Can Dogs Have Melatonin
The short answer is that yes, you give melatonin to dogs. However, you should never do this without first consulting your veterinarian.
For most dogs, the use of melatonin will not cause major issues.
The problem is that if your dog is already taking other supplements or medications, melatonin may cause adverse effects. Additionally, it may worsen certain medical conditions. Finally, it is not good for dogs who are pregnant because it may pose risks to both her and her puppies.
While its unlikely that your dog will have a severely negative reaction to melatonin, it is in your best interest to create an action plan with the help of your vet!
What To Tell Your Veterinarian
Before prescribing Melatonin, your veterinarian will most likely begin discussing treatment options. He or she will recommend and advise you about the specific disorder, and the approved drugs that will be needed to treat the disease.
Familiarize yourself with the terminology
You will need to thoroughly discuss with your veterinarian any medications, prescriptions, over-the-counter, or herbal that you are giving your dog. You will also need to inform yourself about how Melatonin works, and any possible side effects that this drug may have on your dog ahead of time.
Most importantly, you will need to prepare yourself in advance should there be any side effects that would require immediate emergency veterinary care. Even if Melatonin seems easy enough to use, or youve given this to your dog in the past, its still important to follow all instructions carefully. Correct dosages must be administered at all times.
Inform your veterinarian if your dog suffers from seizures
If your dog has a seizure history, gastrointestinal problems, pregnancy, liver disorders or kidney disease, its best to ask your veterinarian if its safe to use Melatonin.
Keep your pup parasite free with these best dog dewormers.
What Is The Best Cbd Oil For Dogs Around Blue Mountains Australia
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.
Make sure to monitor your dogs behavior to notice if the effects of CBD are taking hold . If you dont see any difference, increase the dose by another 3 mg, trying not to go beyond 30 mg per day. For the owners of large dogs, we recommend following the same general guidelines as for medium dogs.
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. CBD Oil for dogs with seizures. Sometimes, pet products are also infused with flavorings to make the oils taste more appealing.
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.
You May Like: Can Having Your Tubes Tied Cause Hormonal Imbalance
How Is It Given To Dogs
Much like its human counterpart, melatonin for dogs is administered orally and will come in capsule or liquid form. It can be given with or without food and should start taking effect within 2 hours. Although it is less common, melatonin can also be implanted under your dogs skin . This procedure seems to be most popular with pet owners trying to treat their dogs unnatural hair loss, rather than strictly a sleep aid. It may also be a good choice for those dogs who may not accept melatonin orally.
Giving Your Dog Melatonin
Melatonin for dogs can be given as pills, capsules, chewable tablets, powders, drops, and even can be injected as a subcutaneous implant. When taken orally, it can be plain or offered with a tasty flavor likely to encourage canine consumption.
Once given, it is quickly absorbed into the bloodstream, taking effect within 15 to 20 minutes, but we actually know surprisingly little about how it goes to work on your dog. In fact, there’s very little scientific evidence on the use of melatonin in dogs, which is something every dog owner should be aware of before giving it to their pet.
If you live in the US and Canada, the drug is available over the counter, but its supply is more strictly controlled in other parts of the world. However, before you start giving your dog melatonin, make sure you consult your vet.
Your veterinarian is qualified to determine whether or not your dog could benefit from melatonin. While the drug is widely considered to be a safe option for most dogs, there could be other factors at play that could limit its suitability for your pet. For example, if your dog is already on other medications, they could potentially react with the melatonin. The drug should also never be given to pregnant animals or puppies under 12 weeks of age.
Side effects are rare but have been known to occur in some cases, so your vet will run you through the pros and cons of giving melatonin to your pet.
How to Prevent Overdoses:
Written by a Labrador Retriever loverTim Falk
Read Also: Can Tubal Ligation Cause Menopause
How Much Melatonin For Dogs
Melatonin is a sedative hormonal supplement mainly used for dogs anxiety, a safe dose depends on the size, body weight, and overall health conditions. The safe amount of Melatonin for dogs by weight is 1 mg or 1 ml for a 1-10 lbs puppy, 1.5 mg or 1.5 ml for 11-25 lbs, 2-3 mg or 2-3 ml for a 26-100 lbs and 3-6 mg or 3-6 ml for a 100lbs and above. Do not overdose your canine with the medication. Before offering any medicine to you pet please contact your veterinarian for a gentle advice.
Dogs That Shouldnt Take Melatonin
There are two cases where you want to be careful giving melatonin to your dog. First, melatonin may not be appropriate for dogs that are diabetic as it can increase insulin resistance.
As well, a 1999 study out of the University College London showed that melatonin decreased levels of sex hormones in both male and female dogs. As such, you may not want to give your dog melatonin if they are currently being used for breeding. Youll want to talk to your vet about giving pregnant dogs melatonin to be on the safe side.
Don’t Miss: Hormonal Imbalance After Tubal Ligation
Melatonin Dosage For Dogs
What kind of melatonin should you use for your dog, how much should you give them, and how should you administer the supplement?
Once again, you will need to talk to your vet about these questions. As far as choosing a brand, youll want to find one that isnt cut with a number of other active ingredients and always avoid supplements that include xylitol. For the most part, melatonin supplements have a short list of ingredients that are safe for dogs to consume but you should still talk to your vet about the brand youve got before you use it.
Determining the proper dosage will depend on your dogs weight.
A general rule of thumb is that a dog that weighs less than 10 pounds should take 1 milligram. Dogs that weigh 10 to 25 pounds can have 1.5 milligrams. Dogs that are between 26 and 100 pounds can have up to 3 milligrams and dogs over 100 pounds may be able to have up to 6 milligrams.
However, weight alone cannot determine your dogs dosage. Other factors such as preexisting conditions must be taken into consideration. No matter the size of the dosage, you should never give your dog melatonin more than 3 times a day.
It tends to take about 15 to 20 minutes for melatonin to kick in and the effects will last about 8 hours. If you are using it to help your dog sleep through the night, you can give it to her immediately before bedtime and it will do the trick.
Potential Uses Of Melatonin In Dogs
As discussed previously, melatonin has been used in humans who have trouble falling asleep, have sleep problems, or who are adjusting to time changes associated with jet lag.1 Also, there is evidence that melatonin may help with some autoimmune conditions.1
We will discuss the uses of melatonin in more depth in upcoming blogs, but for now please note that melatonin may be helpful in managing many medical conditions in dogs.1,3,4,5
Melatonin may help treat:
- Atypical Cushings disease in dogs
Don’t Miss: What Causes Breakthrough Bleeding When On Bioidentical Hormones
Electromagnetic Frequencies And Radiation
This is another common environmental toxicity. EMF-EMR depletes melatonin levels in all bodies . This is man-made electromagnetic radiation from
- Wi-Fi
- Smoking
- Certain pharmaceutical drugs
Lack of exposure to daylight is also a big factor so get your dog outside for plenty of walks and outdoor time in sunlight!
Its also thought that melatonin production declines with age, though some experts disagree. But it would help explain why older dogs sometimes sleep less at night.
With these unavoidable factors in mind, what can you do to maintain your dogs melatonin levels?
Final Thoughts On How To Give Melatonin To Dogs
When used properly, melatonin is a safe and effective way to help your dog get a better nights sleep and feel calmer throughout the day. When combined with another natural anxiety and sleep aid like CBD, there is a great chance that your dog wont have to go on a prescription drug that could have nasty side effects.
For more great health tips and learning how to give your pets possible, make sure to check out our blog. We regularly update it so you can stay up to date with all thats happening in the pet health world.
Information contained on this page is provided by an independent third-party content provider. Frankly and this Site make no warranties or representations in connection therewith. If you are affiliated with this page and would like it removed please contact
Recommended Reading: Does Blue Cross Blue Shield Cover Testosterone
Can You Give Dogs Melatonin
If youve got a restless pup who just cant settle down, its understandable if youve Googled the phrase: is melatonin safe for dogs?
The good news is, melatonin is generally considered safe for dogs at the right dosage, says Dr. Huzzah. Since the correct melatonin dosage for dogs can vary quite a bit, its best to talk to your veterinarian before giving it to your pet .
As far as what melatonin can do for your little one, there are quite a few ways giving dogs melatonin can be good for them.
What Do The Studies Say
According to a 2018 study published in the American Veterinary Medical Foundation , 20% of dogs suffer from anxiety. Dr. Daniel Mills, DVM, Professor of Veterinary Behavioral Medicine at the University of Lincoln, School of Life Sciences in England, adds that:
Separation anxiety has several distinct forms based on a mixture of emotional and motivational states.
About 20 percent of dogs are affected. Consistently across studies, 15 percent of dogs arent responding to medication, and 15 percent arent responding to behavioral treatment.
Melatonin to calm your dogs nerves
Today, natural products like Melatonin can be used to establish a more stable emotional state. A study by Gary M. Landsberg, , Director, Veterinary Affairs and Product Development, and Veterinary Behaviorist, adds that both psychotropic and natural products improve trainability in animals that are anxious, fearful, or overly reactive.
Drugs might also be useful in the treatment of behavior that is abnormal, pathologic, or lacking impulse control. Also, medications may be indicated to improve compromised welfare.
However, whereas drugs can improve the animals emotional state and facilitate new learning, only with concurrent behavior modification can new neuronal pathways be established, new behaviors learned, and fearful responses to stimuli changed to positive ones.
Recommended Reading: Nugenix Estro-regulator Review
How Does Melatonin Work For Dogs
To better understand how melatonin works, it is important to find out the natural process of how melatonin is synthesized and how it works.
Production of melatonin: Melatonin is synthesized in three major sites of the body
- Pineal gland A glandular nervous tissue that protrudes in the region of the brain called mid-brain behind a very important structure of the brain called superior colliculi.
- Retina The retina, a layer of tissue located behind the inside part of the eye next to the optic nerve, also produce melatonin.
- Gastrointestinal tract Studies have shown that the gastrointestinal tract produces more melatonin compared to the pineal gland. The amount produced is estimated to be about 500 times more than the amount produced by the pineal gland.
The principal source of melatonin is dietary tryptophan, one of the essential amino acids required by the body. Tryptophan is also a precursor for the synthesis of serotonin.
Synthesis and regulation
Naturally, the synthesis and release of melatonin are regulated by the amount of light entering the eye. This means that, during the day or in the presence of light, you can detect little to no levels of melatonin in blood.
However, when the eyes are closed such as at night when trying to sleep, melatonin reaches peak production levels. This literally explains the relationship between melatonin and sleep regulation.
Effects on reproduction
Other physiologic functions
Other medications used to treat anxiety in dogs
Amitriptyline
Side Effects Of Giving Melatonin To Dogs
Melatonin is something thats naturally produced in a dogs body. Therefore, few side effects are reported when given as a supplement.
That doesnt mean that there are never any side effects of using it as a medication, however.
Although rare, the following side effects have been noted by some dog owners:
- Sleepiness
- Allergies
- Bleeding disorders
You should also be wary if your dog is taking any other medications or supplements, as some dont mix well with melatonin.
As with any medication, you should always check with a vet before giving it to your dog.
Recommended Reading: Does Blue Cross Blue Shield Cover Testosterone Therapy
Drug Interactions And Risk Factors Of Melatonin For Dogs
“Is melatonin safe for dogs?”
If your dog is currently on any medications or is undergoing any treatment for a known illness, you must consult your vet before beginning any kind of supplementation. Melatonin shouldn’t be given to pregnant dogs or puppies as to avoid any potential risks.
There’s a chance that melatonin can interact with other medicines, so if your dog is being treated with other medication, be sure to check with your vet if it is safe to use in combination. For example, a research specifies that melatonin contributes to insulin resistance in dogs with diabetes, which can have dangerous implications for your pup’s health.
Supplements aren’t always regulated in all countries, so it’s crucial to check ingredient labels before giving your dog melatonin. Many brands of melatonin supplements for humans contain xylitol, a sugar substitute, which is toxic to dogs and can cause some serious health problems if given to your dog. If you’re unsure of which brand to use, check with your vet, who will be able to recommend one that is safe for your dog.
How Is Melatonin Given In Dogs
Melatonin for dogs can come in a few different forms. Most pet owners choose to stick with pill or capsule form, as it is easiest to give to their furry friends and keep track of the exact dose they are receiving each day. You can easily slip these pills into your dogs favorite treat, and offer extra relaxation for hours to come.
Melatonin for dogs may also come in the form of treat chews. These chews may just contain melatonin, or even other ingredients that are known to promote relaxation in our furry friends. You can also find melatonin in the form of liquid, often coming in a small vial with an eye dropper for administration. You can offer these treats or liquids on their own, or on top of their normal diet.
If your veterinarian is suggesting melatonin for alopecia or other medical conditions not related to behavioral disorders, they may turn to injection or prescription forms of melatonin. These will of course be regulated by your veterinarian, and often administered in a vets office.
Read Also: Does Blue Cross Blue Shield Cover Testosterone Replacement Therapy
Is Melatonin Safe For My Dog
While some pet owners like the natural properties of melatonin as opposed to chemical medications, you should talk to your veterinarian before deciding on a melatonin regimen. There has not been much study of its side effects and safety, nor has it been approved by the FDA for use in animals.
Side effects of melatonin in dogs, although rare, include:
- Changes in fertility
Melatonin For Dogs And Cats
by Paws & Claws Animal Hospital | May 12, 2016 | Animal Wellness Published Articles
Along with promoting sleep, melatonin may also help with Cushings disease, separation anxiety, and other dog and cat health problems.
Melatonin as a nutritional supplement is often used by humans for sleep problems, but it also has several health applications for dogs and cats. Melatonin possesses a number of reported actions:
- Regulates the immune system lymphocyte white blood cells synthesize and release large amounts of melatonin
- Induces restful sleep
- Acts as an antioxidant its a potent free radical scavenger
- Reduces skin damage caused by UV radiation, when applied topically
- Opposes degenerative side effects caused by elevated levels of corticosteroids
- Is being used as part of the therapy for hormone-induced cancers
- Reduces side effects and enhances cancer-killing abilities of chemotherapy and radiation therapy, by promoting cancer cell death and the release of immune-modulating chemicals called cytokines
In people, it is also used for insomnia arising from many causes sleep problems in autistic individuals dementia and Alzheimers disease depression chronic fatigue syndrome epilepsy numerous cancers as an anti-aging supplement and for weight loss. As more research continues, it is likely additional uses of melatonin will be found.
How is it Used in Animals?
In dogs and cats, melatonin has been prescribed for several conditions.
Side Effects and Contraindications
Read Also: Does Blue Cross Blue Shield Cover Testosterone Therapy