If you’re looking for information on veterinarian recommend CBD dosing, chances are that you’re either doing some pre-purchase research or you have already purchased your CBD oil and you’re wondering how much you should give to your pet. Either way, we’ve got you covered. Keep reading and we will dive into the nitty gritty details and tell you everything you need to know.
How Much CBD Should I Give my Cat or Dog?
This is a great question and hands down the most frequently asked question that we receive. If you’ve spent any amount of time browsing the web in search for CBD dosing instructions for your cat or dog – you have more than likely stumbled across SEVERAL different variations and calculations. Some companies instruct you to administer a full dropper a day, while other companies tell you to dose your pet every 6 or 8 hours without any clear instruction as to how much they should be dosed. Frustrating is an understatement.
The truth is that there is currently no FDA approved standard by which pets should be dosed. The Farm Bill that was passed on December of 2018 is what legalized hemp-based CBD in all 50 states. Unfortunately, prior to Dec 2018, hemp and cannabis were widely demonized and very few laboratories and college campuses were able to legally study the therapeutic effects of full spectrum CBD oil with all of its phytocannabinoids, terpenoids and flavonoids.
Naturally, since the FDA has yet to set dosing guidelines one would assume the second-best option would be to double check with their veterinarian. After all, they went to school for this sort of thing, right? Unfortunately, the answer to this question is not as straight forward as you would think.
Consulting Your Veterinarian About CBD Usage and Dosage Recommendations
One would think that our veterinarians, being the intelligent and caring professionals they are, would be able to help us navigate through the loads of conflicting information and point us in the right direction. Not necessarily. Even though the 2018 Farm Bill loosened the restrictions on hemp-derived CBD, removing it from the Schedule I designation, restrictions on the ability of veterinarians to discuss, recommend, and prescribe CBD for pets still exist. At least they “may” still exist. The laws and regulations, both state-by-state and federally aren’t exactly straightforward. Due to this level of uncertainty, this poses many liabilities for veterinarians with regards to disciplinary action or even legal action.
For example, in many states like Massachusetts, Oregon and Colorado, where marijuana (for people) is legal medicinally and recreationally, the practice of veterinarians discussing, recommending and/or prescribing CBD is still technically not legal – or at least it’s a gray area. Veterinarians run the risk of board discipline or even license revocation/suspension.
However, in 2018, California passed legislature called the Assembly Bill # 2215, making it legal for licensed veterinarians within the state to discuss cannabis for medicinal use in pets. Although, they are still now allowed to recommend or prescribe CBD. At least the medical community seems to be taking steps in the right direction – as slow as those steps may be.
Can I Mention CBD to my Veterinarian?
In short, yes, you should mention your thoughts on using CBD for your pet. No laws are barring you from asking questions about CBD and cannabis. You should feel comfortable bringing up this topic as it pertains to the health and safety of your sweet pet.
Pet owners should be aware that CBD can interact with other medications or supplements your pet is taking. Your veterinarian can tell you whether the CBD will negatively interact with your pet’s current medications.
A few side-effects pets can experience include:
- Increased fatigue
- Minor drops in blood pressure
- Less saliva production
- A potential decrease in liver enzyme production which could prevent proper metabolization of prescription drugs
Part of the reasoning for the gray area with regards to veterinarians discussing CBD is due to the infancy of the industry and the current lack of regulation.
The Current CBD Oil Industry is the Wild West!
You heard it correctly, the CBD industry is currently experiencing a tremendous amount of unregulated growth. At this point in time, anyone with an internet connection can sell CBD oil across the United States without the need for any special permits or even showing the oil is safe and authentic.
While this is an excellent way to keep prices competitive and lower for the consumer, it poses significant liability for Veterinarians and a huge risk for pets who could potentially consume the mystery oil.
It seems like anywhere you go these days, you’re likely to run into a plethora of various CBD products. CBD products are common at gas stations, grocery stores, vape stores – even some liquor stores. They’re putting CBD in bath bombs, chap stick, hand sanitizer, gummies, coffee – you name it.
With the abundance of CBD infused products, it’s easy to simply assume that these products are safe for consumption, but that would be an incorrect assumption. Hemp or Cannabis Sativa is used for “phytoremediation” which means that it can be intentionally planted to remove toxins from the soil. Phytoremediation is not exclusive to the hemp plant, but it serves as nature’s way of absorbing toxins, like chemicals and heavy metals out of the soul and ground water.
***Fun Fact*** In the late 90’s (after Chernobyl) a company called Phytotech began experimenting with industrial hemp in some polluted Ukrainian Regions. The results were extremely promising.
While Phytoremediation is an amazing and sustainable way to clean up mother earth, this means that we must be extra careful when it comes to CBD products and brands that we trust. For example, 1/3rd of the world’s hemp is produced in two Chinese providences, and given the historical lack of environmental regulation in China, one could only imagine what type of toxins and heavy metals lay in the soil.
For this very reason, it is absolutely critical that your CBD products are sourced from the USA and 3rd party lab tested for potency, solvents, heavy metals and harmful microbials. 3rd party testing is necessary when it comes to ensuring safe and quality CBD oil, but you also want to ensure that each batch of CBD oil is tested. Some companies will test the first batch they ever receive and then for all future batches, direct consumers to the first lab test they completed. Not only is this unethical and lacking of transparency, it is also extremely careless and dangerous.
Make Sure Your Pet’s CBD Oil is “actually” CBD Oil!
Many companies (not all) are only selling hemp seed oil, which is vastly different from real CBD oil. While hemp seed oil has notable nutritional benefits, it DOES NOT carry the therapeutic benefits that CBD oil is known for. It would be one thing for these companies to sell the hemp seed oil at face value, but we have found MANY companies that will label their hemp seed oil deceptively in an attempt to convince consumers it is CBD oil.
Believe it or not, Amazon is one of the biggest offenders of this. Although, real CBD oil is strictly prohibited on Amazon’s platform, when you type in “CBD Oil for Pets” you will receive results like this:
Don’t let these labels and creative marketing techniques lead you astray – this is not real CBD oil.
What’s worse, is many consumers trust these companies (understandably so) and quickly discover that the “cbd oil” did not help their furry friend. Not only do these deceptive marketing tactics lack integrity, the pets are deprived of the much-needed relief that real CBD can provide. Furthermore, many consumers will just assume that CBD doesn’t help their pet and move on to expensive pharmaceuticals with potentially dangerous side effects.
Now that we have discussed the current CBD climate with regards to what to look out for and verify prior to your purchase, lets discuss dosing…
Veterinarian Approved CBD Dosing for Your Pets
There are two variables to be considered with regards to choosing the best CBD dosage starting point for your cat or dog – weight and the severity of the condition you are treating.
Mile High Pawducts has three different dosing tiers which are based off of your pet’s weight:
Low Dose – .05 mg x lb / twice daily
Our low dosage can be used for:
- Minor aches and pains
- Immune system support
- Daily health and wellness
- Allergies
- Minor skin conditions
- Minor stress and anxiety
- Digestive issues and nausea
- Minor arthritis and joint inflammation
- Old age
Medium Dose – .125 mg x lb / twice daily
Our medium dosage can be used for:
- Mild skin conditions
- Heightened stress and Anxiety
- Moderate arthritis and joint inflammation
High Dose – .25 mg x lb / twice daily
Our high dosage is intended for:
- Severe arthritis and joint inflammation
- Chronic pain
- Extreme nausea and vomiting
- Tumors and cancer-related symptoms
- Mobility Issues
- Severe anxiety
- Epileptic seizures
Example Calculations:
You want to give your 45-pound dog a low dosage. You would multiply her weight by .05 to get 2.25 MG (45 x .05 = 2.25 mg) / twice daily
You want to give your 45-pound dog a medium dosage. You would multiply her weight by .125 to get 5.63 MG (45 x .125 = 5.63 mg) / twice daily
You want to give your 45-pound dog a high dosage. You would multiply her weight by .25 to get 11.25 MG (45 x .25 = 11.25 mg) / twice daily
Unless your pet falls into the high dosage category, we typically recommend starting off with a low dosage for the first two weeks in order to gauge how your pet responds to the CBD oil. After two weeks, we suggest gradually increasing the dosage for desired effectiveness. Remember that not all animals respond to CBD oil in the same manner – some may require very small doses while others may need a little extra. The key is to remain consistent.
*For inflammation and pain management, administer dose every 8 hours for best results and optimal comfort.
*Administer a dose 30 minutes prior to high anxiety events such as fireworks, vet visits, car rides, leaving home, thunderstorms etc.
Try out our New Dosage Calculator
It is important for you to understand the dosage calculations and how we arrive at the three dosing tiers for your pet. With that being said, we have created a dosing calculator to make your life a little easier.
Accurate & Consistent Dosing
Here at Mile High Pawducts, all of our CBD oil tinctures come with tamper evident & child-resistant graduated droppers. Not only do the dropper markings assist with swift dosing, they also allow you to dose precisely and consistently.
