Is CBD Oil for Dogs the Best Choice for Your Pet?

You’re used to buying only the best for your doggo, aren’t you? Your furry family member deserves nothing less. Due to all the commotion in the media, you must have heard about CBD oil for dogs, the latest pet-friendly vogue. What’s behind this, and why has it become so popular?

CBD and cannabis have become absolutely mainstream. Though the history of cannabis is long, ancient, and fruitful, CBD oil benefits have only recently been recognized scientifically. In turn, this has resulted in immense rave reviews, and the anecdotal evidence kept piling as well. As it was so good for humans, someone came to the idea of giving it to their best friend(s). Plenty of pet owners buy hemp oil for dogs, but one needs to be extra careful still.

Best CBD oil is as safe as it can be for humans, but it does not always have the same effect on canine species. There are some good and bad sides to it, and we’ll explore both of them here, as well as provide you with a precise dosage chart for the best doggo dosage.

Without further ado, check out why you should/shouldn’t let your dog have some CBD.

What Is CBD and How Does It Work?

Before we start talking about dog CBD oil, how about some basic information on this cannabinoid.

CBD, or cannabidiol, is naturally found in cannabis. The substance made headlines due to its proven beneficial effects for a multitude of diseases and conditions, such as diabetes, acne, anxiety, depression, epilepsy, alcohol and opioid addiction, ADHD, autism, cancer, Alzheimer’s, and so on. Even mental health can be improved with CBD treatment(s), including schizophrenia.

Essentially, CBD oil for dogs (and humans) has such a powerful effect on the body due to its innate structure. It’s a cannabinoid, and both humans and pets have endocannabinoid receptors all over their bodies, even in their brains. For this reason, pet and human systems readily connect with CBD and allow it to make changes. By the way, the same goes for THC, too.

Nevertheless, the best CBD oil for dogs shouldn’t contain THC. While humans are often recommended cannabis oil, i.e., full-spectrum CBD oil, that is not advisable for dogs. Namely, the canine species has more CB1 and THC receptors in the brain than humans. Consequently, dogs are a lot more sensitive to the effects of THC — hence why you’ll never see any hash oil pet products on the market. It would be too dangerous.

CBD Oil Benefits for Dogs

We have to say that the amount of research is fairly limited, but the fact remains: dogs enjoy their CBD treatments. As a matter of fact, according to one survey, almost 60% of dog owners are buying CBD products for their furry friends. A vet prescribed the product in over three-quarters of cases.

Here are some of the conditions that the benefits of CBD oil are said to be doing wonders with.

Best CBD Oil for Dogs with Arthritis

Opinions differ on this greatly, yet what most owners agree upon is that CBD oil for pain works!

Just like people, dogs too may suffer from arthritis once they get old. Slow, careful movements are fairly characteristic, and a trip to the vet will most likely confirm your doubts.

Also, research is scarce but promising. An Israeli team did an experiment in 2018 in which they analyzed CBD oil benefits for osteoarthritic dogs. They were given a placebo and a 2 mg/kg of CBD oil per 12 hours. Cornell University published the report. The CBD oil dosage for dogs in said experiment was sufficient enough to increase the range of their movements and provide considerable pain relief.

Anecdotal evidence from satisfied pet owners is old news, too. In one case, a happy dog owner boasts about the rapid healing effect of CBD on her aging pup. CBD exhibits anti-inflammatory effects as well, and dogs can benefit from them the same as humans.

CBD Oil for Dogs with Anxiety

Anxiety triggers in dogs can be situational (fireworks, thunderstorms) and behavioral (e.g., separation anxiety). In both cases, the dog will show some symptoms which may be more or less obvious: frequent licking, extensive grooming, pacing, panting, whimpering, loss of appetite, scratching at the door, or uncontrolled urination.

Somewhat expectedly, experts do not agree completely. While some vets would rather prescribe Prozac or Sileo, others advise using CBD for dogs.

The JAHVMA survey reports that almost half of pet parents agree that CBD oil for dogs was either very or moderately efficient in calming down their furry pals. If you have to leave your pet home alone on a regular basis, CBD oil for anxiety could help diminish separation anxiety issues. Not only will your dog love you for it (and feel more relaxed when you’re not around), but your furniture will also appreciate the gesture as well.

CBD Oil for Dogs with Seizures

Epilepsy statistics are not exclusively reserved for human patients. Estimates say 4 in 100 dogs are affected by epilepsy. It usually occurs in doggos which are between one and four years old.

Similarly to human medicines, epileptic meds for canine seizures come with a plethora of side effects (increased urination, depression, weight gain, and many others). CBD oil has its fair share of side effects, but they are negligible compared to these. Interestingly, the FDA has recently approved Epidiolex, an anti-seizure medicine, which is nothing more (and nothing less) than pure CBD oil.

As for the CBD oil for dogs’ seizures, it is said to be less hard on the animal compared to common meds. The American Kennel for Canine Health Foundation is still investigating just what is CBD doing to prevent the seizures. Apparently, in one small clinical trial, 89% of the treated dogs had their epileptic seizures reduced.

While we await more research, it’s definitely worth noting that a respectable institution such as the AKC is collecting funds.

CBD Oil for Dogs with Cancer

If we are discussing CBD oil for cancer, there is a high number of reliable studies and real-life examples of how people treated their invasive tumors and survived. Unfortunately, when it comes to CBD oil for pets and their battle with cancer, there aren’t enough scientific studies which would definitely confirm its cancer-killing properties. In human studies, CBD benefits go as far as to kill cancer cells.

What about our furry best friends? Is CBD oil worth trying? A resounding — “yes!”

Anecdotal evidence about the best CBD oil for dogs with cancer is currently swarming the internet. For example, a dog was said to have had its cancer controlled by RSO oil (Rick Simpson Oil). This oil is widely advertised as an anti-cancer treatment for humans, as its creator is said to have cured his skin cancer with this. Apparently, the dog’s tumors decreased and it lived much past the date the vet expected its death.

Pet owners are boasting about their pets surviving cancer, all due to a simple act of despair — treating them with CBD oil as there was nothing else to rely on.

Is CBD Oil Safe for Dogs?

Even when you buy the best CBD oil on the market, nothing guarantees that there won’t be any potential CBD oil side effects.

The AKC states that even though scientific research is yet to be conducted on dogs and CBD oil side effects, your dog may experience the following, judged by human experience:

• Dry mouth — you may notice that your dog will be more thirsty than usual.
• Low blood pressure — too much CBD can cause a significant drop in blood pressure.
• Sleepiness — is CBD oil good for dogs with anxiety? Yes. Nevertheless, the calming effect may be overwhelming for your pet and you’ll find them taking a nap more often than usual.

What’s more, if you are already an avid cannabis consumer yourself, then you are very much aware of some of the risks that come with shopping for CBD oil. The same goes when you want to get high-quality CBD for pets. Here are some general rules to get your money’s worth, or should we say, the health:

• Quality check — to avoid CBD oil for dogs side effects, buy products only from reputable manufacturers. They should vouch for third-party testing. Otherwise, your pet treats could have less CBD than stated on the label. Even worse, the biscuits could be loaded with THC, which could be dangerous for your pet. This happens to human products, too, and when it does, the THC can be in the system long enough to trigger a drug test.
• Right dosage — the rule of thumb says 0.2 mg/ml of CBD per pound of your dog’s body weight per day is the best CBD oil for dogs dosage. If your dog has issues, monitor the changes in their behavior. You can even start lower than that, but gently increase the dose until you see a positive change. Nevertheless, remember that bigger species require more time to demonstrate a positive outcome. When this happens, you can stop increasing the dosage.
• Right product — dogs like human food, but do you let them eat everything off your plate? To this end, you should purchase CBD oil treats for dogs, instead of feeding them your CBD oil-infused brownies. After all, these treats were made specifically with dogs in mind.
• Vet’s approval — vets aren’t supposed to hand you out a prescription with a CBD product on it, but they can give you some sound advice. This is especially important if your dog is already taking some meds which could interact with CBD and damage their liver.
• Hemp oil vs CBD oil for dogs — this one is tough to resolve. In general, dogs’ reactions to THC are much more intense compared to humans due to their animal endocannabinoid system. THC takes much longer to metabolize in dogs, so the effects can be felt for up to 24 hours, or longer. THC intoxication among dogs is not as rare as you may assume.

On the other hand, there are owners who claim their dog’s life was prolonged due to full-spectrum CBD oil for dogs. The truth is probably somewhere in between, but we need more research which would confirm which illnesses allow for a higher dose of THC. until then, using hemp-derived CBD oil, which contains less than 0.3% THC, should be good enough.

• FDA’s approval — as long as cannabis is proclaimed as a Schedule 1 drug, there is little hope of FDA regulating the emerging CBD market. Consequently, what is said to be organic CBD oil for dogs does not have to be organic at all, yet the manufacturer probably won’t be faced with a huge penalty as the FDA is not in charge.

These are the issues you may face when deciding to go shopping for CBD oil for your pupper. We’ll take the opportunity to further emphasize the danger which is quite common nowadays, and that is cannabis or marijuana intoxication. As reported by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the number of calls concerning cannabis poisoning increased by more than 700% in 2019 (!).

Benefits of CBD oil for dogs will not be seen if your pup has found its way to a whole tray of your freshly-baked pot edibles. On the contrary, the dog may become disoriented, lethargic, may whine, start vomiting, or lose control over its bladder. In case you have cannabis buds at home, do keep them away from your pet’s reach. There have been lots of cases where dogs poisoned themselves by eating mummy’s or daddy’s secret stash.

Final Words

To sum up, what is CBD oil for dogs good for? Scientific and anecdotal evidence suggest anxiety, cancer, arthritis, pain, seizures, appetite boost, and the overall quality of life. Some owners say it makes their hair shinier as well.

Should you use it, then? The long-term effects have not been proven yet. The CBD wellness trend is definitely present, influencing many a consumer, and it’s hard to remain unbiased. All things considered, CBD oil for dogs seems like a solid idea. Should you follow all the pieces of advice we have provided, your pet will be able to enjoy their pet CBD as much as you enjoy your hooman kind.