#Middlebury
DEAR PAW’S CORNER: When my 6-year-old, 16-pound Dachshund, Sally, hurt her back and couldn’t walk, a veterinarian recommended expensive surgery. I found another vet who was able to treat her without surgery and she is walking again. To manage her pain, I have been giving her 1,000 mg of CBD oil, five drops twice a day. Am I giving her too much or too little? Every product has a different option. – Wayne O., via email
DEAR WAYNE: A twice-daily dose of 5 drops of a 1,000 mg formulation of CBD oil is an awful lot to give a dog of Sally’s size. By my ballpark estimate, she’s getting 6 mg to 8 mg of CBD in each dose.
That may be OK in the short term for treating severe pain, but high doses of CBD can cause temporary changes in eye pressure, which over time can permanently damage the eyes.
I understand your dilemma, though. Many charts for pets recommend 600 mg to 1,000 mg formulations for large dogs over 100 pounds, and much smaller formulations of 75 mg to 150 mg for small dogs like Sally. But some formulations for pets go as high as 3,000 mg, and there is no set standard.
Even worse, the chart calculations for CDB products are confusing. Some charts list dosages in milliliters, others in milligrams. Who wants to do math when your pet is in pain?
I’d like you to work closely with Sally’s vet to find an effective CBD dosage to safely treat her pain. As she recovers, you should lower the dosage further, to below 4 mg per dose, to help manage any chronic pain from her injury. A lower dosage will also cost much less than what you’re paying right now.
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