Pets

How Much CBD Oil For Dogs?

With vast amounts of conflicting information online, as a dog owner, it can be difficult to navigate the CBD landscape. You have one website telling you to give your dog a certain amount of CBD oil and another advising you to do something entirely different. This can understandably leave many dog owners in a state of confusion.

First of all, you shouldn’t play around with your dog’s diet. You need to know exactly how much CBD oil for dogs is necessary to experience the therapeutic benefits of this compound. Secondly, as members of the CBD community, we don’t want to see dog owners getting frustrated by conflicting information.

The biggest problem facing the CBD marketplace is a lack of education. Consumers are being bombarded with little scientific consistency. If this continues, it will dissuade dog owners from wanting to introduce their pets to products containing this compound. This is why, at Spero CBD, we are committed to delivering authoritative content on all things CBD.

After all, knowledge is power. We want dog owners to make the best decisions for their canine companions. When equipped with a core understanding of this compound, you will be able to make informed decisions for your pets. Our ever-growing library of educational content on CBD for dogs answers the big questions many newcomers find themselves faced with.

How much CBD oil for dogs? This is the main question we will be focusing on in today’s article. Alongside this, we will also be taking a look at the following commonly asked questions about CBD oil for dogs:

  • What happens if I give my dog too much CBD oil?
  • How long does it take for CBD oil to start working in dogs?
  • Do vets recommend CBD oil?

 

How much CBD oil for dogs?

There’s nothing more frustrating than typing a simple question into Google and getting a dozen potential answers. When people want to know how much CBD oil for dogs is advisable, they are often left feeling overwhelmed by a wide range of potential answers. It’s then up to the consumer to pick the answer that’s most likely to be correct based on the authority of the website. This often leads to poor and efficient decision making.

If you’ve had the unfortunate experience of having to search high and low to find out how much CBD oil can be given to your dog, you will have likely come across several CBD dosage charts for dogs. In principle, these charts look fantastic. Although, when you study the figures detailed on these charts, you start to see wild inconsistencies, leading to yet more confusion.

Many people forget that CBD products come in many different strengths and sizes. You cannot apply the same blanket dosage guidelines to every single product on the market. Dogs would end up being given many different strengths of CBD. This inconsistency could result in dogs exceeding the recommended maximum dosage, potentially causing mild side effects.

The best thing a dog owner can do is follow the guidelines on the product packaging. As you navigate the CBD market and start to gain an idea of how strength relates to dosage size, you will be able to see a natural trend in the market. With new products entering the market every week, it wouldn’t be appropriate for us to comment on what guidelines you could expect.

What happens if I give my dog too much CBD oil?

You need to remember that CBD is non-intoxicating. If your dog is given too much CBD oil, they are not going to overdose. CBD does not have any psychoactive properties. Some CBD products on the market, particularly those taken by humans, can contain trace amounts of THC, but this is not enough to result in any mind-altering effects.

Giving your dog too much CBD oil could result in a few mild side effects. These side effects are exceptionally rare. If your dog was to start displaying mild side effects after taking CBD oil, you shouldn’t be too concerned. Persistent symptoms lasting several days should be brought to the attention of your veterinarian. Some of the reported side effects of CBD for dogs include:

  • Hyperesthesia
  • Vomiting
  • Lethargy
  • Ataxia

So, what does it mean to give your dog too much CBD oil? We consider too much to be any dosage above the maximum recommended dosage stated on the packaging of the particular product you will be giving to your dog.

How long does it take for CBD oil to start working in dogs?

The amount of time it can take for CBD oil to start working in dogs can vary. It all depends on how often you have been giving the dog CBD oil and the size of the dosages. Sometimes, dogs will experience the effects of CBD after just a few minutes. In other cases, it will take much longer for them to experience the therapeutic potential of this compound. Noticeable changes in a dog’s behavior after taking CBD oil could be a clear indication of therapeutic effects.

Do vets recommend CBD oil?

No – that’s the short answer. The major veterinary boards in the US have been advising against the promotion or general discussion of CBD products for pets. This means vets are not allowed to recommend or prescribe products containing this compound. CBD could be prescribed to pets facing certain life-threatening conditions. However, this is incredibly rare.

It’s a hardline approach and we can understand why these decisions have been made. There’s still so much more that we need to find out about this cannabis-derived compound. CBD may be demonstrating a tremendous amount of therapeutic benefits when taken by humans – but how do these benefits translate to dogs?

Some research studies have already explored CBD for dogs. Although, there are still many questions that veterinarians will want to know the answers to before they start recommending this to pet owners. It may be several more years before we see any movement on this issue.

Dr. Jordan Talley

Dr. Talley is a Physician Anesthesiologist who completed his medical residency at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Prior to medical school, he obtained a Master’s Degree in Physiology & Biophysics from Georgetown University. He completed his medical school at Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM - Bradenton Campus). During his Anesthesiology training at Johns Hopkins he completed rotations in Chronic Pain Management and continues to manage acute and peri-operative pain for his patient as a private practice anesthesiologist in Virginia.