diff --git a/api/api.go b/api/api.go
index ad89dc50e6..c5745ab6a4 100644
--- a/api/api.go
+++ b/api/api.go
@@ -261,9 +261,16 @@ func (r *request) setQueryOptions(q *QueryOptions) {
 	}
 }
 
-// durToMsec converts a duration to a millisecond specified string
+// durToMsec converts a duration to a millisecond specified string. If the
+// user selected a positive value that rounds to 0 ms, then we will use 1 ms
+// so they get a short delay, otherwise Consul will translate the 0 ms into
+// a huge default delay.
 func durToMsec(dur time.Duration) string {
-	return fmt.Sprintf("%dms", dur/time.Millisecond)
+	ms := dur / time.Millisecond
+	if dur > 0 && ms == 0 {
+		ms = 1
+	}
+	return fmt.Sprintf("%dms", ms)
 }
 
 // setWriteOptions is used to annotate the request with
diff --git a/api/api_test.go b/api/api_test.go
index 314a89b146..4d60859f9c 100644
--- a/api/api_test.go
+++ b/api/api_test.go
@@ -254,3 +254,21 @@ func TestAPI_UnixSocket(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatalf("bad: %v", info)
 	}
 }
+
+func TestAPI_durToMsec(t *testing.T) {
+	if ms := durToMsec(0); ms != "0ms" {
+		t.Fatalf("bad: %s", ms)
+	}
+
+	if ms := durToMsec(time.Millisecond); ms != "1ms" {
+		t.Fatalf("bad: %s", ms)
+	}
+
+	if ms := durToMsec(time.Microsecond); ms != "1ms" {
+		t.Fatalf("bad: %s", ms)
+	}
+
+	if ms := durToMsec(5 * time.Millisecond); ms != "5ms" {
+		t.Fatalf("bad: %s", ms)
+	}
+}