effects. Remember that not every dog will like the distinct taste of CBD oil, and in that case, CBD dog treats would be the better trick. Then, they will taste better and imagine flavors like Chicken & Bacon or Roasted Duck. But they also come out with a fixed CBD dose. Thus, you can know exactly how much CBD you’re giving your dog.
Your Pet’s Size
The CBD dosage for dogs varies depending on your dog’s size. Many pet owners give their dogs CBD oil tinctures made for humans. This practice is fine if the CBD oil dosage is small enough. But one of the factors impacting how CBD affects a user is their body weight.
You have to keep in mind the general rule that larger dogs need more CBD to experience the effects than smaller puppies. Some CBD brands provide their own made dosage charts based on the bodyweight of dogs, which makes dosing easier from the beginning.
Following are the suggested dosing guidelines based on the most common uses of CBD for dogs and other pets.
Pet’s Weight | CBD Dosage from Tincture Dropper |
4-10 pounds | .5ml |
10-25 pounds | 1.0ml |
25-50 pounds | 1.5ml |
50-100 pounds | 2.0ml |
Above 100 pounds | 2.5+ml |
The Severity of Your Dog’s Condition
Remember that your dog’s severe condition may also affect how much CBD should you give it. If the condition is more severe, it’ll likely need a higher dose to alleviate the discomfort. Low doses will usually suffice to supplement your dog with CBD oil, but for joint pain or anxiety, you’ll need to increase the dosage and observe the effects until you hit the sweet spot.
CBD Dosage Guidelines for Dogs
Although the exact amount of drops in a CBD oil to meet the estimated dosage may vary between products, 2-4 drops taken two to four times a day are recommended.
A CBD capsule contains between 5-and 20 mg of CBD each, and the dose of encapsulated CBD is around 1 tablet to be taken once or twice per day.
You can go on starting at the low end of the dose and increasing gradually, knowing how your dog responds.
Know, How to Figure Out How Much CBD You Should Give to Your Dog By Size
You can be working up from a rough starting dose of 1 mg no matter your dog’s size. Even large dogs can be given about ⅓ the size of average humans, so considering that the jumping-off point is around 1-3 mg in humans.
Based on relative weight, how much CBD you should give to your dog is discussed below.
- Small (2-15 lbs)
Small or tiny dogs will need the least amount of CBD for relieving at first. Since the tiny dogs have super metabolism, you may need to increase the frequency of CBD administration to 3-4 doses per day in place of 1 or 2 with larger dogs. If you find your dog suffering from pain, the starting CBD dose of 1 mg may be enough for the start.
For behavioral conditions such as dogs with anxiety, we recommend measuring out ½ mg Nevertheless, don’t exceed 15 mg CBD doses in extra small dogs.
- Medium-Small (15 – 30 lbs)
For medium dogs suffering from pain and arthritis, many owners have succeeded with a 2 mg dosage and increasing by 3 mg until they get some results. You can try using half the dose above (1 mg of CBD) for psychological conditions and poor appetite.
- Medium-Large
Larger dogs may require more CBD to experience the desired effects. A good appropriate initial dose of CBD for dogs with general pain is a 1-3 mg dose of CBD. If you do not see any new results, you may try increasing by 3 mg.
For the psychological disorders (panic, anxiety), behavioral conditions (lack of focus), and poor appetite, the suggested initial dose of CBD is 1 mg twice a day. The maximum dose of CBD for a dog of this size may be about 30 mg per day.
- Large (60 – 150 lbs)
For the large dogs, you should follow the same general recommendations as for the medium-large dogs. For very large dogs, you can use a much higher dose.
How to Calculate the Dose Yourself
Here’s a simple formula for dosage calculations:
0.25 mg X 1lb of body mass = Regular Dose.
Now, you need to figure out the regular dose for the dog based on the concentration of the CBD oil you’re using. You need to know the amount of CBD per mL to do this. For your recollection, here’s the list of CBD per mL based on common CBD oils:
- 150 mg = 10 mg per mL
- 300 mg = 20 mg per mL
- 600 mg = 40 mg per mL
Here is the formula for the 2nd step:
[regular dose in mg of CBD] / [mg CBD per mL] = Dose in mLSuppose, you bought some CBD oil with 150 mg CBD.
So, the calculation would be:
2 mg CBD / 10 mg/mL = 0.20 mL of a 150 mg CBD Oil. In the 3rd step, you can calculate the dose in drops to make dosing easier.
Most droppers can have about 40 drops for every mL. So, the formula will be: [Dose in mL] x 40 = Dose In Drops.
So for the above-mentioned example, the calculation would be 0.20 x 40 = 8 drops
Final Thoughts
Whatever the form of CBD for dogs you choose to give, you should make sure that you do it responsibly. Don’t take any of the recommendations or information in this article as a piece of professional veterinary advice. Veterinarians aren’t allowed to recommend CBD for dogs anyhow.