One of the most common questions we get from pet owners is “How much CBD should I give my dog?”
CBD dosage for pets may seem difficult at first glance, but once you understand the basic measurements and do simple math, you’ll be able to easily gauge the optimal dosage for your furry friend.
Dogs and other pets have an endocannabinoid system — just like humans.
Therefore, it can produce similar effects in our four-legged friends, boosting their health in a natural and safe way.
For many people, cannabis and pets don’t go well together in one sentence due to the stigma associated with THC.
Of course, THC can have an intoxicating effect on your dog, leading to a few unwanted side effects, but in this article, we focus solely on CBD.
CBD, as you may already know, is non-intoxicating; it can even counter the psychoactive high from THC.
Hemp-derived CBD oils contain up to 0.3% THC, which isn’t enough to get your pet “stoned.”
Without further ado, let’s take a look at different CBD dosages for dogs so you can easily figure out how much CBD you should give your pup.
Benefits of CBD Oil for Dogs
CBD can help your dog in many aspects, from minor discomforts to more serious health concerns. As mentioned, dogs have endocannabinoid systems that regulate major biological processes within their bodies. The ability to maintain self-regulation is known as homeostasis.
A healthy endocannabinoid system ensures proper communication between every other network in your dog’s body.
Here are some of the most common problems CBD oil can help your dog with:
- Anxiety and stress
- Inflammation
- Pain
- Joint stiffness and impaired mobility
- Lethargy
- Seizures
- Digestive issues
- Nausea
In addition, studies have linked CBD to the earlier death of cancer cells and slower tumor development in certain types of cancer.
Please note that the above information is based on preclinical research and is not intended to provide medical advice. If you need professional guidance for giving your dog CBD oil, consult a veterinarian who has the knowledge about the benefits of CBD for pets. A qualified veterinarian will also help you figure out how much CBD oil you should give your dog.
How Much CBD Should I Give My Dog? 5 Things to Consider
For pet owners who are just getting started with using CBD oil, figuring out the right CBD dosage for their dogs can be difficult.
There are five major factors that influence the amount of CBD you should give your dog:
- Consumption method
- The potency of CBD in your product
- Your dog’s size (weight)
- The severity of symptoms
- Your dog’s activity level
Let’s elaborate on each of these factors.
1. Consumption Method
CBD comes in many different forms; however, for dogs and other pets, these options are limited when compared to humans.
There are 3 main forms in which you can find CBD for dogs:
- CBD oil
- Edibles (dog treats)
- Topical creams
CBD oil is by far the best product for dogs because it combines high bioavailability with a long duration of effects.
However, not every dog will like the distinct earthy taste of full-spectrum CBD oil. If you have a fussy dog, you may consider adding CBD pet treats into its diet. CBD edibles usually taste better than oil and offer a fixed CBD dose in each serving, which definitely wins over CBD oil in terms of convenience.
However, the effects of CBD edibles may need more time to take hold, usually within 30–90 minutes after ingestion. And since the CBD must be metabolized in your dog’s digestive system, it will receive less CBD overall.
Topical creams infused with CBD work best for localized problems when your dog suffers from different types of physical discomfort. This type of product is the easiest to dose because you apply it as needed. Topicals are also relatively fast-acting because the CBD doesn’t absorb into the bloodstream; instead, they bind to cannabinoid receptors in the deeper layers of your dog’s skin.
2. The Size of Your Pet
As with any health supplement, the dosage is most often calculated by weight.
Generally speaking, smaller puppies will need less CBD to experience the same effects as larger dogs. Some CBD products have their dosage recommendation listed on the bottles, which makes dosing easier from the start.
The larger your dog, the more CBD oil you’ll need to give them. Sometimes, you’ll need to choose a higher potency option to make your dog’s supplementation affordable in the long run.
This brings us to the next point.
3. The Potency of CBD in Your Product
Potency refers to the number of milligrams contained in each milliliter of the oil. A single CBD serving size for dogs is usually ½ – 1 mL, so if a bottle contains 30 mL of CBD oil, you have about 30–60 servings per bottle.
If you have a small dog, you can choose from the lowest potency options. But with larger dogs, low-potency oils may prove cost-prohibitive over time.
If your dog needs to consume more than 1 mL of CBD oil daily, we recommend that you switch to a more potent oil.
4. The Severity of Your Dog’s Condition
CBD offers many great benefits for your dog’s health, but it’s not a miracle drug. Although Royal CBD products can improve your dog’s daily life, they are not intended to prevent, diagnose, or treat any medical condition.
With that said, the amount of CBD oil you should give your dog will depend on the severity of symptoms they experience. If the symptoms include mild anxiety or temporary joint pain, your dog may need smaller doses to manage them. In case of a more severe condition, pet owners often choose high-potency oils to find the effective dosage. This is especially true for large dogs.
5. The Dog’s Activity Level
This factor is also important to take into account because your dog’s activity level determines the pace at which CBD will be metabolized in their system. When it comes to drug metabolism, we once again recommend that you speak to your dog’s veterinarian to avoid potential interactions between CBD and any medication that your dog may be on at the time.
General CBD Dosage Recommendations for Dogs
While we won’t tell you exactly how much CBD oil you should give your dog, there are a few tips we can share with you to make your dog’s CBD routine more accurate.
Based on the dog’s weight, you can start out with 2–5 mg of CBD per day and continue with the dosage for about a week. Monitor the effects, and if you don’t see any difference in the symptoms, you can increase the dose by 2–5 mg for another week. Repeat until you find a dose that works for your dog.
A reputable company should provide its dosage recommendations at the back of the bottle. You can use them as a decent point of reference for your trial and error.
Always start at the low end of the dose, increasing gradually once you know how your dog responds to CBD oil.
Size Matters: Figuring Out How Much CBD Oil You Should Give Your Dog by Weight
In this section, we’ll cover different CBD dosage recommendations for dogs based on their size — measured in weight.
Dogs are smaller than humans, so they generally need less CBD to achieve the desired effects. Even large dogs are about ⅓ the size of an average human, so the initial dose around 1–3 mg CBD makes sense.
Let’s take a look at how much CBD your dog will need by relative weight.
1. CBD Dosage for Extra Small Dogs (2–15 lbs)
For extra small dogs, it’s best to use the least amount of CBD.
However, tiny dogs have an exceptionally fast metabolism, meaning their body will break down CBD faster and make it less available for the body.
Increasing the frequency of CBD administration to 3–4 doses per day should do the trick.
If your dog has never taken CBD before, the initial CBD dose of 1 mg may be enough for a start.
For behavioral problems like anxiety, we suggest that you measure out ½ mg worth of oil and add a few drops later if you don’t see improvements for the next, say, 5 days of use.
It’s best to start by giving your dog CBD oil twice daily. Each time you want to up the dosage, you can use 2-mg increments until your dog finds some relief.
Extra small dogs shouldn’t take more than 15 mg CBD daily.
Keep in mind that these are just general figures and shouldn’t be taken as a veterinary recommendation or medical advice.
2. CBD Dosage for Small Dogs (15 – 30 lbs)
After surveying our customers on different CBD dosages for medium dogs, we’ve noticed that many pet owners achieve success with a starting dose of 2 mg, and increasing it by 3 mg until they feel the difference.
For most medium-sized dogs, a dose of 5 mg CBD daily should do the trick. The maximum dose of CBD for a dog that weighs less than 30 lbs is about 20 mg per day.
3. CBD Dosage for Medium Dogs (30 – 60 lbs)
As mentioned, larger dogs may need more CBD to experience the desired effects.
How much CBD oil should you give a medium dog at first?
It’s generally believed that a dose of 3 mg CBD is a good starting point, depending on the severity of your dog’s symptoms.
For behavioral conditions like anxiety, ADHD, or poor appetite, we recommend giving your dog 3 mg of CBD twice a day.
Make sure to monitor your dog’s behavior to notice if the effects of CBD are taking hold.
If you don’t see any difference, increase the dose by another 3 mg, trying not to go beyond 30 mg per day.
4. CBD Dosage for Large Dogs (60–150 lbs)
For the owners of large dogs, we recommend following the same general guidelines as for medium dogs. However, if you have a very large dog, you can expect to have a much higher dose. Every dog may react differently to CBD, so again, we suggest that you start at the lowest dosage and slowly work your way up by 3-5 mg per dose until your dog experiences signs of relief.
CBD for Dogs Dosing Chart
Wondering how much CBD oil you should give your dog? Here’s a quick overview of the dosage recommendations based on different weight groups:
| Dog’s weight | Mild effects | Medium effects | Strong effects |
| 10 lbs | 1 mg | 3 mg | 5 mg |
| 20 lbs | 2 mg | 6 mg | 10 mg |
| 30 lbs | 3 mg | 8 mg | 15 mg |
| 40 lbs | 4 mg | 10 mg | 20 mg |
| 50 lbs | 5 mg | 12 mg | 25 mg |
| 60 lbs | 6 mg | 14 mg | 30 mg |
| 70 lbs | 7 mg | 16 mg | 35 mg |
| 80 lbs | 8 mg | 18 mg | 40 mg |
| 90 lbs | 9 mg | 20 mg | 45 mg |
| 100 lbs | 10 mg | 24 mg | 50 mg |
At Royal CBD, we cover the entire potency spectrum of CBD oils, with two low-strength options for dogs of different sizes. In the next section, we explain how much CBD oil you should give your dog using our products.
Get the Right Dose for Your Dog With Royal CBD Oil
For dogs, we usually recommend our 250 mg and 500 mg bottles. Owners of extra large dogs should find the 1000 mg bottle the most affordable in the long run. Here are the basic dosage guidelines for this type of CBD:
Product Overview:
|
Potency (mg CBD / mL) |
|
| Royal CBD 250 mg Full-Spectrum Oil |
8 mg |
| Royal CBD 500 mg Full-Spectrum Oil |
16 mg |
How Much CBD Oil You Should Give Your Dog (By Potency)
|
Extra small dogs (2 – 15 lbs) |
Small dogs
(15 – 30 lbs) |
Medium dogs
(30 – 60 lbs) |
Large dogs
(60+ lbs) |
|
|
CBD Dose in mg |
0.5 – 5 mg |
5 – 8 mg | 8 – 15 mg |
15 – 40 mg |
| Royal CBD 250 mg |
0.25 – 0.8 mL |
0.75 – 1 mL | 1 mL – 1.5 mL |
1.5 ml – 5 mL |
| Royal CBD 500 mg |
0.125 – 0.4 mL |
0.4 mL – 0.5 mL | 0.5 mL – 1 mL |
1 mL – 2.5 mL |
| Royal CBD 1000 mg |
0.06 mL – 0.2 mL |
0.2 mL – 0.25 mL | 0.25 mL – 0.5 mL | 0.5 mL – 1.25 mL |
How Do I Give CBD Oil to My Dog?
CBD oil is best absorbed through sublingual membranes. First, you need to measure out your dog’s recommended daily dose with a dropper. Then you squeeze the oil under their tongue and start praying they will hold it there for about one minute.
Every dog is different. While some dogs love licking CBD oil up and eventually get used to the routine, others can’t stand the earthy taste of a full-spectrum extract, so if your buddy isn’t keen on ingesting CBD oil, try adding it to its food.
Getting the Right Dose With Royal CBD Topicals
At Royal CBD, we offer every traditional form of CBD, from oils to capsules, gummies, and topicals. We usually recommend our CBD oil as a daily supplement, but sometimes, your dog may suffer from localized discomfort that may respond better to a topical product, such as CBD salve or roll-on gel.
The CBD from topicals doesn’t reach the bloodstream; instead, it interacts with cannabinoid receptors under your dog’s skin to alleviate a wide range of localized problems, from joint stiffness to reduced mobility and inflammation.
Topical CBD products are the least researched form of CBD application in dogs, so there are no definite guidelines when it comes to getting the right dose. Usually, you just apply the cream as needed to the problematic area and wait for about 15-30 minutes for the effects to kick in.
If your dog doesn’t get any relief from the applied dose, rub it into its body again.
How to Calculate CBD Dosage for Dogs Yourself
At this point, you’re probably wondering if there’s an easy way to figure out how much CBD oil you should give your dog without counting on the manufacturing goodwill to provide general recommendations.
Fortunately, it’s a straightforward process that requires simple math.
Here’s the basic formula:
0.25 mg x lb of your dog’s weight = Basic Starting Dose
Dosage calculation for a dog who weighs 10 pounds:
0.25 mg x 10 lbs = 2.5 mg of CBD
If you want to know which potency will work best for your pet, you need to calculate the amount of CBD in a single serving, which is usually 1 mL.
Here’s the potency breakdown of Royal CBD oils we recommend for different sizes of dogs:
- 250 mg = 8 mg / mL
- 500 mg = 16 mg / mL
- 1000 mg = 33 mg / mL
Let’s say you’re using the 250 mg bottle. Here’s what the calculation would look like:
2.5 mg / 10 mg/mL = 0.25 ml of a 250 mg CBD oil.
If you find this dosage effective for your dog, you’ll have approximately 4 months’ worth of supplementation with the 250 mg potency.
Is CBD Oil Safe for My Dog?
CBD is safe and non-toxic for pets. It comes with many health benefits and can be used continuously without the risk of building up a tolerance. As long as you avoid massive doses of CBD, your dog shouldn’t experience any adverse effects at all.
The side effects of giving your dog too much CBD oil at a time comes with several mild side effects, such as:
- Dry mouth
- Drowsiness
- A temporary drop in blood pressure
- Diarrhea
- Changes in appetite
- Problems with coordination
If your dog is on any prescription medication, make sure to inform them about your plans to add CBD oil to your pet’s routine. CBD is known to interact with many prescription and non-prescription drugs; it can either increase or decrease their concentrations in the bloodstream, resulting in dampened therapeutic effects or second-hand side-effects resulting from having too much of a particular substance in your dog’s system.
Is CBD Oil for Dogs Different Than CBD Oil for Humans?
When it comes to its chemical makeup, CBD oil for dogs is the same product as CBD oil for humans. It usually contains a full-spectrum hemp extract suspended in a carrier oil for higher bioavailability. Sometimes, pet products are also infused with flavorings to make the oil’s taste more appealing.
The only difference between CBD oil for dogs and humans is that products for dogs contain a smaller amount of CBD per bottle. Companies make these low-potency oils to make dosing easier for the owners of smaller pets.
Key Takeaways on Getting the Right Dose of CBD Oil for Your Dog
The above guidelines should give you a general idea of how much CBD oil you should give your dog. That being said, remember that these are only general figures and you shouldn’t take them as medical advice. If you want professional guidance, we recommend finding a holistic veterinarian who can determine the right dosage and routine for your four-legged buddy.
Usually, the best way to gauge the right dose of CBD for your dog is to go through some trial and error and monitor the effects throughout one week, readjusting the dosage if needed.
Do you give your dogs CBD oil? How long did it take you to find a dose that worked for them? Let us know in the comments below!
