Melatonin is an over-the-counter pill that people usually take to relieve symptoms of insomnia. For people, this is considered to be a safe type of drug as it is made of natural ingredients.
The melatonin hormone is actually naturally produced inside the body through the pineal gland in the brain. This triggers sleepiness in a person and makes a person sleep soundly throughout the night. On the other hand, insufficient production of melatonin can lead to insomnia and even depression.
That’s why melatonin pills and tablets are sometimes prescribed to people experiencing sleeping problems.
Dogs can have sleeping problems too. And sometimes the sleeping problems are caused by fears and other external factors. In cases like these, should you give a melatonin pill to your dog too?
Can I Give My Dog Melatonin? Answer: Yes.
Melatonin is just as safe for dogs as it is for humans. This type of over-the-counter drug is being prescribed by vets for dogs with sleeping problems and separation anxiety issues. The soothing effects of the melatonin can help a dog relax and feel less agitated. They will sleep soundly through the night too.
If your dog has fear of lightning, thunder storms and other loud noises (fireworks, gun fires, etc.), a melatonin tablet can also provide some relief. You should always keep this type of medicine around the house as too much fear can cause seizures in dogs.
Melatonin Versus Tranquilizers
Another way to calm down dogs that are experiencing extreme fear and agitation is to tranquilize them. However, this is not a recommended solution. Tranquilizers in pets, particularly in dogs, can have many side effects. Just like their human counterparts, frequent and high dosage of tranquilizers can lead to depression and even hallucination. And you don’t want your dog to experience those things, right?
You can use melatonin instead as this is one type of the people medicine that isn’t harmful to the canine breed. Your pet dog will feel relaxed and even-tempered as soon as the melatonin takes effect.
Safe Dosage for Melatonin
When giving medication to your dogs, you should first consult your vet as to the safety of the drug as well as the proper dosage. In the case of melatonin, you can typically give 3mg for every 35 to 100-pound dog three times a day. Small breeds usually require around 1.5mg of melatonin and large breeds of dogs can have as much as 6mg.
Again, you should consult a vet before administering melatonin to your pet. Although this is a safe hormonal drug, it is still better to be on the safe side and not overdose your dog with the drug.
Where You Can Get Melatonin
Melatonin can be easily bought in drug stores nationwide. These are sold in places that also sell vitamins and supplements for humans. Being an over-the-counter type of herbal medication, you can get melatonin without a prescription.
The effects of melatonin can vary from dog to dog just as its effects can also vary among different types of people. Usually, the calming effect of the drug can last up to 8 hours. So if you are going to give melatonin to your dog that usually stays up all night, it would be a good idea to give this medicine at around 10pm. This will ensure a continued and restful sleep up to around 6am the next day.
Some Safety Precautions
Melatonin is generally safe for dogs but you should avoid giving this to pregnant doggies. You should always be cautious in giving medication to pregnant dogs as this can affect the puppies and the mother dog’s health as well. In this type of situation, you should really consult a vet. Your vet can either recommend a smaller dosage that wouldn’t be harmful to a pregnant dog or another type of drug can be prescribed to provide a remedy to your dog’s sleeping problems and restlessness issues.
Staying Cool and Relaxed in Extreme Situations
You can safely rely on the Melatonin medication in keeping your panicky or phobic dog relaxed. That’s why you should always have this medicine on hand, especially if you own a dog with anxiety issues. By giving this medicine as a first aid treatment, you can prevent more serious problems from arising.
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks for the information. We are taking care of a friends dog and he stays up all night. My children have melatonin prescribed plus myself. I would assume that melatonin being a natural substance which we ourselves produce, that it would be the same for all mammals.
We wish we would have know this YEARS ago!! It would have given us a really good chance of saving not 1, not 2 but literally 14 couches. Yes, I will scream it from the mountains, that dog was worth it times 100 …we lost him way too early, and our lives are not the same. Deuce had some serious separation anxiety goin on and it truly was hard to handle. I’m sure many of you understand that frustration! However this evening, we are giving it to our old mama dog. She has pain and sleeping issues in her old age and I try to keep her comfy as I can til we have her returned to the earth, which will be soon as I refuse to allow her to suffer beyond the help of simple OTC meds!
Thank you for this information. I have a 13 year old maltese who suddenly developed anxiety issues. I have used the Thunder Shirt for one day, and it’s amazing, but he seems to need additional help. I feel confident in administering the melatonin to him now.
Giving our German Short Hair Melotonin has a calming effect on him and has just about stopped all the whinning. This was recommended by our vet, because our dog has such anxiety issues each time we got in the car.
I have been giving my Jack Russell 3mg about an hour before bed time to help with sleeping. Like a previous poster, I may try adding 1-2 more doses during the day. She has already destroyed a chair and sofa. She is just over a year old so I figure we have another year of puppy chewing. She is otherwise a sweet girl and very intelligent.
We have a 6 year old shelter male dog. He was severely treated for the first 4 years of his life. He will not let us cut his nails and they are quite long and I am sure uncomfortable. I want something natural to relax him so we can cut them. We tried Benedril and I am surprise we did not kill him. We were told the wrong amount to give him and he weighs 75 pounds and we gave him 36 pills. Did not faze him. We have had him for 2 years and just finall got him into a bath. The vet is strictly out of the question. At 75-80 #;s we can not handle him. Any help be appreciated