Have you been thinking of adding some hemp to your pet’s diet? These oils are certainly very beneficial, but they can also be pretty confusing. Read our essential starters guide to clear things up!
What health issues in your dog should you treat with CBD oil?
Pains and aches: CBD has become a major important tool for managing pains in dog care. Depending on their breed, “genetic purity”, overall health, age, weight, dogs may experience pain for a wide variety of reasons, from injury to hereditary conditions. Conventional pain relievers can be pretty hard on dogs, so some pet owners have turned to an alternative approach: hemp, a vastly beneficial natural remedy. Easing your dog’s pains and aches tends to greatly improve the quality of their life.
Epileptic seizures: for humans, CBD can help to reduce seizure frequency rate and severity level. It is currently a widespread belief that it can be applied to the same purpose for dogs, by calming down the irregular electrical signals in the patient’s brain.
Anxiety: some canines, especially rescue dogs, are prone to anxiety from intense noises or being around large groups. CBD oil has proven itself as a significant aid to humans who suffer from anxiety disorder. Now more and more people are turning to it to soothe their jittery animal companions. This is especially true for dogs who have separation anxiety, which you can learn more about here.
Suboptimal appetite: CBD molecules go and interact with appetite receptors of the canine brain, and thus can directly affect your pet’s hunger level. This property can come in very handy if your four-footed friend is turning their nose away from food, either because they are sick and lethargic, or because it’s an adverse effect from some other medicine. Make sure your dog’s weight is within the standards of normalcy for their size and breed to prevent a bunch of resulting health issues.
Troubled movement: Once a dog has grown old, their mobility will deteriorate due to old joints. This is made worse by osteoarthritis and similar conditions. Cannabinoid oil is known to have anti-inflammatory effects, so it can help reduce the pain caused by an inflammation of the joints or muscles. Taking a walk will become far easier and more fun, as your dog will be free of the pain in their paws and legs and able to move with much more freedom.
Do you need to worry about side effects from CBD oil?
So far, no proper research into any adverse effects of cannabidiol for dogs has been completed and published yet. Instead, we can draw on our knowledge of how CBD affects humans, as well as anecdotal evidence regarding dogs, to try and come to some conclusions. The most frequent side effects of CBD in a dog’s system are: a dry mouth, general drowsiness, a suddenly increased appetite, nausea with or without vomiting. You can also take a look at this study of veterinary experience in using hemp for dogs’ health: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6338022/
Dry mouth: CBD can stunt the level of salivation of your pet, which makes its mouth quite dry. A dry mouth can result in the doggo becoming extremely thirsty, and if left unattended, it might cause them to develop painful sores too.
Drowsiness: Because cannabidiol is frequently employed for relief from anxiety and insomnia, an overly strong dose will go beyond the sleepy, natural, good relaxation and instead render your dog droopy and passive with zero energy for anything.
Appetite increase: the CBD molecule might interact with relevant brain receptors and trick your dog’s system into feeling hunger. This isn’t bad per se, but overeating is never good, especially if your pet needs to lose some weight. Check their mass with your vet every once in a while, to make sure it stays in the healthy range.
Nausea and vomiting: these oils can sometimes make dogs nauseous. Make no mistake, that’s not a bad side of the hemp compounds themselves. Rather, the carrier oils and the industrial procedures involved might result in a final product that your pet’s tummy simply disagrees with. This is okay. Choose a dog CBD oil from a different manufacturer and you’ll be good.
How does cannabidiol function in a dog?
When consumed, it goes into the bloodstream. Then it travels all through their body and affects the endocannabinoid system, specifically the receptors known as CB1 and CB2, which regulate the sensation of pain. It binds to them and affects their behavior, thus easing pain and aches.
How can you administer the oil?
There are two widespread ways to feed CBD to your dog: an oil tincture or some dedicated treats. Balms and creams also exist but are harder to find and not as effective.
Tinctures
Freshly extracted cannabidiol oils are extremely concentrated, in other words, way stronger than you need. That is why it is combined as an active ingredient with a larger part of a different oil (called “carrier”). This simplifies measuring out the right dose. This form (active oil plus carrier oil) is called a tincture.
They are measured into small glass containers, usually bottles with handy drippers that will help you not go overboard with your dog’s new medication. For other CBD storage solutions, check out this web page: https://medium.com/@cbdprofessor/what-is-the-best-way-to-store-cbd-oil-57895191c75b
An easy way to convince your dog to swallow the oil is that you shake out the required quantity of it onto your finger, then rub that under the tongue or, if easier, on their gums. That way, the taste will not overwhelm them, and the cannabinoid can enter their bloodstream sooner.
Treats
Dogs have their hemp edibles just like us humans! CBD extract is used to make all sorts of dog munchies. You can choose from all kinds of hemp-infused biscuits, as well as chewy bites and other snack types. Dog treats with CBD can be offered just like that, as rewards, or broken up and mixed into pet food.