Milk Thistle Dosage for Dogs
Many pet owners do not realize that dogs often have liver related health problems and milk thistle for dogs is something you should consider. A healthy liver handles the cleaning and filtering of toxins from the body. Additionally, it also processes food, iron, and sugars in the blood, as well as produce bile for the ducts. There are a number factors that can cause liver imbalances, and many pet owners have turned to milk thistle to help their beloved dogs. Milk thistle dosage for dogs is based on the weight of your dog and we cover general dosage information in more detail below.
Reasons to Give Dogs Milk Thistle
Although there are other supplements out on the market to clean and detoxify the liver, milk thistle for dogs has been found to be quite effective. At the same time, this all natural herb has little apparent side effects, providing you use the correct milk thistle dosage.
Dogs have been administered milk thistle for many reasons, including for the following ailments:
• Hepatitis
• Cholangitis
• Fatty liver
• Pericholangitis
• Hepatic lipidosis
Milk thistle works to help these problems by increasing the intracellular levels of glutathione. Of course, these benefits occur when you give your pet the appropriate milk thistle dosage for dogs, and not some random amount.
There are currently a number of medications that dogs are routinely given as preventatives for various health conditions. One example of this is heartworm preventative. In many areas, without the heartworm medication, dogs can suffer and die if they get the heartworm parasite. Unfortunately, heartworm preventative can cause damage to the liver over a period of time. When a dog is given a vaccine, or even a preventative treatment against heartworm, ticks or fleas, the dog is ingesting chemicals that are difficult for the dog’s liver to process. Milk thistle helps protect the liver against damage inflicted by these chemicals, but of course getting the best milk thistle dosage for dogs is essential.
Milk thistle has been used to combat the ingestion of poisonous mushrooms by dogs, which can also cause severe liver damage. Milk thistle has also been used in dogs to treat the bacterial infection leptospirosis and pancreatitis, which is an inflammation of the pancreas. However, while there are many benefits, it’s important to consider using the right dosage, which we will cover in the next section.
Milk Thistle Dosage for Dogs Guidelines
Dosage is often based the dog’s weight:
• For example, if the dog in question weighs only 25 pounds, then the recommended daily dosage for dogs should not exceed 25 percent of the recommended daily dose for an adult human and so on up to 100 pound dogs.
• The milk thistle dosage for dogs is similar to the dose of adult human if your dog weighs over 100 pounds, However, do not increase the dosage to 125 percent for a 125 pound dog.
Occasionally some minor side effects may occur during treatment, even when following dosing guidelines listed above. Some dogs experience loose stools from milk thistle intake and it may also suppress liver function if given too often, so it’s important to discuss with your vet the proper milk thistle dosage for dogs.
Milk thistle may provide many benefits for dogs. These include supporting liver function, immune system, treating inflammatory bowel disease, as well as containing antioxidant properties, anti-inflammatory properties and much more. Milk thistle may not be a miracle cure, but it may help your dog’s liver function more effectively and provide overall health support. If you are like us, you consider your dog to be a member of the family and want the best for it, so you should consider the proper milk thistle dosage for dogs. It is strongly advised to always consult with a veterinarian before giving your dog milk thistle.