HealthyPetables.com Dosing Guide

CBD Dosage chart for dogs and cats

Not to worry, however, there are some general CBD dosage recommendations that you can pursue. If you want to use a CBD product for your pet and wonder what is the general dosing size to be given, this comprehensive vet-approved dosing guide will show you exactly how much CBD oil you can give to your dog or cat.

Basic Dosing Rules For All Pets:

We recommend between 0.25 mg (Normal Dose) to 0.5 mg (Strong Dose) of CBD per every 1 lb of bodyweight.

• Example 1: I want to give my 40 lb dog a Regular Dose, I would multiply his weight by 0.25 to get 10mg of CBD (40 X 0.25 = 10).
• Example 2: I want to give my 10 lb cat a Strong Dose, I would multiply his weight by 0.5 to get 5mg of CBD (10 lbs X 0.5 = 5mg).

Normal Dose: Everyday wellbeing and fitness, improving immune system, old age, asthma, minor skin disorders, increasing appetite, minor depression & anxiety, stomach issues & nausea, mild arthritis & joint stiffness, slight aches, and pains.

STRONG Dose: Constant discomfort, serious arthritis & swelling of the hip, coordination disorders, epileptic fits, cancer-related signs, cancers, intense fear, constant nausea and vomiting.

Dosing Frequency: Offer every 8 hours or as required to manage pain and inflammation. Offer 30 minutes before the occurrence to manage the fear (thunderstorm, explosions, home leave, breakup, ride with your pet). Offer once or twice everyday for all other needs.

CBD Oil Dosage Chart For Dogs & Cats

Before you think about giving your pet CBD, you want to make sure that you’re giving them the proper dose. Giving your pets too much or too little CBD can lead to problems. 

Give them too much, and they may overreact or become sedated. Give them too little, and they won’t experience much improvement at all.

In this article, we’re going to discuss the CBD oil dosage chart for dogs and cats. By the time you’re done with the article, you’ll have a better idea of how much CBD you should be giving your cats or dogs.

General CBD Dosing Rules for All Pets

There isn’t really a general CBD dosing rule for all pets. Smaller animals, like mice and reptiles, will require very small doses compared to larger animals like horses. However, for cats and dogs, some veterinarians suggest that you use a general dosage range.

This dosage range is between 0.25 to 0.5 mg per lb of body weight. This means that if your cat weighs 5 pounds, you’ll want to give them between 1.25 mg to 2.5 mg of CBD to start with. If this doesn’t produce any noticeable effects, then you can consider increasing the dosage to a somewhat higher level until they respond.

• Regular doses err on the lower side, which would be 0.25 mg per lb of body weight. These doses should be used for pets who are struggling with mild-to-moderate health issues, such as anxiety, insomnia, appetite problems, immune issues, skin problems, or anything else that isn’t a massive impairment to their overall quality of life. 

• Higher doses should be used for pets who are struggling with more serious problems, such as chronic pain, long-term illness, or other life-threatening problems. Inflammation, seizures, and tumors are serious problems as well.

CBD Pet Tinctures

CBD pet tinctures are one of the best ways to help get your animals their CBD. 

CBD pet tinctures can be delivered in a couple of different ways.

• If you’re lucky, or if you’re already familiar with feeding your pet by hand, you can administer the pet tincture by hand. If this is the case you’ll be able to drop their dose directly into their mouth. Just make sure that the tincture you’ve purchased is clear about the dosage in each drop! 
• If you’re not comfortable feeding your pet by hand, then you can simply drop the dose into their food or water dish. Make sure you do this when you’ve given them just a small amount of food or water. This will help to ensure that they’re going to eat the full dose.

CBD Pet Capsules

CBD pet capsules are another way that you can provide your pets with CBD. Capsules come with a pre-set amount of CBD, often in powdered form but sometimes in oil form. 

These capsules either need to be hidden in pet treats or broken apart and mixed in with their food. In the case of the latter, it’s probably easier to just use a CBD pet tincture.

CBD Dog Treats & Cat Treats

One of the easiest and most effective ways to get your animals to use CBD is to get them a CBD pet treat. Many companies are marketing CBD dog treats and CBD cat treats, each of which contains a set amount of CBD.

These treats are designed to taste and smell appealing to your cats and dogs. This eliminates any need to break up capsules or dose their food with CBD pet tinctures.

How Much CBD Oil Should I Give My Dog?

As we discussed at the beginning of the article, the basic dosage guidelines for pets the size of cats or dogs recommend that you give them between 0.25 to 0.5 mg per lb of body weight.

However, this is a very general guideline and doesn’t necessarily always work out. Remember, you’re going to need to figure out your dosage based on the size of your dog and the condition that you’re trying to treat.

For example, larger dogs will need larger doses simply because their bodies have a stronger metabolism and will process the CBD easier. Smaller dogs will require less because they will be more sensitive. 

A small dog with joint problems may only require 1 mg of CBD whereas a massive German Shepherd with the same condition may need more than 10 mg.

How Much CBD Oil Should I Give My Cat?

The same rules apply to dosing cats as they do to dogs. You need to evaluate your dosage based on the size of your cat and the condition that you treat.

There isn’t as much variation in the size of cats as there is in dogs. That means that you can’t expect the dosage range of cats to fluctuate too much. Most cats don’t need more than 1.5 to 3.5 mg of CBD.

How to Find the Optimal CBD Dosage for Your Pet

As we have mentioned, there isn’t really one specific dosage that fits all animals. That means that you’re going to have to put in a bit of time and effort to figure out the optimal CBD dosage for your pet.

So, how exactly do you do that?

One of the best things that you can do is titrate your doses. This means that you start with a very small amount – usually an amount so small that it won’t lead to any effect. Then, gradually increase the dose by very small amounts.

Eventually, your pet will start to respond to the dosage. When you find a dosage that allows your pet to find relief, you stop increasing the dose. This allows your pet to get the maximum benefit without having to use more CBD than necessary.

How Much CBD Oil Should I Give My Dog or Cat for Certain Conditions?

Different conditions are going to need to be treated differently. As such, if you’re giving your dog or cat CBD for a certain condition, it may require more or less compared to other conditions.

How Much CBD Oil to Use for Seizures

Seizures are a very serious condition – one that can be life-threatening if not addressed properly. If the human evidence is to be trusted, you’re probably going to need to use larger amounts of CBD for managing seizures. Humans tend to need anywhere from 10-20 times the normal dose of CBD to manage serious seizure conditions.

How Much CBD Oil to Use for Anxiety

Anxiety is one of the easier conditions to manage with CBD. As you might expect, you can generally see results using smaller amounts of CBD. If you’re going to be using CBD to treat anxiety for dogs or cats, start out on the lower end of the dosage spectrum.

How Much CBD Oil to Use for Arthritis

Arthritis can vary in its intensity. If your cat or dog has been struggling with arthritis for many years, they may require larger doses of CBD than a pet who has recently developed arthritis. Start with a lower dose and increase it until they show some improvement.

Conclusion

If you’re using CBD oil for dogs or cats, then it’s a good idea to figure out exactly how much CBD oil you should use. There is, of course, going to be some fluctuation depending on the size of your pet and the condition that you’re treating.

Hopefully, this article helped you clear up some of the misconceptions and curiosity surrounding the use of CBD oil for pets.