Tommy Coyote Posted June 25, 2015 Report Share Posted June 25, 2015 OK. 3-6 mg at a time. How long does it take to kick in? How often can you give it safely? I'm going to try this today and see what happens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urge to herd Posted June 25, 2015 Report Share Posted June 25, 2015 Tommy, be cautious. I'd start w/even 1.5 mg and see what the dog's response is. The reason I say this is that I am extremely sensitive to anything w/a sedating effect. 2 mg of melatonin knocks me out for about 12 hrs, and I'm groggy for another 12. The diphenhydramine I mentioned in another post about the 4th - half of one of those pills knocks me out, too. I know dogs metabolize things differently from humans, and I know melatonin is 'natural'. Doesn't mean that it's totally ok for everyone - we need to be cautious nevertheless. Ruth and SuperGibbs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GentleLake Posted June 25, 2015 Report Share Posted June 25, 2015 I also wouldn't start with 6 mg. I've only ever actually used 3 mg. I try to give it about 1/2 hour prior to whatever's going to cause anxiety or fear. The effects have been subtle with any dog I've used it on. Nothing obvious like sedation, just a lessening of anxiety. So if your experience parallels mine, you're not really going to know if it's kicked in absent the anxiety inducing stimulus. I found this doing a quick web search (I didn't read any entries beyond this one; there were others): "Melatonin typically comes in pill form with 300mg, 1mg and 3 mg dosages. Small melatonin dosage for dogs is typically between 500mcg to 1mg given every eight hours. Large melatonin dosage for dogs is between 3mg and 9mg. Melatonin is given orally to dogs by mixing it to the dog food. Use the plain tablet form of melatonin for dogs, it is not recommended to use sustained release or sublingual melatonin. When using melatonin for sleep related problems, administer melatonin to your dog just before they retire at night. Melatonin takes effect within 10 to 15 minutes in a dog’s body. If your dog gets more restful sleep, you can gradually reduce the dosage. In case of anxious dogs during thunderstorms, you should administer melatonin before the storm hits." (http://www.melatoninfaq.com/melatonin-for-dogs/) Interestingly, it says it's useful for old dogs with cognitive decline. I may try it for my old gal. ETA: Reading more now that I've seen the thing about CCD. Here's another entry with dosages, though, again, I've read before that it's safe to double it when needed: General Dosage Guidelines: 1 mg for dogs weighing less than 10 lbs 1.5 mg for dogs weighing between 10 to 25 lbs 3 mg for dogs weighing between 26 to 100 lbs 3 to 6 mg for dogs weighing over 100 lbs (http://www.vetinfo.com/melatonin-supplements-for-dogs.html) Oh, another thing I didn't know . . . it's contraindicated for pregnant and lactating bitches and may disrupt the dog's reproductive cycle. Of course, all the sites recommend consulting with your vet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eileen Stein Posted June 25, 2015 Report Share Posted June 25, 2015 I give 3 mg two hours or so ahead of a storm if I have sufficient warning. I will give another 3 mg when the storm hits if the dog is showing anxiety (trembling, panting). I've never seen any bad effects in the dog, not even sedation. It works pretty well, where I could see no effects at all from the heavy duty stuff like Xanax. As a person, I am the opposite of Ruth -- it takes an awful lot to knock me out, I envy her -- so that may make me more cavalier. But none of the people I know who give their dogs melatonin have run into any bad effects either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommy Coyote Posted June 25, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 25, 2015 Thanks. I think I will just about 2mg and see what happens. Melatonin is really cheap so if it works that would be a wonderful solution. My Xanax isn't expensive either - it's generic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommy Coyote Posted June 25, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 25, 2015 Did you notice that they are using melatonin for seizures? That one article says it safe to use long term, too, for dogs with anxiety problems. Interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GentleLake Posted June 25, 2015 Report Share Posted June 25, 2015 It's a chemical produced naturally in the body, so there are few side effects. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommy Coyote Posted June 26, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 26, 2015 I think it is working. We had a terrible storm and the dogs were quiet. I. Now have the neighbor's tree in my backyard and my powerline is pulled off the house. 100,000 w/o power and trees down all over. I am so lucky that the tree didn't hit anything. I've been watching that branch for a long time. At least I don't have to worry about it anymore. I think the dogs felt that storm hours before it hit. It was really hot and windy last nite and they didn't want to go outside at all. I'llprobably out of power for days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GentleLake Posted June 26, 2015 Report Share Posted June 26, 2015 Happy to hear you and the dogs got through it safely. And that the melatonin seems to be working. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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