Because of the love most pet owners have for them, taking care of them is of utmost importance. A good part of this care involves caring for their health and well-being. For the most part, owners have to medicate their pets regularly depending on the type of pet and breed to guide against illnesses and diseases. A popular medication that is gaining a lot of ground these days is CBD. You may wish to read more about CBD here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannabidiol.
Like every form of medication, CBD must be used according to a dosage both for effectiveness and to avoid abuse. The challenge with this is that when it comes to using CBD, there are no official or standard guidelines for its use which makes it tricky.
The way to go around this is to use a dosage that is generally accepted and recommended by most people. Before delving into this, keep in mind that different companies’ guidelines for administering CBD dosages to your pets vary. This is due in part to the fact that the CBD concentration in oil produced also varies. Additionally, the dosage is dependent on the ailment or condition to be treated. Higher doses may be needed for serious issues while lower doses will be needed for their general well-being.
Another important factor to consider is the age and weight of the pet. Older and heavier animals will generally require a higher dosage than younger and lighter ones. In administering dosages, always carefully check the packaging to be sure you are administering the recommended amount.
What is the General Recommended Dosage?
To properly administer doses for your pets, you will need a dosage calculator or a chart. You can find dosage calculators online. This calculation is dependent on various factors including the weight of your pet, the size of contents in the CBD oil bottle; which is the product, and the health issue you are using it for; which will determine if you are giving a regular dose or a strong one.
A regular dose refers to those that help with: overall health and wellness, old age, stimulating appetite, boosting immune function, minor stress and anxiety, minor aches and pains, digestive issues, nausea, and minor skin conditions.
Strong doses, on the other hand, are given to treat severe issues such as: arthritis and joint inflammation, chronic pain, issues with mobility, tumors, symptoms of cancer, epileptic seizures, etc.
The basic recommended rule is:
“When using a regular dose, 0.25mg for every 1lb of the animal’s body weight.
For a strong dose, double that to 0.5mg for each 1lb of weight.”
What this means is this; when you weigh your pet, multiply that weight by 0.25mg for a standard dose and by 0.5mg for a strong dose. Assuming the pet’s weight is 65lb and you are administering a regular dose, this will be
60 x 0.25 = 15mg
For a strong those, it will be
60 x 0.5 = 30mg
Using the CBD Dosage Chart
Now that you know the dosage, the next thing you need is the product you should buy and how many drops of CBD it translates to. This is where the CBD dosage chart is of help. The chart shows the dosage as calculated above and also shows the number of drops each dosage is.
What are the CBD Products Available for Pets?
There are three types of products you can use for your pets. They are CBD oil with tinctures, CBD capsules or CBD treats. Oil is the most used of the three and it is generally recommended as it offers the fastest relief from symptoms.
The product size you choose should be based on your pet’s weight. Whether you are buying tinctures or capsules, for pets under 20lbs, the correct product size to buy is 150mg. Medium pets that are between 20-60lbs will use 300mg while for pets that weigh over 60lbs will use a 600mg product size. It is slightly different when you are buying treats as most pets will usually use a 150mg product for that.
All the above is what the chart helps you to know in detail so you do not even have to do the calculations by yourself as everything is detailed out on the chart.
Note that different charts exist for different products and product size and this may also vary from brand to brand. This means that the chart for a 150mg bottle size is different from that of a 350mg product and also for a 600mg one. In the same vein, the chart for oil differs from that of capsules and that of treats.
To know which chart will work for you, the important things you need to determine is what kind of product you are buying, then what the weight of your pet is. See the Holistapet website for different charts based on products and animal size.
Because dogs have a wide range of breeds and sizes, it is much more difficult to administer dosages to them than cats whose sizes are relatively around the same range. Getting the weight of the animal is key because not doing so could result in giving the animal either too little or too much.
How Often Should I Administer Medication to My Pet?
The dosing frequency is also essential and dependent on what you are treating. For example, it is given once a day but for anxiety and should be given at least 30 minutes before an event that can cause anxiety. For chronic pain and inflammation, it should be administered every 8 hours.
Conclusion
All patients using CBD have their respective optimum dosages which is the right amount of the product that if deviated from, will make the product ineffective. Figuring this out may take a while. You might need to perform some trials but when you do get it, you can be sure you are getting maximum results and efficiency in the use of CBD.
Using the chart as a guide, you can start with its recommendations. However, depending on the result, you may then have to reduce the dosage slightly, maintain it or increase it just a little till you can get the optimum dosage for the animal and based on the ailment you are aiming to treat.
