CBD For Pets 101
Table Of Contents
- Introduction To CBD Oil For Dogs
- What Is CBD?
- Is CBD Legal? Will It Get My Pet High?
- How CBD Interacts With The Body
- How CBD Oil For Dogs Can Help
– Arthritis
– Anxiety
– Seizures
– Pain
– Allergies
– Cancer - Side Effects Of CBD Oil For Dogs
- What Veterinarians Think Of CBD For Dogs
- CBD Dosage For Dogs
- Choosing The Right CBD Oil For Your Dog
- The Best CBD Oil For Dogs
- Reviews Of Ahimsa Pets CBD Oil For Dogs
- Questions And More
Introduction To CBD Oil For Dogs
Cannabidiol (CBD) is a compound found in the cannabis plant. Marijuana is the most-well known part of the cannabis plant, but CBD is mostly derived from its healthier cousin plant know as hemp! (more on this later)
CBD oil is a natural remedy for dogs that has been rapidly gaining in popularity since CBD became legalized across the nation in 2018. This is due to the overwhelming number of pets who claim it has been effective in treating multiple illnesses from anxiety to arthritis.
CBD has been used for 1000’s of years and is regarded highly in the holistic medicine fields. Although, it is still very new for most people, as well as pet owners, so many are weary of what’s true and what’s not when it comes to CBD. With so much hype around CBD oil for dogs and cats, and how it can help them feel better, pet owners are looking for more information!
Well, look no further!
Below we have helped you understand everything about using CBD oil for pets, from the benefits of it to what to look for when buying it!
What Is CBD?
CBD, which stands for cannabidiol, is one of the main compounds found in the cannabis plant, which is packed with over a hundred types of these compounds. They’re called cannabinoids, and THC and CBD are two of the most well known.
Strangely enough, both CBD and THC have the exact same chemical makeup, yet due to their unique arrangements they have vastly different effects on the human brain and body. As we all know, THC gets you high and is closely associated with marijuana.
However, CBD is different! It comes from the hemp plant which produces almost no THC, so the extract can’t make you or your pet high!
But what else do we know about CBD?
Is CBD Legal? Will It Get My Pet High?
Over the years, in recognition of various rights and utilities, the government has allowed for some CBD, THC, and cannabis products to be legalized –depending on the state you are in.
Even though marijuana is illegal as a medicinal drug on a federal level, some states may allow for the selling of it. These states may allow for CBD products to be sold but only those that do not contain THC. That’s why it’s important to make sure when using CBD oil for pets, that it has less than 0.3% THC in it. THC is the compound in hemp that gives one the “high” or “buzzed” feeling. With little to no THC, CBD products won’t have any psychoactive effect on you or your pet!
In 2018, the U.S government passed a Farm Bill according to which products made out of hemp, and hemp as a plant in general, were removed from the restrictions of the Controlled Substances Act. An important note however, is that these CBD products needed to have less than 0.3% THC.
This means that CBD products derived out of hemp have been made legal by extension and can be used for industrial and medicinal purposes. All farmers have to do is obtain a license and they can grow hemp under state regulations. Here is what the FDA said about the bill!
How CBD Oil Interacts With The Body
When your dog ingests pet CBD oil, it interacts with their Endocannabinoid System. (which is found in nearly all animals) The Endocannabinoid System, found in the brain as well as the immune system, was discovered in the early 1990s by researchers who were experimenting with the effects of THC.
This system is made up of cells and receptors that help send signals to the body and are named after the cannabinoids found in the hemp plant, with which they interact. CB1 Receptors are found predominantly in the brain, and CB2 Receptors are mainly found in the immune system.
These cells and receptors are not well researched yet, but are thought to play a part in regulating the body. Some believe they may be responsible for a large number of tasks such as regulating appetite, sleep, mood, memory, and even reproduction.
When CBD binds with these receptors, many bodily functions are processed to help different parts of the body. The Endocannabinoid System is complicated, and researchers aren’t yet certain how it works exactly. What research has shown however, is that CBD is very effective at helping regulate this system – and many claim the same goes for pet CBD and your dog’s system!
How CBD For Dogs & Cats Can Help
The Endocannabinoid System regulates a large number of functions in your dog, thus using CBD for dogs can help with many health issues he/she may be facing!
Arthritis
One of the most common uses of CBD oil for dogs is to treat inflammation in the joints, better known as arthritis! Inflammation is a biproduct of your pet’s body attempting to fight off foreign invaders, injuries, or clean up debris.
In some cases such as in arthritis, inflammation takes a alternative course of action. Instead of doing good, it causes the body to inflame the dog’s joints instead causing painful swelling and inflammation around the joints. Arthritis is seen in 65% of dogs over the age of 7!
CBD has been tested to show how it helps treat inflammation, by helping the body to better understand what is and isn’t a threat in the body. A 2009 study reported in the journal Future Medical Chemistry found that CBD was very effective as a novel anti-inflammatory, and it worked in animal models such as dogs as well as humans. This is great news for your arthritic dog, as well as for you!
Check Out Our Article On CBD Oil For Dogs With Arthritis
Anxiety
If you’re a dog person, fireworks, nail trims, and leaving for work can fill you with dread. Why? Because your dog may be one of many to deal with anxiety, or high stress levels, in these situations!
“Anxiety is a physiological state characterized by cognitive, somatic, emotional, and behavioral components.” That’s how the Science Daily website explains anxiety. Our dogs go through a feeling of being worried/fearful during such times, and it’s linked to a state their body and mind is in.
But that doesn’t mean we have to sit back and watch them feel terrible during these anxious times. Many pet parents have claimed that CBD for dogs with anxiety has been a blessing!
CBD can help by regulating your dogs CB1 receptors that effect the brain chemistry which impacts the feeling of anxiety. CBD has been very successful in treating humans for a full range of mood disorders, and anxiety is just one of them. But note, this doesn’t mean CBD will help every human, or pup, that suffers from anxiety – but it’s definitely worth trying!
Check Out Our Article On CBD Oil For Dogs With Anxiety
Seizures
One of the first instances where CBD oil got media attention was when CBD oil was able to help children with seizures that were resistant to medication. More research needs to be done to explore how any of it works, but many veterinarians are recommending CBD as a potential treatment for dogs with seizures.
In studies conducted in mice bred to model Angelman syndrome, a disease in humans associated with seizures and intellectual disability, a therapeutic dose of CBD was found to significantly reduce the number and severity of seizures, as well as regulate brain functions impaired by the disease.
This could mean using CBD for dogs with seizures can be promising as a potential treatment. And the only side effect experienced during the study was some drowsiness—a small price to pay to avoid seizures.
Check Out Our Article On CBD Oil For Dogs With Anxiety
Pain
CBD oil can also help your dog if he/she is in pain. This pain can be related to anything from arthritis, surgery, or nerve pain. The body feels pain through pain receptors and sends signals throughout the body and brain.
CBD for dogs that are in pain can be helpful because the Endocannabinoid System is interconnected with the brain and immune system. This means that when CBD interacts with the CBD1/2 receptors is cause ease the intensity of pain receptors and pain signals, causing a slight relief.
One study even found that CBD could help soothe dogs in severe pain from pancreatitis. Although the study was conducted in humans, it’s a useful comparison to dogs who can also suffer from pancreatitis.
Pet parents have claimed that using CBD for dogs with pain from cancer symptoms, surgeries, injuries, and more! If you’re dog is in pain, CBD oil can’t hurt and may bring your dog the relief he needs.
Check Out Our Article On CBD Oil For Dogs With Hip/Joint Pain
Allergy
Dogs with allergies can react to almost anything, from the food your dog eats to the environment itself. An allergy happens when your dog’s body attacks something that is relatively benign—like the chicken or beef he had for dinner.
Histamine, which is normally used to attack threats to the body, is useful when your body is eradicating real threats to the body, but it comes with unpleasant symptoms. One of the reasons why you get a runny nose, water eyes, and constant sneezing when your sick is due to histamines in the body helping to fight off the disease.
This is necessary to fight off illness, but when your dog is itching like crazy because they just walked through grass, it can make them miserable! Not to mention how it makes you feel to seem them that way!
One theory of how CBD helps with dog allergies is it’s ability to act as an anti-histamine, just like allergy medication! Using CBD oil for dogs with allergies can also help directly through controlling inflammation and nerve irritation, so your dog can swagger across the lawn without breaking into hives.
Check Out Our Article On CBD Oil For Dogs With Allergies
Cancer
Nobody wants to see their pet live with cancer, but the odds of getting a cancer diagnosis are high if your pet reaches the age of 10.
Cancer can eat away at the body slowly, and be extremely painful as your dog fights the disease. Luckily CBD can help with many of the symptoms of cancer.
CBD has found to have anti-cancer and anti-tumor properties (this does not mean it’s a cure for cancer), and has been looked at as a safe and effective treatment for humans with cancer. Many canine oncologists are also recommending it now, as it becomes more mainstream.
CBD is unfortunately not a cure for cancer.
However, using CBD oil for dogs with cancer can help your dog go through every day routines and not deal with all the symptoms associated with cancer.
Check Out Our Article On CBD Oil For Dogs With Cancer
Side Effects Of CBD Oil For Dogs
It seems like whenever you give your dog a dose of the prescription medication you just got from the vet, there is a side-effect that makes the benefit a little less beneficial. This is seen in human medication as well as pet medication!
Luckily, using CBD for dogs is not like one of those drugs. In fact, there are very few side effects associated with CBD oil at all. Side effects your dog may experience include:
- Tiredness
- Dry Mouth
- Changes in appetite
- Gastrointestinal uneasiness
- Altered liver enzymes
Your dog may not experience any of these symptoms, or in rare cases he/she may experience a few of them. The most common seen by pet owners is drowsiness and dry mouth, which leads to a slight up-tick in water consumption.
If you’re concerned, you may want to speak with your veterinarian in order to make sure CBD is a healthy choice for your dog.
What Veterinarians Think Of CBD For Dogs
Until recently, CBD as well as any product related to marijuana was illegal. The taboo on CBD is lifting, but in some areas CBD still isn’t legal.
If CBD is illegal in your area, your veterinarian is not going to recommend it. Where it is legal however, most veterinarians have been warmly receptive of it, and some clinics even carry CBD products for pets in their clinic. However, a majority of vets will still not talk about or not recommend CBD oil for pets.
Check local law before speaking with your veterinarian about it, but chances are it’s legal. Many pet owners can chime in to say how pet CBD has helped their furry friend!
CBD Dosage For Dogs
“How much CBD should I give my dog?” – That is one of the most popular questions amongst pet owners learning about CBD for dogs. So what’s the answer?
It depends!
CBD is a natural supplement, so just like any other supplement, or medication as a matter of fact, it varies depending on a multitude of factors. Your dog’s breed, weight, and health condition all play a part in answering “How much CBD should I give my dog?”
The most important rule, no matter what you determine the best dosage is for your pet, is to always start with a low dosage! Then from there, increase the dose slowly until you see the optimal benefit for your pet.
A standard some people use is 0.25mg per pound of your dog’s body weight. That means if you have a tiny 5 pound chihuahua, you’ll be giving your pet 1.25mg of CBD. If your dog is a 40 pound lab, he/she will be getting 10mg of CBD.
Depending on where you buy your CBD for dogs, the bottle’s potency will vary from 100mg to 1000mg. For example, Ahimsa Pets sells 250mg, 500mg, and 1000mg CBD oil for dogs. So make sure you do the math as to how much of the dropper your dog should get.
The side effects are not seen often even if you give a little more than needed, and they are very mild symptoms – so don’t be too worrisome. However, do make sure you keep your pet’s health in mind and give a proper dose right from the beginning!
Choosing The Right CBD Oil For Your Dog
So you’re ready to buy CBD oil for your dog, but don’t know what to look for? Or what makes a CBD oil ‘good’ or ‘bad’?
While CBD itself is relatively harmless, other factors can make CBD oil dangerous to your pet. THC for example can cause negative side effects and poses a health concern to your dog, and a cheap CBD oil may contain THC.
Other factors that can be troublesome are pet CBD products that don’t contain the amount of CBD they claim to, and carrier oils filled with residue toxins.
But all this shouldn’t scare you away from trying to use CBD products. Instead, inform yourself on what to look for and then it becomes really easy to source good quality pet CBD products.
Below are all the things to look for when buying your dog CBD products and CBD oil.
Side note – Ahimsa Pets has the best CBD oil for dogs as we check off all the below requirements!
1. Always Check For 3rd Party Lab Testing
How do you trust a company’s assurance that their CBD oil for dogs is pure and free of toxins? By making sure they have third party lab tested their products!
Third party means the testing was done by an unrelated company to the seller. The testing ensures the seller is staying honest with their customers on what their CBD pet products are truly made of.
This document from the testing is called a Certificate Of Analysis (COA), and has a lot of vital information on it about the CBD pet products that were tested.
2. THC Content Less Than 0.3%
THC can become toxic to dogs if ingested at a certain level, but is safe when used under the 0.3% federal CBD limit. This information can be found on the Certificate Of Analysis (COA) mentioned above.
This is why it’s important to specifically choose a CBD oil that was made for dogs, as the seller knows this when formulating the CBD. Companies who make CBD oil for dogs know how important it is to keep THC out of the product.
3. Confirm The CBD Potency
Something else to look for on the COA is the testing of the CBD content of the product. The key here is to see if the amount of CBD on the label of the product matches the CBD the lab finds when they test the product.
It has been seen quite often where companies short sell their customers and have less CBD than mentioned on the label. It’s important to watch for this when you go to buy any pet CBD products.
4. Microbial, Mycotoxin, Residue Solvent, Pesticides, & Heavy Metals
One other thing to check on the COA (as you can see, it’s a very important document) is the testing of residual byproducts. And as the title of this section indicates, that includes the testing of: microbes, mycotoxins, residual solvents, pesticides, and heavy metals.
These are all physical matters that either come from the hemp plant or during the process of extracting the CBD from the hemp plant. Either way, make sure your dog CBD oil doesn’t have this stuff!
You can see all of our COA’s HERE!
5. Isolate vs Broad Spectrum vs Full Spectrum
When shopping for CBD you’ll see terms like Broad or Full Spectrum and maybe even Isolate. These are all very different terms so here is a quick breakdown:
Full Spectrum CBD – this is when the CBD extracted from the hemp plant includes all the compounds along with CBD. This includes the various terpenes, cannabinoids, and THC at the 0.3% level.
Broad Spectrum CBD – this is when the CBD extracted from the hemp plant includes all the compounds along with CBD. However, this does not include any THC.
CBD Isolate – this is when the CBD extracted from the hemp plant is separated from all other compounds. Hence, it is only CBD as the name suggests.
6. Price Tag
We all want to save money, but if it sounds too good to be true it probably is.
A low price tag could mean the product is diluted with other oils and residual solvents to save money. It could also be made with inferior plants, or not even contain the amount of CBD it claims.
On the other hand, a high price tag could just mean the company selling the pet CBD products want to take all your money. Higher price doesn’t always equate to higher quality. So always check the COA to ensure you and your dog get the best CBD oil!
7. Made In USA
Ideally, the hemp used to make the CBD for your dog’s CBD products should be grown and sourced in the USA. Why? Because there are strict laws of production and accountability that sellers have to abide by.
That does not mean hemp from anywhere else is not okay. Just make sure to do your research if you buy CBD oil for dogs with hemp sourced in other countries!
The Best CBD Oil For Dogs
Nothing but the best.
That’s what we expect from ourselves, and that’s what you should expect from your pet CBD company. Ahimsa Pets believes we are the best CBD oil for dogs because of the quality and care we put into making our CBD products.
We believe CBD can truly help our pets live a happier and healthier lifestyle. Sometimes prescription medications help but also cause side effects that are harmful for the long term health of our pets. That’s why we think using all-natural remedies in certain situations can be a better option!
We understand what makes “the best CBD oil for dogs” and have kept all those factors in mind when founding Ahimsa Pets.
Dog Owner Reviews Of Ahimsa Pets CBD Oil For Dogs
We’ve had many happy customers tell us how Ahimsa Pets CBD oil for dogs has changed their pet’s life. Below we have some friendly praises that have been left by our customers.
“This CBD oil was amazing in helping get my 13 year old dog get past her arthritis pain and start walking again! Now we go on longer walks without her limping!” – Fred Johnson
“Our little shih tzu used to get seizures and ever since we started the Ahimsa Pets CBD oil shes been getting them few and far between. Recommend!” – David E.
“This helped my 4 year old Australian Shepard with his anxiety. Now that we give him CBD oil he’s much less anxious!” – Anne McCarthy
Questions & More!
We’ve hoped this page has helped you understand more about CBD oil for pets and why it’s becoming so popular.
If you have any other questions, reach us here: Contact Us!
If you want to see our products, check them out here: Dog CBD Products
If you want to read more on CBD and your pet, read here: Pet CBD Blog