Can CBD Help Calm Down Your Anxious Dog?
Trips to the vet, adjusting to a new home, vacuum cleaners— these are just a few of the reasons your dog might be anxious. With triggers abound, it’s no wonder that so many people are turning to CBD to help calm their anxious dogs.
But can CBD help with your dog’s anxiety, or is it hype? In this post, we’ll cover,
- What CBD is
- Evidence suggesting that CBD may calm your anxious dog
- Other common questions dog owners have
What Is CBD?
CBD is short for cannabidiol and is one of the more than 100 naturally occurring chemical compounds produced by hemp plants. CBD is a non-psychoactive cannabinoid meaning that it will not make your dog feel intoxicated. Using CBD does not lead to dependency.
While experts aren’t entirely sure how CBD interacts with your dog’s body, we do know that it interacts with their endocannabinoid system; an intricate cell-signaling system that manages bodily functions like:
Does CBD Calm Down Anxious Dogs?
Measuring anxiety in dogs isn’t an exact science, and as of now, there aren’t many scientific studies that suggest that CBD alone will calm down your anxious pup.
There is, however, a growing mountain of anecdotal evidence online that suggests that CBD can manage your dog’s anxiety symptoms. Many dog owners, some at the direction of their veterinarian, are turning to CBD supplements to help with their dogs:
- Noise-induced anxiety
- Grooming anxiety
- Separation anxiety
According to these personal testimonies and some industry-sponsored studies, CBD may help with your dog’s anxiety if you administer CBD regularly as opposed to on an as-needed basis.
How Much CBD For A Dog With Anxiety?
Finding the right dose of CBD for your anxious dog can be a bit of a process. Generally, a dog’s dose should be 1 – 2mg of CBD for every 10 pounds of body weight.
For example, a 15-pound Terrier breed should start with a 1.5 – 3mg dose of CBD, while a 70-pound Black Labrador should start with a 7 – 14mg dose.
We’d recommend giving your dog CBD twice a day— at breakfast and at dinner. Stick to this regimen for two weeks, and observe your dog for any noticeable change. After you know how your dog tolerates their dose, feel free to adjust the dose up or down by half servings as needed.
Can You Give Your Anxious Dog CBD every day?
If you decide to start your dog on CBD, you can and should dose them consistently. CBD is like any other supplement and should be taken every day.
Does CBD Have Any Side Effects?
CBD is an all-natural supplement and won’t have any harsh side effects on your dog. That isn’t to say that your dog won’t experience any side effects.
Stop or reduce your dog’s CBD dosage if they:
- Have an upset stomach or diarrhea
- Exhibit any strange behavior
- Are excessively panting
Any or all of the above signs may be indications that your CBD product doesn’t agree with your pet’s stomach, or that their dosage is too high. Parsing the cause of your pet’s side effects may take some trial and error.
How To Give Your Dog CBD
There are several CBD pet products on the market, but if your dog is new to CBD, you should start with bottled CBD oil. There are several advantages inherent to CBD oil.
- Easy to dose accurately
- Cost-effective
- Simple ingredients
As opposed to chews or treats, CBD oil can be dosed accurately using the graduated dropper that should come with your bottle. Not only that but because CBD oils are generally only crafted with two or three ingredients, the price per milligram of CBD should be relatively cheap compared to treats.
Giving Your Anxious Dog CBD Oil
When you’ve calculated your dog’s dosage based on their weight— 1 – 2mg per 10 pounds of body weight— you’ll need to figure out how much oil you’ll need to dispense based on your product’s label. Sunset Lake CBD’s Pet CBD Oil is easy to use as our formula contains 10mg of CBD per 1 mL of oil.
Once you know how much oil to give to your dog, giving them their dose is as easy as applying the CBD oil to their favorite treat, dropping it in their water bowl, or, if your dog is gentle enough, you may let them take the oil directly from the glass dropper.
How Long Does It Take CBD To Start Working?
CBD oil will take 30 – 60 minutes to start working. This can vary based on your dog’s metabolism, the size of the dose, and whether your dog took the dose with food.
We recommend giving your dog CBD oil with a meal. As with any other supplement, taking CBD oil with food will help its overall efficacy and absorption rate.
If instead, you are using CBD balm to treat a specific area of discomfort, like your dog’s paw pads, the effects should be immediate.
How long does CBD last?
The effects of CBD generally last 4 – 6 hours. This is also dependent on the size of the dose and whether or not the CBD was taken with food.
CBD oils will generally not last as long as CBD-infused dog treats. This is because of how fast your dog can break down the CBD in the oil vs. the CBD in the treats.
What’s The Best CBD For Dogs?
When you’re considering CBD for your anxious dog, be a picky shopper.
First, you should be concerned about the quality of the ingredients and how the CBD was grown. You wouldn’t want to give your dog any CBD that you wouldn’t take.
Second, you should be concerned about quality testing. All CBD companies are required to provide certificates of analysis for all of their products. You can see Sunset Lake CBD’s certificates of analysis here.
Final Word: Will CBD Help Your Anxious Dog?
Because your dog’s anxiety could have so many root causes, it’s impossible to know definitively whether or not CBD will help calm your dog’s anxiety.
You can, however, perform your due diligence and read about others’ experiences using CBD for their pets and learn from their testimonials. If you think that your dog may benefit from trying CBD, then give it a shot.
Sources:
- Coile, Caroline. “Does CBD Work For Dogs?” American Kennel Club, The American Kennel Club, Inc., 1 July 2021, https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/health/does-cbd-work-for-dogs.
- Tasaki, Susan. “Can CBD Calm Anxious Dogs?” The Bark, Kinship Partners Inc & Affiliates, June 2021, https://thebark.com/content/can-cbd-calm-anxious-dogs
- Silver, RJ, and Zipporah R. Abraham Paiss. “The Positive Behavioral Impact of a CBD-Containing Nutraceutical Formulation on Privately-Owned Dogs.” Okoapet.com, Okoa Pet Products, https://okoapet.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/ OkoaPet_DrSilverSidewalkDog _BehaviorStudy_04.pdf.