Oliver is going for various surgeries in a couple of weeks, and his liver function is a wee bit off so I want to put him on milk thistle and hopefully get it in better shape to process the anesthetic.

He's thirty pounds. Can anyone tell me the correct dosage to give him? The capsules I have on hand (for myself) are 250 mg. Is one of these too much? And would I break it open and sprinkle it on his food, or give it to him as is?

i use the guidelines on this page - it's per dr. dodds: http://www.canine-epilepsy-guardian-angels.com/milk_thistle.htm

The Veterinary Botanical Medicine Association (VBMA) states: “Milk thistle should be used for at least 8 weeks before expecting results such as improvement in biochemistries.

Dried herb: 15-20mg/lb SID
Concentrated extract: 2-5 mg/lb BID-TID
Alcohol extract: 2-5 mg/lb BID-TID

- wouldnt' ya know it, two very different sets of guidelines. Using one I should give Oliver between 210 - 300 mg/day of the concentrated extract, the other 60-150 mg/day. Even if he doesn't hve 8 weeks before surgery, I figure it will give him a head start.

The Dr. Dodds link is an interesting read - thanks Jen. I didn't realize milk thistle has been used for so many other issues besides liver support.