diff --git a/tools/virsh-domain.c b/tools/virsh-domain.c
index d5108dde78..8d7ff61240 100644
--- a/tools/virsh-domain.c
+++ b/tools/virsh-domain.c
@@ -1164,7 +1164,7 @@ static const vshCmdOptDef opts_blkdeviotune[] = {
     },
     {.name = "total-bytes-sec",
      .type = VSH_OT_INT,
-     .help = N_("total throughput limit in bytes per second")
+     .help = N_("total throughput limit, as scaled integer (default bytes)")
     },
     {.name = "read_bytes_sec",
      .type = VSH_OT_ALIAS,
@@ -1172,7 +1172,7 @@ static const vshCmdOptDef opts_blkdeviotune[] = {
     },
     {.name = "read-bytes-sec",
      .type = VSH_OT_INT,
-     .help = N_("read throughput limit in bytes per second")
+     .help = N_("read throughput limit, as scaled integer (default bytes)")
     },
     {.name = "write_bytes_sec",
      .type = VSH_OT_ALIAS,
@@ -1180,7 +1180,7 @@ static const vshCmdOptDef opts_blkdeviotune[] = {
     },
     {.name = "write-bytes-sec",
      .type = VSH_OT_INT,
-     .help =  N_("write throughput limit in bytes per second")
+     .help =  N_("write throughput limit, as scaled integer (default bytes)")
     },
     {.name = "total_iops_sec",
      .type = VSH_OT_ALIAS,
@@ -1212,7 +1212,7 @@ static const vshCmdOptDef opts_blkdeviotune[] = {
     },
     {.name = "total-bytes-sec-max",
      .type = VSH_OT_INT,
-     .help = N_("total max in bytes")
+     .help = N_("total max, as scaled integer (default bytes)")
     },
     {.name = "read_bytes_sec_max",
      .type = VSH_OT_ALIAS,
@@ -1220,7 +1220,7 @@ static const vshCmdOptDef opts_blkdeviotune[] = {
     },
     {.name = "read-bytes-sec-max",
      .type = VSH_OT_INT,
-     .help = N_("read max in bytes")
+     .help = N_("read max, as scaled integer (default bytes)")
     },
     {.name = "write_bytes_sec_max",
      .type = VSH_OT_ALIAS,
@@ -1228,7 +1228,7 @@ static const vshCmdOptDef opts_blkdeviotune[] = {
     },
     {.name = "write-bytes-sec-max",
      .type = VSH_OT_INT,
-     .help = N_("write max in bytes")
+     .help = N_("write max, as scaled integer (default bytes)")
     },
     {.name = "total_iops_sec_max",
      .type = VSH_OT_ALIAS,
@@ -1299,7 +1299,7 @@ cmdBlkdeviotune(vshControl *ctl, const vshCmd *cmd)
     if (vshCommandOptStringReq(ctl, cmd, "device", &disk) < 0)
         goto cleanup;
 
-    if ((rv = vshCommandOptULongLong(ctl, cmd, "total-bytes-sec", &value)) < 0) {
+    if ((rv = vshCommandOptScaledInt(ctl, cmd, "total-bytes-sec", &value, 1, ULLONG_MAX)) < 0) {
         goto interror;
     } else if (rv > 0) {
         if (virTypedParamsAddULLong(&params, &nparams, &maxparams,
@@ -1308,7 +1308,7 @@ cmdBlkdeviotune(vshControl *ctl, const vshCmd *cmd)
             goto save_error;
     }
 
-    if ((rv = vshCommandOptULongLong(ctl, cmd, "read-bytes-sec", &value)) < 0) {
+    if ((rv = vshCommandOptScaledInt(ctl, cmd, "read-bytes-sec", &value, 1, ULLONG_MAX)) < 0) {
         goto interror;
     } else if (rv > 0) {
         if (virTypedParamsAddULLong(&params, &nparams, &maxparams,
@@ -1317,7 +1317,7 @@ cmdBlkdeviotune(vshControl *ctl, const vshCmd *cmd)
             goto save_error;
     }
 
-    if ((rv = vshCommandOptULongLong(ctl, cmd, "write-bytes-sec", &value)) < 0) {
+    if ((rv = vshCommandOptScaledInt(ctl, cmd, "write-bytes-sec", &value, 1, ULLONG_MAX)) < 0) {
         goto interror;
     } else if (rv > 0) {
         if (virTypedParamsAddULLong(&params, &nparams, &maxparams,
@@ -1326,7 +1326,7 @@ cmdBlkdeviotune(vshControl *ctl, const vshCmd *cmd)
             goto save_error;
     }
 
-    if ((rv = vshCommandOptULongLong(ctl, cmd, "total-bytes-sec-max", &value)) < 0) {
+    if ((rv = vshCommandOptScaledInt(ctl, cmd, "total-bytes-sec-max", &value, 1, ULLONG_MAX)) < 0) {
         goto interror;
     } else if (rv > 0) {
         if (virTypedParamsAddULLong(&params, &nparams, &maxparams,
@@ -1335,7 +1335,7 @@ cmdBlkdeviotune(vshControl *ctl, const vshCmd *cmd)
             goto save_error;
     }
 
-    if ((rv = vshCommandOptULongLong(ctl, cmd, "read-bytes-sec-max", &value)) < 0) {
+    if ((rv = vshCommandOptScaledInt(ctl, cmd, "read-bytes-sec-max", &value, 1, ULLONG_MAX)) < 0) {
         goto interror;
     } else if (rv > 0) {
         if (virTypedParamsAddULLong(&params, &nparams, &maxparams,
@@ -1344,7 +1344,7 @@ cmdBlkdeviotune(vshControl *ctl, const vshCmd *cmd)
             goto save_error;
     }
 
-    if ((rv = vshCommandOptULongLong(ctl, cmd, "write-bytes-sec-max", &value)) < 0) {
+    if ((rv = vshCommandOptScaledInt(ctl, cmd, "write-bytes-sec-max", &value, 1, ULLONG_MAX)) < 0) {
         goto interror;
     } else if (rv > 0) {
         if (virTypedParamsAddULLong(&params, &nparams, &maxparams,
diff --git a/tools/virsh.pod b/tools/virsh.pod
index 2a95df7458..6844823b34 100644
--- a/tools/virsh.pod
+++ b/tools/virsh.pod
@@ -1097,15 +1097,21 @@ I<domain> (see also B<domblklist> for listing these names).
 
 If no limit is specified, it will query current I/O limits setting.
 Otherwise, alter the limits with these flags:
-I<--total-bytes-sec> specifies total throughput limit in bytes per second.
-I<--read-bytes-sec> specifies read throughput limit in bytes per second.
-I<--write-bytes-sec> specifies write throughput limit in bytes per second.
+I<--total-bytes-sec> specifies total throughput limit as a scaled integer, the
+default being bytes per second if no suffix is specified.
+I<--read-bytes-sec> specifies read throughput limit as a scaled integer, the
+default being bytes per second if no suffix is specified.
+I<--write-bytes-sec> specifies write throughput limit as a scaled integer, the
+default being bytes per second if no suffix is specified.
 I<--total-iops-sec> specifies total I/O operations limit per second.
 I<--read-iops-sec> specifies read I/O operations limit per second.
 I<--write-iops-sec> specifies write I/O operations limit per second.
-I<--total-bytes-sec-max> specifies maximum total throughput limit in bytes per second.
-I<--read-bytes-sec-max> specifies maximum read throughput limit in bytes per second.
-I<--write-bytes-sec-max> specifies maximum write throughput limit in bytes per second.
+I<--total-bytes-sec-max> specifies maximum total throughput limit as a scaled
+integer, the default being bytes per second if no suffix is specified
+I<--read-bytes-sec-max> specifies maximum read throughput limit as a scaled
+integer, the default being bytes per second if no suffix is specified.
+I<--write-bytes-sec-max> specifies maximum write throughput limit as a scaled
+integer, the default being bytes per second if no suffix is specified.
 I<--total-iops-sec-max> specifies maximum total I/O operations limit per second.
 I<--read-iops-sec-max> specifies maximum read I/O operations limit per second.
 I<--write-iops-sec-max> specifies maximum write I/O operations limit per second.