Pet Relief: What to Consider Before Buying CBD Oil for Your Dog

Your primary concern when it comes to your dog is their health. Pet owners want to know that the medications they’re giving their dog help them. Some medications cause long-term liver damage.

For natural pet relief with fewer side-effects, pet owners turned to CBD oil. Unfortunately, the FDA doesn’t regulate CBD products yet. To keep your dog safe, study this guide to CBD oil for dogs.

How Does CBD Oil Give Your Pet Relief?

It might not look like humans and dogs have a lot in common, but we share many traits. One trait used to maintain balance in humans and dogs is the endocannabinoid system (ECS). The only living creatures without an ECS are flies.

The ECS uses chemicals called endocannabinoids to tell your cells how to behave. They do this by binding to ECS receptors near the cells and activating them. Plant cannabinoids from cannabis, like CBD, work like endocannabinoids in the ECS.

The ECS controls:

• The cardiovascular system
• Memory
• Digestion
• Nervous system reactions
• Immune system reactions
• Appetite and metabolism
• Bone production
• Mobility

CBD gives your dog’s ECS a boost to keep their system in balance. Keep in mind, it is not a cure-all for whatever ails your dog. Certain conditions, like terminal cancers, will not disappear after CBD treatments.

The Benefits of Giving Your Dog CBD Oil

Which canine ailments will CBD help? Studies are still underway, but there are promising results so far.

CBD and Canine Arthritis

In 2018, a study tested CBD oil on dogs with high pain levels and arthritis. The study wanted to know if CBD was safe and if it helped the dogs move better.

Over 80% of the dogs in the study improved after taking CBD. The study saved the life of a dog in so much pain, it was almost humanely euthanized. It went on to live a happy life for years after the CBD study.

CBD Oil for Dogs With Seizures

A study from CSU wanted to see if CBD also controlled seizures in dogs. They focused on dogs with idiopathic epilepsy that had no known cause. The dogs took hemp-based CBD with their other medications for 12 weeks.

At the end of the study, 89% of the dogs who took CBD saw fewer seizures. While studying blood samples, the scientists made a discovery. Dogs with more CBD in their systems had even fewer seizures than the others.

CBD as a Dog Anxiety Medication

Anxiety constantly triggers your dog’s internal flight or fight mechanism. Too much anxiety can lead to behavioral problems or health issues like diarrhea.

To cut off anxiety symptoms like aggression, the dog needs a little serotonin boost. A 2012 study on rats found that CBD alters the serotonin receptor. Rats given CBD were less likely to panic during a T-maze test.

Is CBD Oil Safe for Dogs to Take?

The World Health Organization said CBD has a good safety profile. Their primary concern with widespread CBD use was drug interactions.

CBD changes how your pet’s liver processes time-release medications. Before adding a CBD supplement to your pet’s routine, talk to your vet.

Other side effects associated with CBD oil include:

• Diarrhea
• Drowsiness
• Changes in appetite and weight

The severity of these side-effects depends on the dosage. Diarrhea is most common when taking CBD in high doses. If your dog is affected, try lowering their daily dose.

Dogs and THC

Not all cannabis products are safe for dogs. Your furry friend is sensitive to high doses of THC. Never give them CBD oil made from marijuana instead of hemp.

The CBD oil you give your dog comes from carefully bred strains of hemp. In the US, hemp describes any cannabis plant with under 0.3% of THC. These strains of cannabis do not have enough THC to get your dog high.

How to spot THC toxicity in your dog:

• Wide-eyed look
• Wobbly walk
• Crying
• Unable to hold urine
• Altered blood pressure
• Drooling

In most cases, these symptoms will pass in no time with proper treatment. Sometimes THC toxicity leads to a seizure or coma. Keep all cannabis products with THC in a dog-proof location.

A CBD Dosage Guide for Dogs

The most asked question is, “How much CBD oil should I give my dog?” Unfortunately, it’s not a straight-forward answer. Everything depends on the quality of the CBD oil and why your dog needs it.

To make calculating easier, aim for just over 1 mg of CBD per 10 pounds of dog. A dog using CBD to treat pain may need double that amount.

When first giving your dog CBD oil, observe their behavior an hour after. Do you notice a difference? If not, they might need a higher dose next time.

How Do You Find Safe CBD Oil for Dogs?

Without FDA regulation, there are hundreds of pet relief CBD oils on the market. Finding a company to trust with your dog’s health is difficult with shady sellers. Some companies sell CBD products with almost no CBD in them.

The first step to spotting fraud is paying attention to the third-party lab reports. Any CBD company worth trusting makes the reports easy to find. Check the report for the CBD percentage, plus any contaminants.

Next, look around for honest reviews of the company’s CBD products. Customers who aren’t happy won’t hold back in a review.

If you’re still not sure if you trust the company, ask about their products. They should come back to you with a well-researched answer. If they make wild promises about CBD instead, find another company.

It’s Time to Treat Your Furry Friends Right With CBD Oil for Dogs

No one likes seeing their old dog give up his favorite chair because of arthritis. Give your pet relief by adding CBD oil to their daily routine. A few milligrams of CBD in your pal’s breakfast will get him in his beloved chair again.

Duke’s Naturals is dedicated to making safe, reliable CBD oil for dogs and their humans. Outside labs test all of our CBD products for potency and residues. Visit our store today to get your dog’s CBD oil.