Dogs are really a man's best friend. They like to be friends with us, protect our homes, and wait anxiously when they’re told to wait. Believe it or not, but dogs are overly emotional when it comes to the bond between a pet and its owner. They want you to be around all the time.

You can assume that dogs are like kids. They need you to be there for them.

And when you’re not, it can affect their psychological behaviour. You don’t want that to happen. Unless you’re some psychopath who loves watching his dog suffer (ehem, just kidding!).

Even if your dog is tamed to stay at home alone, it can get depressed and develop anxiety over time ‒ especially if you plan to travel without your dog for a long time (please don’t!).

So, if you feel like your dog is having mood swings and isn’t as active or jolly as it was before ‒ this should concern you because your dog may be experiencing anxiety or depression.

To avoid that, there are multiple supplements that dog owners give to their pets but, we believe CBD is the best supplement there is for your best friend. Here’s why:

Why Choose CBD Oil For Dogs

While it certainly is not a substitute for a medical drug that treats severe conditions, it is a healthier, more natural alternative to other supplements, which dogs don’t digest well enough.

We know that no research claims that CBD solves dog’s anxiety problem as of yet, but you’ll find CBD products for dogs that market to solve this problem very effectively. It may be because CBD has shown to work wonderfully for humans who suffer from anxiety and depression.

Now, you might be wondering. Why do we believe that CBD is the best supplement for dogs?

It’s because of this study, which simply suggests that CBD is harmless to canines i.e. dogs.

If you’re with us, and believe that CBD is good for your dog then read on. We’ve answered the most common questions that were asked of us related to CBD and dogs. So, here it goes:

What is the best way to use CBD for dogs?

The most effective, and common way that we’ve found so far is CBD oil tinctures. They work well for humans and even better for dogs (we don’t know why but it is very true).

Just so you know, CBD oil is a processed hemp oil that is almost always fused with other carrier oil for better consumption. For dogs, we recommend buying a CBD oil that contains either olive oil or MCT oil as its carrier, because they are the only oils that are considered safe for dogs.

Some CBD products for dogs do come up with flavour for a more pleasant taste. It can be a good option to go for a flavoured product to pamper your pet a bit. However, not so necessary.

If you’re new to CBD tinctures, you should know that they come packed in a bottle with an eye dropper. The dropper is used for sublingual dosing (usually one or two drops are good enough).

But, there are other products than CBD oil that can be better for your dog. For example, if your dog is in pain (whether mentally or physically), a mouth spray will provide a quick relief; whereas, a topical cream can be useful to focus on the painful area directly. There are also some treats that contain CBD, which you’d like to feed to your dog, the old fashioned way.

How much dosage should I give to my pet?

Like all other questions on dosage, it depends on what you’re looking to achieve from CBD.

It also depends on how your companion reacts to CBD and its dosages. The best bet is to stick with the label instructions of CBD products or work with a pet vet who is familiar with CBD to find the most suitable dose for your dog.

The good news is, CBD is not toxic to dogs and is considered safe. But, we can’t say for sure because there is insignificant research on how CBD reacts to different dog breeds.

Since CBD itself is a very new holistic approach for humans ‒ we haven’t started researching its effects on dogs or any other domestic animal yet. But, people who have given CBD to their dogs have suggested that it does not have any side-effects and the results are awesome.

Just make sure that if you plan to change your product, take a careful look at its dosage info.

The potency can vary from one manufacturer to another. You don’t want to cause an accident by stuffing more than enough dosage in your dog’s mouth. Leave that to “curious doctors”.

Is it okay to give human CBD oils to dogs?

While we don’t recommend experimenting this, it is doable.

The main concern is that there are some carrier oils (in CBD tinctures) that are safe for humans but deadly to dogs. If you are going for a flavour then sweeteners like Xylitol (safe for humans) is very toxic to dogs and can sometimes lead to ‘FATALITY’. So, you have to be very careful when you’re planning to give a human-based CBD oils to your lovely dog.

If there is an ingredient that you’re not sure about, do not treat your friend with the CBD oil.

Another problem you can face is the dosage. Since normal CBD oil is designed for us, you have to figure out what dosage will be right for your canine companion. We recommend that you sort this problem out with your pet vet and decide which dosage will be optimal for your dog.

What effects will CBD have on my dog?

Just like humans, dogs also have an endocannabinoid system. In plain English, it is like a caretaker for neurological behaviour including pain, anxiety, depression, sleeplessness, etc.

And research, conducted on humans, have shown remarkable health benefits of CBD since it promotes a healthy buff of the endocannabinoid system, which results in:

• Pain and Inflammation Relief
• Alleviating Anxiety and Depression
• Treating Epileptic Seizures
• Supporting Healthy Digestive System
• Improving Skin Health (under research)
• Fighting off Cancer (or supporting cancer treatment)

The thing is, it is still too soon to be sure if this is what dogs experience from consuming CBD, at least from a medical perspective. But, many professional vets have recommended the use of CBD for dogs on several conditions for treating dog’s pain, skin allergies and anxiety problems.

As vets are experts in domestic animals, we can take a sigh of relief that it really works.

Can I use medical marijuana instead of CBD oil for my dog?

We do not recommend you doing this, unless you want your dog to act weird the entire day. This is because medical marijuana, although considered safe, requires a prescription from a doctor.

The reason for this is that marijuana contains high amount of THC levels, which give you euphoric effect when you consume it. High doses of THC can even lead to psychosis.

But, CBD is different. Unlike marijuana, it contains less than 0.3% THC levels (at least for legal CBD products), which does not give you the “high” effect and so, doesn’t require prescription.

Final Verdict

As good as CBD is for humans, it can be good for dogs too. Although science haven’t found the evidence of CBD’s health benefits on dogs yet (due to a lack of research), we do recommend you giving a dose of CBD to your dog and see what happens. In normal cases, your dog will become calm and relaxed and may become lively again. 

So what are your thoughts on CBD for your pets? Would you be willing to try it out on your own or would you want to wait until there is more scientific support to back up it's health claims?

If you have had success with using a CBD product we would love to hear about it in our comments section below. We also encourage you to share our article with any friends or family who has a pet and think CBD may be beneficial for them.