Can My Dog Take CBD?

Think your dog needs some help calming and bringing its anxiety down? Or is your pet in pain? CBD might be the answer to some of your pet health worries. If you use CBD products yourself, you’ve come to the right place to learn if your dog can take CBD too.

 

Well, Let’s Get Right Into It. Can My Dog Take CBD?

 

The short answer: yes

 

The longer answer: CBD is not only for human use; even your pets can take it easily. When taken, cannabidiol (or CBD)  can elicit a feeling of calm and relaxation. A simple dose administration of CBD regularly can provide immense benefits to your pet like calming them, helping maintain homeostasis (balance) in their body, lessening the severity of neuropathic pain, and according to some anecdotal evidence, even preventing seizures.

 

What Do Veterinarians Say?

 

It is only natural to be curious about what you are giving to your beloved pet. There is no need to worry with this particular compound as a recent survey of more than two thousand subjects revealed that when asked about CBD, 63 percent of the vets recommend that it should be at least given to your pets once a month.

 

However, it is not easy to find testimonies regarding CBD for dogs yet as in many U.S. states in vets are not allowed to talk about these products or endorse them without fear of suspension and penalties.

 

Even in the states where CBD is legal, it is hard to get such a recommendation because the laws only specify the use of these products for humans, not pets.

 

What Does the Science Say?

 

There are not a lot of studies available at that time on uses of CBD in dogs. In human studies, it has been shown that CBD can help reduce chronic pain, manage epilepsy, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and calm your nerves.

 

When looking at animal studies, two research papers stand out. The first, published in 2018 chronicled a trial in which dogs were given CBD oil to see its effect on osteoarthritis. The researchers in the study gave the dogs 2–8 mg of CBD per kg of body weight. Nearly 80 percent of the dogs had relief from pain and displayed better mobility.

 

The second research study was published in 2019, in which epileptic dogs were given CBD along with seizure medication. Researchers saw that dogs that were given the CBD with medication experienced far fewer seizures than the dogs that were given a placebo with the medication.

 

Ways to Administer CBD to Dogs

 

It is extremely easy to give your dog CBD. You can use treats, oils, creams, and even add tinctures in their meals. But perhaps the easiest way is to give CBD to your pet in form of yummy treats. You can find vet formulated, reliable, THC-free, organically-grown CBD dog treats at Therapist Preferred in a delicious (for dogs) beef flavor.

 

Like humans, dogs obviously come in all shapes and sizes. For our dog treats, we recommend 1 treat with 2mg of CBD for every 25 lbs. So if your dog is bigger or smaller, you can adjust accordingly and even cut in half for smaller dogs.

 

If you are using a pet approved CBD oil tincture, it is better to start with a low dose and increase as needed. It is also important to monitor your dog’s reactions after giving them CBD, even though CBD is safe and without serious side effects.

 

The best way to give your dog CBD oil is to open their mouth and squirt the dose onto their gums. The transmucosal layer will absorb it effectively. But it can be difficult to give your pet such doses every day. Therefore, we do recommend the use of chewable dog treats which are easy to digest, like our Therapist Preferred CBD Dog Treats.

 

What to Look Out For

 

Human studies and some of the animal studies that have been conducted to date have shown CBD to be extremely safe. There are no serious side effects but here are a few things that you should look out for in your dog:

 

• Dry Mouth: The use of CBD can actually decrease the production of saliva. In case of animals, the sign may be exhibited as increased thirst.

 

• Decreased Blood Pressure: If given in proper doses, CBD does not affect the blood pressure. But in extremely high doses, the compound can decrease the blood pressure temporarily. Even if this particular effect is not long lasting, it can cause light-headedness.

 

• Drowsiness: If your dog has anxiety and you are giving it CBD, the calming effect may actually cause slight drowsiness in your dog; especially of you have given too large a dose to your pet. If your dog keeps falling asleep after consuming CBD, it may be time to reduce their dose.

 

We hope this information answers some of your questions on whether Dogs Can Take CBD and will help you have a healthier dog.