The Complete CBD Guide for Pets

Weed stocks skyrocketing. Dispensaries burgeoning up in every corner and acquaintances touting the many ways CBD has improved their health and wellness. It’s hard to ignore the growing presence of CBD in our lives, and indeed you might have yourself experienced the benefits of CBD products. However, CBD for pets is a whole other ball game that is rarely talked about by most people. 

This comes as a surprise seeing almost all CBD brands offer a pet care line. While most big-name companies only carry the products as a segment, lately, there have been brands like Petly and Pet Releaf which cater exclusively to pets. 

So hopefully, this article will give you all the information you’d ever need with regard to CBD for pets. 

• Is CBD useful for pets?
• Benefits of CBD
• Side effects
• How different are CBD products for humans and pets?
• Should you give CBD to your pet?
• Conclusion

Is CBD useful for pets?

There is a lack of significant scientific evidence on the effects of CBD on animals. However, anecdotal evidence is far too many to be disregarded. One reason for this might be the fact that the Endocannabinoid System for dogs, cats, and in fact most living things is very similar to what is observed in humans. 

The ECS is crucial for a wide range of bodily responses like inflammation, immunity, mood regulation, homeostasis, etc. This means that cannabinoids react with your pet’s ECS in very much the same way as with humans. 

So giving CBD to your dog or cat could have significant health benefits and improve their quality of life. 

Benefits of CBD

While there is minimal research on specific advantages CBD confers onto animals well being, CBD is widely believed to improve their quality of life. 

• Reduce anxiety: pets suffer from stress and anxiety just like us, especially during times of separation and holidays with loud noises. CBD helps them calm down and relax. 
• Alleviate pain: CBD has been studied to have incredible pain-relieving facets that could be useful as your pets grow older, or suffer from arthritis/chronic pain. CBD helps minimize inflammation and nerve-related pain. 
• Lessen Nausea: CBD has anti-emetic properties that could help reduce nausea, vomiting, and appetite issues. 
• Reduce seizures:  FDA has approved CBD based drugs as a treatment for seizures after numerous studies proved its effectiveness. Likewise, CBD could significantly help lessen the instances of seizures and epilepsy in animals, too, without the side effects commonly associated with prescription drugs. 
• Control cancer growth: some studies have shown that CBD can help mitigate the growth of tumor cells. While it’s not an outright cure for cancer, it has the ability to stop cancerous cells from producing energy. 

Are there any side effects?

One needs to keep in mind that CBD and THC are not the same. Most of the time, when dogs/pets are brought into the ER, they’ve been administered with marijuana or THC of some kind. Cannabis and THC in their raw form are toxic to animals, and that’s where side effects emanate from. 

CBD, on the other hand, has minimal side effects. Government regulations mandate that CBD products should have less than 0.3% THC. This level is far too insignificant to have any side effects on animals. 

The worse that could happen in the event of overdosing your pet with CBD is lethargy, drowsiness, and a sedative effect. Possible side effects include dry mouth, increased/changed appetite, and vomiting. 

How different are CBD products for humans and pets?

The reason why we emphasize that CBD is safe for your pet is that the critical composition for petcare CBD products is exactly the same as for humans. 

In fact, you can even administer your CBD oil to your dog without any side effects. We would not recommend that on a regular basis, though, due to varying potency levels. 

CBD dosages are recommended based on the size of the pet, with the standard being 1mg per 10lbs. Of course, this needs to be tweaked on an individual basis. Pets with severe ailments like arthritis or cancer need a higher dosage. 

Products are also specially developed for pets. The most popular are 

• CBD treats flavored chewables that are much more suitable for a dog’s palate. 
• Oil tinctures: Easily added onto food/drinks, or administered to your pet. 
• Topicals: Shampoo, balms, creams which promote skin/fur health as well as alleviate pain. 

Should you give CBD to your pet?

This question is often thrown around, and there’s no concrete answer. The first piece of advice we offer is to talk to your veterinarian. Then make an informed choice based on your pet’s needs. 

What we can’t recommend highly enough is to buy CBD products from reputed brands that cater exclusively to pets. There are several big-name players offering pet care products as an afterthought, but companies that have expertise with animals ought to be preferred. Your furry friend deserves only the best. 

Conclusion

CBD has been proven to have several health benefits on humans, and there’s no reason why it wouldn’t be replicated in dogs and cats. Anecdotal evidence certainly supports the theory. If you’re still unsure, start off with small doses and see how your pet reacts to it before you make it a daily regimen. 

With no serious side effects, giving CBD to your pet can only put you in a win-win situation.