From relief of chronic pain to improvement in neurological functions, CBD offers many benefits to humans, but new research has shown that CBD may be just as beneficial to your pet’s health. But first, here is what you need to know before trying CBD for dogs.
While many pet owners have noticed improvements in their pets since beginning a CBD treatment, due to their size difference and unique needs it can be tricky finding the right dose and product for your four-legged friends.
To help clear up these issues up, here’s what you need to know about CBD and dogs:
Ideally, it should be administered directly to your dog’s mouth
To get the most out of CBD, it’s best to administer the oil under your dog’s tongue. If that proves to be difficult, try offering a reward each time your dog takes his medicine. You can also let him lick the oil up, or if this doesn’t work you can mix it directly into wet food. There are also specialty CBD dog treats available for pickier pets, making CBD an easy treatment option for every member of the family.
Side effects are possible
Although beneficial, CBD still comes with certain side effects you need to look out for. One of the most common side effects is dry mouth which often manifests as thirst. Your dog may also experience lowered blood pressure and drowsiness.
It won’t make your dog “high”
Contrary to what most people believe in, CBD isn’t psychoactive. This means that it won’t make your dog “high” like marijuana can do.
It helps with almost all types of diseases
Most diseases in dogs show the same types of symptoms. There’s the change in behavior, chronic pain, change in appetite, and nausea. Luckily, CBD has been shown to address most of those issues, making it a good first treatment option for pet owners looking for a natural solution to their cat or dog’s needs.
Dogs feel the effects much more strongly than humans do
This is because dogs possess a more complex endocannabinoid system. Because of this, it is important to try to administer CBD to your pet with a light hand.
CBD oil has the strongest taste
Dogs who are known to be picky eaters may have issues taking CBD oil because of the taste, so keep this in mind when selecting the CBD product that is right for your pet. Luckily, there are plenty of other tasty treats made for dogs that contain CBD, without the strong grassy flavor.
Its safety will depend on proper dosage
There are no conclusive studies that suggest the ill effects of CBD when used in pets. However, as with everything that you give your dogs, proper dosage matters. Start slow and low before working up to higher amounts.
Your pet may develop tolerance
Once you don’t see any side effects, you can safely assume that your dog has developed a tolerance. With that, you may increase the dosage every 5 days or until you are able to see your desired effects. As a rule of thumb, however, remember to avoid increasing the dose by more than 0.05ml/mg in a week.
CBD oil is ideal in most cases
This is because CBD oil provides the fastest relief from most symptoms. CBD capsules and treats, meanwhile, take about 45 minutes to show effects since they need to go through the digestive tract.
The right dosage may depend on your dog’s size and condition
Because the right dosage is important in achieving your desired results, you need to be extra careful in calculating it. If you are unsure how to do that, below is a step-by-step guide you can use:
The first thing you need to do is to determine your dog’s weight. If you measured it in pounds, make sure to convert it to kilograms.
Next, multiply the number of milligrams in the dose by your pet’s weight in kilograms. Round the results up if you need to.
Determine the concentration of the CBD you’re using in calculating the volume of the oil you need to administer. In this part, it pays to know the product you are using. If you are using a CBD product that has 1 mg per drop and you need to give your dog about 4 mg of CBD, then you need to use 4 drops of the product at a time.
Conclusion
CBD is considered to be generally safe not just for humans but for pets, too. It’s just that, as a responsible pet owner, it is important to know exactly what you are giving to your dog.