5 Things You Need to Know When Using CBD Oil for Dogs
Author: Jason Beverly
Have you considered using CBD oil for dogs? If so, you’re likely already well aware of the myriad of benefits that CBD provides to dogs. Many people refer to cannabidiol oil as a miracle worker, and they’re spot on!
CBD is a powerful plant compound known for its healing properties. But even with a substance as harmless and all-natural as CBD oil, it’s still important to learn about CBD before blindly introducing it into your pet’s life.
Everything You Need to Know About CBD Oil for Dogs
Before you administer anything to your dog, you should know as much as possible about the substance at hand. While there is an endless amount of information out there about CBD for dogs, there are five main points that stand out from the crowd.
Before you administer CBD to your dogs, pay attention to these very important points!
- There are right and wrong ways to give CBD to dogs.
- CBD is a supplement, not a treatment.
- There aren't any known risks of CBD, but that doesn't mean you should administer blindly
- When it comes to CBD dosages, less is more.
- Your dog cannot possibly get high from isolate based CBD.
There Are Right and Wrong Ways to Give CBD to Dogs
When you think about the many different ways you can give CBD to dogs, the options go on and on. This is especially true because CBD comes in such a wide variety of forms. CBD oil is the most popular and mainstream form of CBD for dogs, but there are many other options, too!
The key is to think about what your dog would take well to, and then slowly introduce CBD in that form. To give you an idea of the many different kinds of CBD that you can choose from, CBD for dogs comes in the form of…
- Oils
- Bones
- Creams
- Ointments
- Doggy treats
- Chewable snacks
CBD is a Supplement, Not a Treatment
A common mistake that people make with ease is assuming that CBD is a cure-all, which is unfortunately not the case. Instead, CBD is a dietary supplement, not a cure. Supplements are intended to improve situations and make the side effects of an ailment less difficult to deal with, but they do not eliminate the source of the symptoms.
For example, let’s imagine a situation in which a dog has arthritis, and due to the condition, the dog is also experiencing major joint pain. This is not rare for dogs with arthritis, but despite the fact that it’s a common occurrence amongst dogs with arthritis, it doesn’t make the pain easier to handle.
That’s where CBD comes in! One of the many admirable qualities of CBD is that it excels in the field of pain management. When dogs are exhibiting symptoms associated with arthritis, CBD can greatly minimize the pain associated with the disease. If your dog has arthritis, adding CBD into his or her life, as a supplement, will provide your pet with relief from the joint pain.
However, cannabidiol cannot eliminate arthritis altogether, nor can it heal the arthritis in any capacity. While it would be a miracle for your dog to not have to deal with arthritis ever again, this is not something that CBD can bring into existence.
Rather, CBD simply helps your dog live a happier and more comfortable life by getting rid of the pain associated with arthritis, as well as a plethora of other illnesses that manifest as physical discomfort. This is much better than a life where your dog is in constant pain, and CBD is a marvelous supplement for this reason, on top of many others.
There Aren’t Any Known Risks of CBD, But That Doesn’t Mean You Should Administer Blindly
CBD is an impressive substance because it appears to not cause any adverse side effects, nor does it introduce your pets to any known risks. However, it’s imperative that you’re still cautious when giving CBD to your dogs.
Just because there haven’t been any detrimental outcomes of long-term CBD use yet doesn’t mean new findings won’t arise in the future. This isn’t intended to scare you as a dog owner who gives CBD to their canines, but rather, it is meant to remind you that you never know what could happen.
CBD is a relatively recent addition to the pain management world for dogs, so it’s only reasonable that not a lot of information is known in regards to adverse side effects as they pertain to CBD use. As more research is conducted, more information will surface, but for now, there have yet to be any known side effects of CBD.
However, if you find that your dog is not taking well to CBD, it’s best to either lower the dose or stop administering the CBD altogether. Not all dogs are created equally, and as a result, CBD might not be effective in positive ways for all pups out there. You know your dog best, so even though CBD is currently understood to be incredibly safe, keep an eye on the way your dog responds to CBD.
When It Comes to CBD Dosages, Less is More
When you first start giving CBD to your dog, it is best to start out with small dosages. The phrase less is more couldn’t be more applicable in this situation, especially because you’re making a change in your dog’s life. It’s an excellent change, of course!
But even so, your dog needs to be slowly introduced to CBD because it will make them feel differently, and you don’t want to confuse them. Start out with smaller doses, and as you watch how your dog reacts to the CBD, you can increase the doses as you deem fit.
Your Dog Cannot Possibly Get High From Isolate Based CBD
There’s a frequently misunderstood component of CBD, and it all stems from the fact that CBD is derived from cannabis plants. As such, people have an already stigmatized assumption regarding cannabidiol. The thought is that CBD is a mind-altering substance since it is extracted from cannabis, which is the same as marijuana.
However, CBD is not psychoactive, meaning it does not alter the perception or the sensations that your dog feels. While it is true that CBD comes from cannabis plants, the difference between psychoactive cannabis and CBD is that psychoactive cannabis contains THC in high amounts, whereas CBD contains the most trace amounts of THC, if any at all.
Therefore, if the CBD that you have for your dog is CBD isolate based (THC-free), then your dog should not get high from it.
It's important to note that full spectrum CBD does contain trace amount of THC and therefore your dog can get high from it. It's for this reason that we only recommend CBD isolate based products to dogs and other animals.
Can You Give Any Type of CBD to Dogs?
While the five reasons we listed are very important facts about CBD oil for dogs, there are some grey areas when it comes to CBD oil for dogs. One of the major overarching themes is that not all CBD oil is safe for dogs. You should really only ever administer CBD oil to dogs if the CBD oil is explicitly designed for use with canines.
Technically speaking, you can give CBD oil intended for humans to dogs as well. While you can, we advise that you not do so. We’ll dive into that in a moment, but essentially, both dogs and humans have internal networks known as the endocannabinoid system.
Similar to the cardiovascular system and the way that it regulates the circulation of blood throughout the body, the endocannabinoid system is responsible for processing cannabis-based molecules in the body. This functioning system enables both dogs and humans alike to take CBD oil, so technically speaking, dogs can consume the same CBD as humans, and vice versa.
However, not all CBD oils are made the same. Cannabidiol oil for humans contains certain elements and compounds that are not safe for dogs, and therefore, those components are not included in the makeup of CBD oil for dogs.
One such compound that is often found in CBD for humans but not for dogs are essential oils. Though they are naturally occurring as part of the cannabis plant, these essential oils can be detrimental to the internal functioning of dogs. Essential oils can not only cause internal issues for the dogs, but they can also cause damage to the exterior coat as well.
The label of CBD oil bottles will clearly indicate if the CBD oil is created for dogs or not. For example, you cannot walk into a dispensary, purchase just any container of CBD oil, and then freely give the CBD oil to your dog. CBD oil for dogs is sometimes sold in dispensaries, but it will be denoted as such.
All in all, the ultimate choice as to whether or not you give human CBD oil to your dog is yours to make. It’s always best to operate under the mindset of being safe rather than sorry, but the FDA does not regulate the labelling of CBD oil, so it’s hard to provide a definitive answer.
CBD Oil for Dogs
When looking for the right CBD oil for your dogs, it’s important to pay attention to the credibility of the source. Is the CBD oil derived from hemp? Has it been sourced and tested by professionals? Are there any additives that subsequently result in a product that is not 100% natural?
These questions, and many more, are excellent points to address when seeking out the best CBD oil for dogs.
