Many pet owners are recognizing the possible benefits of giving CBD to their furry family members. CBD has been touted as having anti-inflammatory properties, pain relief capabilities, and many studies are even investigating the role of CBD in preventing cancer cell growth. CBD’s ability to help moderate inflammation and change how cells reproduce is looking promising in the ongoing studies. Multiple studies have found CBD to reduce stress and ease anxiety, and in pets this can have many applications.
Our Personal CBD Journey
As many of our customers know, our pup Odin is a daily CBD user. Years ago, when CBD By Design was only a distant dream for us, we spent countless hours researching CBD for dogs, and trying to find the best product. Looking back now, we wish we had a source of information we could trust, because many of the brands we tried just didn’t work. Odin is a happy, active dog that loves his people and going on adventures, hikes and camping. But he also has a hard time settling down when he gets excited, and gets anxious about car rides or new people coming over to the house. His daily regimen of CBD has helped even him out, and allows him to “relax and enjoy the ride” when we go out adventuring.
What to Look for in a CBD Brand for your Pets
We recommend you do your own research before purchasing any CBD product, whether it’s for yourself or your pets. Here are few important things to look for when considering which brand to trust:
Extraction Method – There are multiple methods of extracting CBD and other cannabinoids from the hemp plant. Cheaper methods such as butane or methanol extraction involve soaking the biomass in chemicals, then going through a process to remove those chemicals from the oil. Most of the harmful solvents will never make it into your oil, but it’s quite possible to have residual solvents in your final product. Even trace amounts of those chemicals can be harmful to the consumer’s health. CO2 extraction is more expensive and time-consuming, but uses only natural CO2 and a high pressure process to pull the CBD, other cannabinoids, and terpenes from the plant. There are no solvents introduced into the process, and therefore no need to worry about removing them. CO2 extracted CBD oil is naturally free of any harmful residual solvents. Make sure you check how a brand is extracting their CBD as part of your research.
Test Results – Many, many products on the market have been tested by third parties only to find out the label claim is completely different than the actual contents. Any reputable brand will post their test results on their website, and stand behind them. The best company will be one that tests often, and shows consistency in results.
Who is Behind the Bottle – The CBD industry is wrought with folks looking to make a quick buck, and some brands may even be cutting corners to do so more quickly, spending more money on marketing than on product quality. Look for a brand that prides themselves on transparency and integrity, so you know you are getting the full story about where their product comes from and what’s happening to it before it comes to you. Handcrafted, small batch extractions with consistency in the raw hemp products being used will inevitably give the end user a more consistent, reliable product.
Calculating Dosage for Your Pet
Just like humans, dogs will have a “sweet spot” dosage where they get the maximum benefit from their CBD regimen, and this will take some trial and error to find. If you aren’t sure where to start, we recommend you try a few drops for a few days, and keep increasing the dosage slowly every few days until you start to notice the effects.
A typical guideline for daily dosage is 0.25mg of CBD per pound of body weight for a regular dose, and up to 0.5mg of CBD per pound of body weight for a strong dose. When figuring out how to calculate the dosage, you’ll need to consider the potency of your oil (i.e., how many mg in a ml) and use that to determine the ml size of the dose to administer.
As an example, a 45 pound dog that needs CBD for general well-being may start with a conservative dosage of 10-12mg. Using an 840mg bottle, which has 28mg of CBD per 1ml dropper-full, you would give slightly less than a half dropper to your pup for their daily dose of 10-12mg.
How to Give CBD to Your Pet
The best method for ingesting CBD oil in people is sublingual (allowing it to dissolve under your tongue for 30 seconds), but even the most skilled trainer probably can’t get a pet to do that trick.
Some common methods for giving your pet their daily dose of CBD include:
- Dropping the oil on their food
- Dropping the oil on treats or a piece of bread
- Squirting directly into their mouth with the dropper
For some pets, a flavor added to the oil (such as peanut butter or mint) may help them find it more appealing. If the natural oil has a mild enough flavor due to the right balance of terpenes and removal of chlorophyll, your pet may not even notice or taste it on their food or treats.
If you have lingering questions, CBD by Design offers a free, no obligation, personalized consultation via our website. We would be happy to talk to you about the specific needs of your pet, and what we would recommend to try and help your buddy find relief, in whatever way they need it.
The CBD oil has been a life saver for my pup, Anybuddy. She suffers from separation anxiety and i now give it to her on a treat when i leave the house. It helps to keep her calm while i am away and keeps the neighbors happy she’s not barking all at the same time. I am SO thankful for this product and knowing that it is safe to give “my little girl”