Dogs often suffer from the same or similar issues as humans. Likewise, medicine is usually similar. This is where CBD Oil steps in. The first thing that crosses someone mind when they hear CBD Oil is Cannabis. However, although there is a link between these two, it doesn’t mean that you will get your dog high with CBD. Read on and discover what is CBD Oil all about, and what is it good for.
CBD Oil keeps pet-owners interest alert. There is a lot of information floating around when it comes to using CBD Oil for dogs.
People then to be slightly worried when they need to introduce CBD to their pets.
Some are afraid that’s not that useful and that is more part of a pet wellness trend than it has many benefits.
On the other hand, there is a party that advocates for the use of CBD oil. However, the best way for you to decide how you want to introduce CBD oil to your dog is to educate yourself on the topic first.
What Is CBD Oil?
CBD is also known as cannabidiol, a compound found mostly in cannabis.
However, CBD doesn’t contain delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is a crucial compound for making marijuana psychoactive. Most CBD products are derived from hemp, and not from marijuana at all.
In addition, it is important to know that there has not been any official or formal study on how CBD affects dogs. It is known that CBD oil has a calming effect on dogs.
Furthermore, what to know for sure is the fact that cannabinoids interact with the endocannabinoid receptors which are located in the central nervous systems, whose primary function is to maintain balance in the body and keep it in a normal and healthy state.
To sum up, CBD is not psychoactive and it won’t affect your dog in that way. It is completely harmless to dogs and has identical benefits as medical marijuana.
Is It Safe To Give CBD Oil To Your Dog?
The biggest stigma about treating your dog with CBD is because cannabis is still federally illegal,(1) so there hasn’t been any legal access to the cannabis-animal project.
However, the American Veterinary Medical Association stated that vets are allowed to discuss cannabis as a possible recommended medication, even without risking their medical license.
Furthermore, this official body (American Veterinary Medical Association) released a document titled “Cannabis: What Veterinarians Need to Know”, which ‘offers the following current information to attempt to clear up
confusion regarding the use/prescribing of marijuana-based products in pets’.
So, CBD Oil is safe for your dog when used responsibly and according to the vet’s instructions. Your furry friend will enjoy the benefits of CBD, but there is a small trick.
The taste and texture of CBD Oil are unknown to your dog, and you will have to find a way on how to trick or encourage him, especially if he is a puppy, into getting CBD into their furry body.
Quick tip: Not knowing the proper dosage of CBD could be toxic for your dog. It’s always better to start with a small amount of CBD, monitor the effects, and always be in contact with your vet.
What Are the Benefits of Cannabis Oil for Dogs?
Thanks to its many benefits, CBD oil is used more and more each day and it helps with numerous health issues. (2)
CBD Oil Treats Seizures and Epilepsy
Strong bursts of electrical activity within the dog’s brain can cause seizures that directly addict how your dog will react and behave.
Seizures are seen as a strong twitch or uncontrollable shaking. (3)
These seizures can go from less than a minute to several minutes. They usually appear randomly.
Often seizures are one of the many reasons why pet owners turn to CBD. High levels of CBD can manage a dog’s seizures big time. Over time, CBD reduces the frequency of seizures.
However, this treatment with CBD should be done in agreement with your pet, because you don’t want to harm your dog’s liver and other organs.
Seizures in dogs are the most common neurological condition in dogs. Seizures are also called a for or convulsion. They are usually followed by uncontrollable muscle activity.
Seizures can happen at any time and may appear at any moment of the dog’s life. They may occur during the feeding or even the smallest excitement, while in some dogs it may occur even when dogs are asleep or merely waking up.
As a common rule, seizures in dogs often present as a twitch or uncontrollable shaking. They may last for only a few seconds or several minutes.
It’s important to note that these seizures may vary from dog to dog.
So far, known causes of seizures include:
- Vaccines
- Head injury
- Electrolyte problems
- Topical flea and tick products
- Herbicides and pesticides
On the other hand, seizures may occur as a result of underlying health conditions, such as:
- Liver disease
- Kidney disease
- Cancer
In most cases, epilepsy is an underlying cause of regular seizures.
Epilepsy means there are bursts of uncontrolled electricity in your dog’s brain. This condition cannot be fully cured, but it can be treated naturally with CBD oil.
CBD for dogs is most likely to be THC-free and should be tailored to give the most benefits to dogs in stress.
Veterinarians will often prescribe medications to treat epilepsy, such as diazepam and other anticonvulsant drugs which can cause serious side effects in some canines.
You should be careful with the dosage because the right dosage is always connected with your dog’s size.
If your dog refuses CBD oil in his food, for example, maybe you should try CBD treats as a more entertaining form.
Some dogs just prefer chewable tablets, while oil and tinctures work great for the owners themselves. If you want to minimize seizures, it’s crucial to give your dog CBD regularly – like twice a day.
Again, this may vary based on the dog’s size and how heavy seizures are or not. This is why you can expect to experiment a bit with dosage to find the right amount, and how often to give CBD to your dog.
The good thing here is that you cannot overdose your dog with CBD and there is no known toxicity associated with CBD. Still, don’t force it or push your luck, and stick to recommended dosage of the manufacturer.
Using medications only to treat seizures can be stressful and exhausting both for dogs and dog owners.
It’s not easy to watch your dog going through panting, shaking, and mild to severe seizures, no matter how long seizures might be.
This is why it’s important to always have an alternative. This is why you should think about including CBD in seizures treatment. For maximum effect, choose the right oil and follow the dosage instructions.
CBD Oil Relieves Chronic Pain/Arthritis
It is easy to tell when your dog is in pain. They are just so vulnerable creatures that just one sight on them can tell if they are in pain. More often, they suffer from conditions that are common to humans, like arthritis.
Arthritis is inflammation of joints that cause pain, aching, and many other degenerative illnesses.
This is where CBD steps in as a pain reliever. In this case, CBD works by targeting aching joints and giving the dog relief. Furthermore, CBD makes chronic inflammation softer.
CBD Oil For Dog’s Arthritis
Just like humans, dogs cannot escape arthritis. This difficult condition and can affect a dog at any period of life and can be a long and painful condition to deal with.
It can also be expensive, which is why dog owners should think about pet insurance to make the financial process easier when the time comes.
Luckily, natural solutions like CBD oil are here to help dog owners treat dogs’ arthritis.
Arthritis can be so difficult in dogs, that it can be impossible for your Fido to stand, let alone walk.
This is a common condition in adults and senior dogs, which is why it should be imperative to take certain steps to ease their aches and deal with pain in their final years.
Arthritis is inevitable and should be treated like that – you should prepare for it and do your best to ease the pain.
So, how CBD oil can help dog owners ease arthritis in their dogs? CBD oil can help ease the pain.
Plus, CBD can even protect joints from further damage. Once the pain is eased, it’s much easier to treat and manage arthritis. In these moments CBD oil can help dogs perform light movement and exercise.
This should improve dog’s mood and even prevent your dog from gaining weight.
On top of that, your dog should experience an energy boost, which should lead to stronger physical activity levels and mandatory daily exercise.
How CBD oil can ease arthritis in dogs? CBD oil will help your Fido by enabling triggering sensors in the natural endocannabinoid system. This system is located in any animal that has a spine (or mammal).
Triggering sensors have a crucial role when it comes to delivering a message to the brain to relieve pain.
These same signals are used when dog is fighting inflammation or any illness.
CBD Dog Treats For Joint Pain
Every dog owner knows that joint pain in dogs is something that they will have to deal with at one moment.
Joint pain in dogs is something that may occur at any time of a dog’s life, at any age, and in any breed.
Joint pain in dogs is not only annoying but a very difficult condition that can bother dogs for a long period. Luckily, CBD treats can ease this pain. Here is how.
CBD treats are a natural anti-inflammatory that helps fight against the inflammation caused by joint problems. On top of that, CBD also eases dog’s anxiety to pain, which can help dogs move around and get up.
If your dog is suffering from joint pain, CBD treats are a good starting point. These specially designed CBD treats can help your dog fight back little by little.
Of course, you should do this on your own – make sure that you involve your veterinarian and follow the instructions.
When your dog is in pain you should always first contact a veterinarian and then follow treatment guidelines.
Some of the things to keep in mind are:
- Dosage. Treats are fun until you give your dog too much. Since CBD is non-toxic there are no real changes of overdoes, but you should still keep it to a minimum. The best would be to follow label guidelines. Always read the manufacturer’s instructions before you start serving CBD treats to your Fido.
- 3rd Party Lab Tested. Just because someone said that a certain product is great, it doesn’t mean that it is. This is why you should focus on finding CBD treats that are provided by an independent 3rd party. Always opt for CBD treats that are tested by a 3rd party.
- Vet Recommended. When it comes to dog ownership, your veterinarian is something like your best friend. As professionals, they’re are alwasy thriving to gain more knowledge, and you should have a veterinarian who understands that constant education is the key to everything. So, make sure that you choose the best out of many because you should be able to trust your veterinarian. Plus, veterinarians are an authority to sell certain products, those that have gone through the rigor of passing the quality and safety of the veterinary community.
CBD Oil Can Boost Your Dog’s Appetite
If your dog is refusing food for a longer period, and you tried differently appetite stimulants for dogs, but nothing seems to be giving results, maybe is the time to try boosting your dog’s appetite with CBD Oil.
Most of the time it is hard to know the exact reason why your dog refuses the food, although they mostly lose their appetite due to nausea.
Therefore, CBD is a great stimulant when it comes to alleviating digestive issues and being a pain reliever.
CBD Oil Reduces Anxiety
Several dogs suffer from the anticipation of future dangers from the unknown.
This feeling often results in a body reaction, also known as a physiologic reaction. Separation anxiety is the most common form of anxiety in companion dogs.
Dogs experience excessive distress behaviors once left alone and it affects with time their overall health, next to the destructive behaviors, urinating, and more.
When it rains or when the thunder hits, does your dog acts as usual, or he tends to hide and shimmers until the last cloud is away?
Or he stresses out whenever you leave the house? Or jumps in stress whenever you come back home, or even when you are just moving from one room to another one?
If the answer is yes, then chances are that your Fido suffers from separation anxiety or anxiety in general.
If your dog is anxious or easily stresses out, there are certain things that you can do to calm your Fido down. CBD in these cases acts as a relaxing stimulant that can calm your dog.
Anxiety in dogs is a very difficult condition that can lead to painful and stressful moments for both you and your dog.
Truth be told, there is little information on how anxiety in dogs actually works, and if there is one solution that can treat this condition fast. So far, we know that anxiety can be treated and that it’s a long process.
Anxiety can be triggered by several things, and will always vary from dog to dog.
The most important thing to understand about anxiety in dogs is that dogs cannot control how they react to anxiety.
They have emotions, and they will lead to unexpected moments and unplanned reactions just like in humans. Anxiety occurs for several reasons.
Some of the most common triggers are:
- Thunderstorms
- Fireworks
- Strangers
- Crowded places
- Unknown areas
- Sudden noises
Some of the most common symptoms of anxiety in dogs are:
- Trembling
- Whimpering
- Pacing
- Panting
- Aggression
- Defecating or urinating on the floor, regardless of being house trained
- Loss of appetite
- Nervous lips licking
Fortunately, CBD oil can help dog owners treat this condition in their dogs.
In fact, CBD is a great way to treat different symptoms that are anxiety-related.
CBD oil can provide a sedating and calming effect that may help your dog cope with the anxiety, caused by different triggers.
CBD oil can help during long fireworks nights, rainy nights, and even separation anxiety.
Would CBD Help Anxious Pets Flight Anxiety?
If you fly often with your canine, or you are just thinking about it, it’s only natural to plan ahead.
Not only that you need proper pet insurance, the right carrier, and a dog passport, but you also have to think about possible stress in your dog when it comes to flying.
So far, it’s only natural to ask yourself if CBD can help already anxious pets when it comes to flying? Simply said, yes. This is especially true if you are already supplying your dog with CBD oil.
Some dogs may get anxious as soon as they see the airline gate – in this case, you should give CBD to yoru dog before you approach the airport.
CBD oil is a great way to help treat your dog’s flight anxiety – just make sure that you follow the dosage recommendation.
CBD Oil Kills Cancer
Dogs can get cancer too. If it happens, they have symptoms of chronic pain, nausea, and loss of appetite.
During this period CBD can help your dog feel more comfortable, and reduce side effects that cancer can bring to your dog. A small dose of CBD daily can kill cancer or even prevent it.
Overall, CBD kills cancer by:
- Supporting immune system in destroying cancer cells
- Disabling cancer cells in producing energy
- Containing anti-tumor specifics
CBD Oil For Dog Aggression
Have you ever seen an aggressive dog, or a dog fight, or just dogs thinking and preparing for an attack? If so, you know that that scene is far from being pleasant.
Now, having an aggressive dog must be a stressful experience.
Aggression in dogs is something that should be treated together with veterinarians and professional dog trainers, next to your involvement and time.
All in, aggression in dogs is a serious condition and shouldn’t be ignored.
Luckily, with proper management and with some help from CBD oil for aggression in dogs can be treated successfully.
Many causes of aggression are rooted in anxiety. Therefore, CBD oil can help treats anxiety levels and finally minimize aggression in dogs.
CBD oil directly affects endocannabinoid receptors in the dog’s body, helping him calm the dog’s mind.
Dogs usually display aggression when they are scared when the environment seems frightening to them for whatsoever the reason might be. Dogs can be trained, but it doesn’t mean that they will be on their best behavior 24/7.
Aggression in dogs is usually demonstrated by intense barking, lunging at something or someone, or even teeth showing.
So, if your dog is in general gentle-tempered, but starts showing some of the symptoms listed above, you should take your Fido to the veterinarian.
In some cases of dog aggression, it can be a sign that your dog is in pain because the most common reasons for your dog’s aggression are physical and psychological nature.
Whenever your dog starts acting strange and out of the ordinary, include your veterinarian to understand what is happening.
CBD Oil For Dog Glaucoma
Glaucoma in dogs is a common canine condition. In fact, glaucoma is a severe eye condition in dogs, which often results in vision loss. If left untreated, it can lead to complete blindness very fast.
However, it turns out that CBD oil can help dog owners treat this condition in their dogs.
There are two types of glaucoma in dogs and each one can be treated with CBD oil:
- Primary glaucoma which is hereditary.
- Secondary glaucoma which is commonly related to something that blocks the drainage in the eye.
As expected some breeds are more prone to this condition than others are.
If you are the owner of any of the following breeds, make sure that you provide regular eye checks:
- Akita
- Alaskan Malamute
- Beagle
- Basset Hound
- Miniature Schnauzer
- Norwegian Elkhound
- English Cocker Spaniel
- Poddle
- Great Dane
Studies have shown that CBD can help protect cells in the eye and as such fight glaucoma. So, if you are wondering if CBD can help dogs with glaucoma, the answer is yes.
CBD oil for dog glaucoma is a great choice if you want to help your dog keep his eyes functional as long as possible. Just make sure that you know the dosage.
CBD Oil Helps All Types of Diseases
Diseases in dogs result in the same types of symptoms. Those symptoms include nausea, chronic pain, change in behavior, loss of appetite and etc.
In this field, CBD acts as an all-around stimulant that can help your dog relax in painful times.
CBD Oil is great for treating:
- Cardiovascular Disease
- Neurodegenerative Disease
- Inflammatory Bowel Disease
- Autoimmune Disease
However, although all the benefits of CBD Oil are welcome in every pet-owner home, one needs to be careful and watch out for possible side effects.
Good to know:
There is no scientific data on the side effects of dogs use of CBD. There are only potential side effects based on how CDB affects humans. (4)
CBD For Dog Pain
Are you still having doubts about if CBD oil cna help your dog with certain conditions or not? If so, you should know that thanks to much research, various studies, and experimentation, CBD is definitely a great tool to use to ease your dog’s pain.
CBD oil is a natural product, that should be chemical-free and efficient to ease pain, anxiety, and much more. In humans, cannabinoids act by providing anti-inflammatory effects that can help with various conditions such as seizures, pain, aggression, and etc.
Dogs, just like humans have an endocannabinoid system that allows them to benefit from CBD oil. The Endocannabinoid system allows the active ingredient in hemp to help relieve many symptoms, with many painful moments to be precise.
Helping a dog with pain is never an easy task, especially if the environment is hostile, but it still has to be done. Therefore, using CBD oil for pain is a great alternative opposite to more traditional approaches.
Possible Side Effects of CBD Oil For Dogs
The two most common side effects are seen in drowsiness, dry mouth, and lower blood pressure. Pet owners are using CBD to treat anxiety.
In addition, they are using it to cure drowsiness, because of CBD’s calming effect. For this treatment higher doses are recommended.
On the other hand, CBD can enormously decrease the production of saliva. In the dog’s language, this means increased thirst.
A temporary drop in blood pressure can be resolved by high doses of CBD.
Watch Out For Your CBD Oil
Although it is safe in general to give your dog a small amount of CBD Oil, it is not safe to leave it anywhere around for your dog to grab it. Simply said, you need to watch out for some things.
Make sure that you always have it safely locked from your dog.
As you may know, dogs will eat anything that they came across. Therefore, keep it locked and, ideally, somewhere where your dog cannot touch it.
Also, bear in mind that it should be kept from regular treats. If you have a pet friend over and his pet insists on the taste of CBD, make sure that you introduce them to the purpose of this oil.
How To Choose Good CBD Oil?
Choosing a good CBD Oil for your dog is a serious task like any other pet-related quest.
First thing first, not all CBD oils are the same. Therefore, make sure to choose the best from what’s available on the market. Here are a few things to look for:
- Go organic: Make sure than CBD Oil is organic. Why? By choosing organic oil you will know for sure that you choose the best. If you go for a non-organic option bear in mind that you will get CBD Oil that’s high in solvents, fungicides, and pesticides
- Spend more: Yes, you will have to spend a little extra if you really want a good CBD Oil which is free of additives, and a high-quality product with high purity.
- You can ask for the analysis: If you want to make sure that your CBD Oil has no THC you can ask for lab analysis.
- Buy CBD in tincture: Tincture is a good option if you want to introduce CBD to your dog in small dose.(5) This way you can use drop by drop to make sure that your dog gets the most benefit.
Start CBD intake slowly, dose per dose, and make sure to track your dog’s reaction.
If you notice anything suspicious or awkward make sure that you contact your vet. Researches in the area of testing CBD on dogs is continuing and the results are more than promising.
Should You Go Organic?
In 2016, almost 70% of Americans reported that they have made a transition to organic foods in soem percentage.
As expected, this choice came with a huge cost, or higher expenses once compared to conventionally farmed foods.
Compared to human foods there are relatively few organic pet food options. As a general rule, there are only a few retailers who may have oen or two brands of dogs organic brands.
Just like human organic foods, organic pet foods are more expensive than traditional foods.
What about CBD organic products, should you give them a try? It’s known that organic foods offer some benefits for human overall health, but what about organic CBD oil for dogs? Is it better than a traditional one? Let’s discuss.
Is Organic CBD Oil For Dogs Better Than Non-Organic?
CBD oil is a great natural way to help dog owners treat specific health conditions in their dogs. The great side of CBD oil is that it won’t alter in any ways dogs’ mental state.
This is the main reason why many dog owners choose to turn to CBD oil to treat conditions such as anxiety – this is usually a step to avoid medication.
Bear in mind that if your dog needs specific medications to help him fight off something, make sure that you listen to your veterinarian’s advice and recommendation.
To provide their dogs with additional support, dog owners go for organic CBD oil.
When something is described as ‘organic’ it means that it is healthy, derived from the earth, and created to promote overall health.
The main reason why many go for organic options is that true organic product are free of any potentially harmful chemicals and preservatives. So, should you invest in organic CBD oil? The short answer is, yes.
Organic CBD oil is safer for your dog than non-organic CBD oil. For CBD oil to be organic, hemp must be grown under very specific conditions.
This means that the pain could be treated only with naturally sourced fertilizers and without the use of genetic modification.
On other hand, non-organic CBD oil may contain potentially harmful chemicals and certain ingredients that can irritate your dgo’s condition, making the product useless.
How Do You Choose A Quality CBD Organic Oil Product?
To choose the best CBD oil there are few factors to take into consideration. Here are tips on finding the best CBD oil for your dog:
- Be ready to invest. Best CBD products aren’t something that you should budget for
- Always go for high-quality CBD oil
- Check online reviews that customers leave on specific CBD oil products
- Talk to your veterinarian and ask for a recommendation
- Check the ingredients
- Search for organic proof on the packaging
Last, but not least always check the dosage, and how much is safe to give to your dog. Being aware of the dose is another way to keep your dog safe and healthy.
Now that you know what does it takes to choose a great organic CBD oil, it cannot be that every non-organic CBD oil is bad, right? Of course, not, you just have to know how to find it. These directions should help you with this pursuit.
CBD For Dogs – How To Choose The Best Product
When you want to treat your dog’s joint inflammation, stress, or even acute inflammation, CBD steps in with a wide range of benefits for dogs.
Yet, it’s important to note that FDA has not yet approved CBD for medical use, meaning that CBD is created to ease a certain condition, and not to cure it.
This is where CBD stands at this moment, at least. However, practice for CBD products among dog owners speaks otherwise.
In fact, it’s more than promising, and today these products are one of the most popular ones on the market. With so many options available in CBD products for dogs, people still choose to focus on CBD oil and CBD treats.
Are there some huge differences when it comes to benefits? It turns out that there is no significant difference between CBD oil and CBD treats, but it all comes down to dogs’ preferences.
Since dogs are highly individual beings, some prefer oil, while others prefer treats. Why so?
Some dogs love their grain food mixed with extra flavors, while other dogs prefer their food clean, with no extra flavors – therefore, they prefer treats.
So, how to choose the best CBD oil or CBD treats?
The good thing about CBD products is that they are extremely easy to find. The tricky part is to recognize good CBD products.
Here is what you should keep in mind while searching for a high-quality CBD product.
1. Search For Organic CBD Products
You may not be into organic products in general, but when it comes to high-quality and healhty products, this is something that you should take into consideration.
Organic CBD products will provide healthier compounds, and won’t have chemical ingredients. As such, they can only strengthen your dog’s health.
2. Rethink Affordable Products
Buying cheaper products can be a relief on your wallet at the given second, but in the long run, it will cost you more.
In general, cheap products are of less quality and have fewer benefits.
In no time, you will spend your cheaper product, and you will have to buy a new one, then a new one, and so on, until you spend more money than you would if you went for a high-quality product in the first place.
So, the famous approach – less is more, doesn’t work here in your favor. To provide the best, and the most effective product, invest in high-quality CBD products.
3. Read The Product Label
Do you know how to read pet food labels? If not, this is something that you should master. By reading labels you are providing your dog with whats he needs for better health.
Plus, this is the only way to know what exactly you are giving to your dog. If you want to learn more about reading dog food labels, which is here.
Mastering food labels isn’t the only thing that you should be focused on. In fact, you should check the label of any dog-related product, including CBD products.
This is the only way to know what the product is made of, to know the exact dosage, and the strength of the product.
Still, having doubts on how much CBD you should give to your dog? Check it here.
FAQs on CBD for Dogs
Is CBD Oil Harmful For My Dog?
No. CBD Oil is all-natural, and it’s not harmful or bad to your dog. Medical cannabis oil is extracted from marijuana plants. It doesn’t automatically contain THSC.
How To Know That CBD Oil Is Organic?
CBD Oil that’s not organic will contain substances such as pesticides and etc. On the other hand, organic CBD Oil will be completely pure.
Will My Dog Get High?
Most definitely not. As a non-psychoactive agent, CBD products do not contain THC – the crucial substance that causes this reaction. As a non-psychotropic, CBD is a pain-relief agent. (6)
There will always be pros and cons when it comes to using CBD Oil. Research is still on-going about the benefits of this oil and its proper dosage, so – Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it.
Read Next: 9 Simple Ways to Keep Your Dog Entertained Indoors
