Since CBD is just now entering into the ears of everyone from your neighbors to grandparents, I want to give you our 11 best tips about CBD for dogs and help you better understand what CBD for pets is.
1. CBD is Not Psychoactive
Because CBD is derived from hemp and cannabis plants, it is not uncommon for people to think that CBD is psychoactive or in other words that it causes a high.
This is actually not true. THC, a cannabinoid also found in cannabis, is the actual culprit. For legal reasons, CBD oil is often taken from hemp plants that have extremely low levels of THC, but the amount is low enough that it causes no high and is completely legal across the United States.
This means that you can safely give your dogs CBD without getting them high, but they are still able to take advantage of the many medical benefits that cannabis is often contributed to helping.
2. CBD Relieves Pain
CBD’s ability to relieve pain is another reason it’s quickly sprung to popularity. Like anxiety, CBD targets inflammation regardless of the source.
From decreasing nerve-related pain, to dramatically reducing inflammation, again, and again, and again, CBD has been an incredible medication to gives those that suffer from pain.
We all know the opiates are becoming a major epidemic around the world, and with hope CBD’s ability to reduce pain in a non-dangerous and non-addictive manner may help stifle this epidemic.
3. CBD Fights Cancer
You may have heard the claim by pro-cannabis advocates that marijuana can help fight cancer, and there is actually truth to this. What’s also fascinating is that it just doesn’t help in one way; CBD has been shown to stop cancer cells dead in their tracks and even increases the rate that tumors die.
Cancer is never a fun topic to deal with, but if does occur you owe it to your best friend to be equipped with the knowledge to help. So check out these studies on CBD’s incredible ability to help kill cancer cells and help increase the efficacy of current cancer treatments.
4. CBD Oil Reduces Anxiety
Many people that suffer from anxiety take CBD oil to dramatically reduce their anxiety and stress. Dogs are very much like us and deal with anxiety that stems from a plethora of different sources.
Whether it’s due to loud noises, separation for their owner, etc. many dog parents find CBD helps calm their dog’s stress and anxiety.
From public speaking to anxiety and panic disorders, to even PTSD, CBD has been shown to help reduce humans’ flight-and-fight responses allowing them to function.
5. CBD Can Prevent Seizures
One of the biggest medical issues that brought CBD to the public’s eye was its ability to help reduce and completely stop seizures in both adults and children that suffer from epilepsy. Like humans, dogs suffer from a range of epileptic illnesses, and it’s estimated that up to 5% of our fluff nuggets suffer from this.
Epilepsy meds like phenobarbital and potassium bromide are extremely powerful and damaging to the liver and organs over time. Sometimes dogs have to be put on such high doses that it affects their personalities or the medication ends up not helping at all.
Studies on CBD and its reduction of epileptic events are staggering. In one study, CBD was given to eight patients that suffered from drug-resistant epilepsy. 7 out of 8 patients saw positive results from taking CBD. Other studies backed up these results, with one survey showing that 84% of children saw a reduction of their seizures when taking CBD for their treatment-resistant epilepsy.
6. CBD and Nausea
Often older dogs slow down in their eating habits and it can be hard to watch your friend for years become skinner and skinner.
CBD helps increase appetite, and reduce vomiting and nausea. It even reduces nausea that is caused by other drugs, which is another reason more and more cancer patients are taking CBD.
7. CBD Can Protect The Nervous System
Cell death is a common issue older dogs often deal with and this is caused by free radicals and toxins in the body. CBD has been shown to protect the brain from cell death and can help prevent Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s disease, just to name a few.
Free radicals are oxygen atoms that the body splits into single atoms and have unpaired electrons, and these can cause damage to cells, proteins, and DNA. CBD is an incredible antioxidant that has been shown to have bigger and better results than vitamins C and E, which makes it fantastic for protection against those pesky free radicals.
8. CBD Not Only Prevents IBD, But Restores The Gut After
Yes, you read that right. An animal study showed that CBD may prevent Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). But if your dog is already suffering from IBD, prevention doesn’t good them a whole lot of good.
What’s wonderful is that CBD also has antibiotic properties and can restore normal gut motility in those that suffer from IBD.
9. CBD and Cardiovascular Health
Through his medical practices, Veterinarian Dr. Edward Bassingthwaighte, has seen numerous examples that CBD has helped dogs by reducing their tumors to even improving a heart murmur in one lucky Jack Russell Terrier.
Dr. Bassingthwaighte own findings have been back by numerous studies and he is strongly in favor of CBD for cardiovascular health. CBD reduces the damage caused by damaged blood vessels to even protecting them. It just doesn’t stop there, CBD can also lower high blood pressure and rapid heart rates in both humans and dogs.
10. CBD Reduces Inflammation and Helps Autoimmune Disease
Sometimes the threats that throw you and your dog’s health into a dizzy aren’t stemming from outside sources. Autoimmune Disease is a catchall term for a wide list of diseases that happens when an organism’s immune system mistakenly starts attacking it instead of outside threats like bacteria, etc.
This happens in all mammals and it often causes inflammation amongst a plethora of health issues.
In multiple studies, CBD has been shown to help with inflammation by decreasing the production and release of inflammatory cytokines. Inflammatory cytokines are signaling molecules that are released from immune cells and help increase and reinforce inflammation, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
M1 Macrophages are incredibly important proinflammatory cells that “eat” bacteria and debris, then signal M2 macrophages to secrete anti-inflammatory cytokines that stifle the M1 cells before they get out of control.
You guessed it, sometimes M1 macrophages do grow out of control and start targeting our bodies instead, and this causes chronic inflammation. CBD seems to always be about naturally realigning and balancing, and this study showed that CBD can correct the balance between the M1 and M2 macrophages.
11. CBD oil is Legal and Shown to be Safe
Despite best attempts, CBD oil has been shown to be completely safe and has no known unsafe limit.
CBD oil derived from hemp is also completely legal and you’ll want to make sure it’s derived from hemp and not cannabis. CBD derived from hemp will have no to incredibly low levels of THC that are completely safe to consume.
These low levels of THC are actually the reason hemp is classified as hemp instead of cannabis and why it’s legal.
I found it interesting when you said that CBD oil can help dogs reduce stress and anxiety. We have an old dog, and sometimes we’ve noticed that he’s not comfortable every time he heard loud noises. I’ll make sure to bring our dog to the veterinarian and see if this is possible for our dog.
It is possible! The vet may not approve, so please do your own research 🙂
We give our dog CBD for his shaking legs… but have noticed a change in his poops being less solid and looser?? Is that normal?
Hi Breena,
It depends on what form you are giving, it would not be the CBD rather the carrier you are giving it in. What product are you using?
Auntie Em