When you own a dog, it is natural that you want to do everything you possibly can to care for your canine. Even when fed and exercised on a regular basis, though, dogs can run into all manner of health problems. This could come down to the breed of dog generally, the genetics of the particular line of breeding the dog comes from, lifestyle, diet, and so many other factors. Medical treatment for dogs, too, can be pretty costly. With that in mind, then, a lot of people today are choosing to try out CBD oil for dogs.
This has become a common treatment option for those who want to try and give their dogs a better quality of life. However, while many studies are being carried out into the benefits of CBD oil for dogs, conclusions are still to be drawn in full. To help you have a better idea of how to best care for your dog, though, we recommend that you look to take a quick look at this guide to CBD oil for dogs.
So, is investing in CBD oil for dogs a good thing for you to do?
What is CBD oil for dogs?
CBD oil is known as cannabidiol, and is a compound that is found in both cannabis and hemp plants. Before you worry, though, you are not going to get your dog ‘stoned’ or ‘high’. This is because CBD oil is made up of essential oil that does not contain any tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC. This is the part of the cannabis plant that produces the psychedelic impact that you might be looking to avoid – and it’s also what makes cannabis a dicey topic around the world with regard to legality.
However, CBD oil is growing all the time in terms of popularity and trust. Since it is free from any THC, it can be used for the medicinal benefits that it provides as opposed to anything else. The vast majority of CBD oil for dogs is made using hemp, though, so if you are worried in any way about the ‘high factor’ then you have nothing to worry about.
For a few years now, studies into CBD oil for dogs have been ongoing and the results are pretty interesting, to say the least. We’ll try to break down the essential details for your understanding.
What does the research say?
As mentioned above, most studies are ongoing and at the moment there are precious few formal studies into the impacts of CBD oil in dogs. However, the analysis so far shows some promising insight into things like how cannabinoids interact with the endocannabinoid receptors which are found within the central and peripheral nervous systems. These play an essential role in helping our bodies remain balanced and thus keep our bodies in a strong and healthy state.
As far as we can see, the benefits of CBD oil in dogs is something that can be better understood through comprehensive research.
What can CBD oil in dogs be used to treat?
Again, the lack of formal and proven studies on the topic means that having definitive answers (at least just now) is hard. There is much more work needed to better understand how CBD oil for dogs can be useful in the long term. What is being shown in some anecdotal evidence and studies, though, is that CBD oil for dogs can be useful for everything from relieving pain to neuropathic treatment. However, it has also been linked to a reduction in dog seizures.
Medical studies so far also suggest it could have some major benefits when it comes to dealing with common health problems for dogs, including but not limited to inflammation. Inflammation is a common issue for dogs and can lead to serious issues with their health, so it is vital that we can find better ways to reduce inflammation in ways that are not going to put the health of our dogs at risk.
Other smaller studies also point to benefits with problems such as dealing with nausea. Many dogs suffer from nausea which can have the consequence of making them not eat enough, leading to other problems down the line for the dog. These issues are the kind of problems that dog owners need to be aware of as they can lead to some pretty significant issues for dogs as the years go by.
For a dog owner, though, knowing that CBD oil for dogs could help with nausea and inflammation could make it worth trying for most canine owners. The need to keep your dog fresh and healthy also means that you have to deal with common issues that could limit their ability to enjoy a high standard of living, so keep that in mind.
Can CBD oil help with a dog’s appetite?
A common problem for a dog owner is that their pet eats too much. Dogs of all sizes love food, though some love them more than others. For example, the Golden Retriever is (in)famous for having a massive appetite and not really knowing when to stop. With that in mind, you might want to keep a closer eye on how CBD oil in dogs is used for suppressing their appetite.
Most find that odd, as cannabis is often associated with appetite growth as opposed to suppression. However, the removal of THC and usage of CBD can actually do the opposite for a dog it appears. This could be very useful as many dog owners are sick of finding their dog chewing through this week’s food collection when they have their back turned!
If you want to help a dog know when it is full and thus avoid problems such as weight gain, then using CBD oil for dogs might become a recommended course of action. As ever, though, more study is needed to better understand just how using CBD oil for dogs can impact their desire to eat.
CBD oil and epilepsy
Another promising pathway that is being shown with CBD oil for dogs is the opportunity that it could combat epilepsy. While epilepsy treatments for dogs do exist, they can be hard to give to some dogs as they show total resistance to the treatment. As such, you should always look to understand what your dog can do if treatment is shown to not be as effective as one might have hoped for.
With that in mind, you should always look to find out more about how CBD oil for dogs can benefit epilepsy. This is being studied by the AKC Canine Health Foundation, and it is hoped that more information can be found in the near future regarding how to properly use CBD oil to combat epilepsy. It is a topic that needs more insight and discovery, but there are positive signs that CBD oil and epilepsy might go together.
The challenging part of the discussion comes from, again, the need for more study. At the moment, the details out there are highly promising. However, we have to make sure that more information is provided conclusively so that we know that there is genuine safety in usage.
Can CBD oil for dogs treat arthritis?
Thankfully, many new studies are being shown that could show a positive benefit for dogs with arthritis. This is a common problem for many dogs and can lead to all manner of health issues as time goes on. These early studies show us, though, that dogs might be able to benefit from the use of CBD oil for arthritis. It is noted as having potential anti-inflammatory properties within dogs, as well as anti-pain helping to reduce any of the discomforts that they happen to be feeling at this moment in time.
The study showed a whopping 80% of dogs showed at least some improvement to pain resistance and/or mobility, ensuring that they looked healthier in general. However, while the study does appear to be valid, it was produced by a company that makes CBD oils, so you have to always take that into account when looking at the findings.
However, for now, it looks like it could have links to helping out with various issues caused by inflammation. This could even mean a reduction in problems including chronic pain, though as ever more studies are needed to evaluate closer.
How much CBD oil can I give to a dog?
This is a topic that is still under much debate, though a previously mentioned study suggests that as much as 2mg of CBD oil can be given to a dog for every 2kg of body weight. Try and keep that in mind as it should play a role in helping you try and at least build a common baseline understanding. However, again, this study doe shave some bias because of who has developed the study in the first place.
Therefore, you should look to do all that you can to better understand what CBD oil limits should exist when it comes to getting a dog. The best thing to do is always start with a very small dosage and ensure that you follow and monitor the results as closely as you can.
Most come with dosage options and suggestions, but we recommend sitting down with your vet to work out a plan. You want to always go on the side of caution with a treatment like this, though, so try and keep that in mind as you look closely at what you should – or could – be giving your dog.
The side-effects of CBD oil in dogs
Of course, so far, we have come to find that CBD oil for dogs can lead to some side effects. Again, more research is needed, so the details we can find on this topic are mostly anecdotal so far. Some of the most common side effects being suggested, though, include:
Low blood pressure
This might sound like a positive, but your blood pressure has to be balanced. Overly low blood pressure can be as bad for a dog as high blood pressure. High usage rates of CBD oil are known to produce drops in blood pressure within humans. More information is needed on whether or not this does the same thing to dogs, but at the moment it looks like it could have a similar impact in some ways.
Typically, though, there is more information to be developed. Look out for signs of dizziness in your dog.
Drowsiness
Drowsiness in a dog is often easy to spot, as they go from being alert and energetic to looking quite sedate and tired. Typically, CBD oil is going to be used to help treat feelings of anxiety in a dog. However, the calming nature of the oil can lead to a dog that is somewhat more drowsy than you might have first expected.
Keep that in mind, then, as it can play a role in helping you to understand the dosage that you are giving to your dog; in higher doses, drowsiness is extremely common.
Dryness
A common problem for dogs with CBD oil is that they end up with a very dry mouth. This stems from the fact that CBD oil can limit and decrease saliva production. As such, you should look to give your dog plenty of water after you have given it some CBD oil. This can play a big role in helping your dog to improve its thirstiness and thus ensure they feel less upset.
As ever, the challenge here stems from balancing out what you give your dog with what they actually need. Until we have more or less definitive proof of what a dog’s typical reaction to CBD oil is going to be, you should discuss any potential usage with a veterinarian before making any decisions.
It is always important to be vigilant, as the reactions of CBD oil in a person could be quite different from how a pet, like a dog, reacts.
Are there any risks to using CBD oil for dogs?
At the moment, there is a lot of minimal research going on but full clinical research into the impact of using CBD oil for dogs is not quite present at the moment. CBD, though, has not been approved by groups like the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, so they do not provide any details with regard to preferred or allowed dosages.
Unfortunately, this means that we have no idea about how much CBD oil is too much for a dog. While previous studies have shown that humans can take as much as 1,500mg of CBD in a single day without any negative consequence, we presently have no idea just how much a dog could take.
Therefore, it is important to continue to look closer at any studies which are being developed as we have to know more before we commit to any major administration of treatment within the canine population.
Buying CBD oil for your dog
If you have discussed using canine CBD oil with a veterinarian and there is an agreement it is worth a try, then you should look to buy something for your dog ASAP. A vet might not be able to offer you advice, so we recommend that you look to buy your canine CBD oil based on the following thinking:
· Always make sure that any CBD oil for dogs you buy is 100% organic. Many sales are not, and they could contain many damaging pesticides and inclusions that could react negatively with a dog. When buying CBD oil for dogs, 100% organic is the way to go.
· You should always look to buy based on quality as opposed to price. In CBD oils, price does not equal quality, unfortunately. Instead, look to ensure that there is no usage of additives, pesticides, herbicides, or heavy metals; these can appear even in higher-cost options, so ignore that.
· Always read how much CBD is going to be present, and consult again with your vet before you make a purchase choice based on what your dogs are likely to be capable of taking. Also, be sure to look extra-closely to ensure no presence of THC; some products sneak trace amounts in.
· For a dog, you want to administer your CBD oil in a liquid form as you can then give your dog a drop-by-drop dosage, avoiding potential excess.
In Conclusion
With so much to think about, we appreciate that using CBD oil for dogs can seem like a daunting task. However, it does not have to be by any means. With a few simple adjustments and reviews, you can probably make sure that any dog in your life is given the right kind of care, treatment, and assistance to live the happiest quality of life they can.
CBD oil for dogs is a growing topic, and we hope that in the future more definitive details can be given regarding how to best care for dogs in the future with this medical product.
Please note: The materials on this article are in no way intended to replace the professional medical care, advice, diagnosis or treatment of a veterinarian. Answers to specific problems may not apply to everyone. If you notice medical symptoms with your pets or have questions on any of the topics raised on this website, please consult your veterinarian.