Ultimate Guide to Safely Buying CBD For Pets in 2023

As with any supplement, please consult your vet before giving CBD to your pet. They will be able to analyse your pet’s current medication, lifestyle, and medical history, and provide the best advice for your situation. CBD can interact with other medications and you should seek advice before mixing them. Dr. Hemp does not provide medical advice and cannot be held liable for any decisions you make about yourself, your pets, and CBD oil.

Your pet is a valued member of your family, and wanting to do what’s best for them can be an upward slog through misinformation, salesmanship and exaggeration. To help you make an informed decision about your pet’s health, we’ve put together this ultimate guide to CBD for pets, to help you make the right choice for you and yours.

What is CBD Oil?

CBD oil is made from a plant called cannabis sativa, also known as hemp. Hemp is not the same as marijuana – it is a strain of cannabis plant that contains little to no THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), which is where the ‘high’ from marijuana comes from. Whilst majiuana is not legal, the cultivation of hemp for use in supplements, personal care products and fabrics is. The government restrictions on the sale of CBD say no more than 0.2% of the cannabinoids in CBD oil can be THC.

What animals can I give CBD oil to?

Under the regulations of the VMD (Vetinary Medicines Directorate), vets are allowed to prescribe CBD products to animals – though many are awaiting more legislation for CBD regulation, and will only give advice about food supplement CBD. However, it is generally believed to be safe to give dogs and cats a CBD supplement – with a few caveats. Whilst cannabinoids are generally safe, most animals are very sensitive to THC, even in small doses, so it is recommended that you use either a broad-spectrum oil or a CBD isolate – both are THC free (though you should check the product label carefully).

Is CBD for pets effective?

The answer is complicated. A lot more science needs to be done before anyone can say definitively CBD is good for all pets. But anecdotally and in smaller studies – yes! A study in the Frontiers in Veterinary Science found that CBD oil showed a reduction of pain and and an increase of activity when CBD oil was given to dogs with osteoarthritis. And a survey of vets in the same publication found many vets felt comfortable discussing the topic with their clients when it came to anxiety, chronic pain, and epilepsy in pets.

As for risks, veterinary practitioners tend to say that they know of no major side effects for low doses when your pet is not taking any other medications. CBD can change how the liver metabolises other drugs, like anti-seizure medication or pain medication – so you should be mindful and seek out your vet’s advice. It can also cause drowsiness. The only other thing you should be mindful of is if your pet is already having liver problems, you should avoid CBD at all costs, as CBD can increase inflammation and injury to already stressed livers.

And finally, you should always seek veterinary advice before giving your pet a new supplement or medication – CBD or otherwise – as they will be able to ensure you aren’t doing more harm than good.

What to look for?

Transparency about where the oil comes from is the key factor in deciding where the oil you’re buying is safe. If a seller can’t answer a few basic questions about their product, there’s probably something they’re hiding, and you should find another provider

Whilst regulations are coming in for sellers of CBD products, right now, the safest way of buying it is looking for a Certification of Analysis (here on Dr. Hemp, we provide them in the description of every CBD product we sell!). This shows you things like the amount of CBD, THC and other cannabinoids in the oils, as well as if anything like heavy metals or pathogens were found in the oils. You should also steer clear of products that make specific health claims, like claiming to cure epilepsy.

It should also help if your provider can describe where their hemp comes from, and the extraction method – for example, extraction with supercritical CO2 provides the cleanest and purest oils.

Once you’ve found a safe product you’re satisfied with, and armed with advice from a vet, you can begin giving your pet the supplement – usually a tincture or treat works well for sneaking it into your pet.

What can CBD help with?

• Anxiety
• Pain
• Noise phobia
• Nausea
• Loss of appetite
• Epilepsy
• Inflammation

Are there any side effects for my pet taking CBD?

Like above, there are no conclusive studies for pets, however with humans the common side effects with taking CBD are:

• Dry mouth
• Drowsiness
• Increased appetite
• Vomiting

Dr. Hemp CBD Oil for Pets

Dr Hemp is one of Manchester’s leading premium CBD oil manufacturers and distributors, and for good reason. Our products are made and shipped in the UK to our high standards of quality and safety. Our products use full or broad spectrum CBD oil, as opposed to CBD isolate. This allows you to benefit from the entourage effect. Whilst CBD oil is beneficial by itself, the other cannabinoids and terpenes in cannabis interact and provide more effects than isolated CBD can. For example, terpenes aid absorption by dissolving in lipids and crossing the blood-brain barrier, whilst cannabinol is associated with the CB2 receptors which are, in turn, associated with the body’s immune system.

All of our products contain CBD extracted with supercritical CO₂ from hemp grown in Colorado, USA. They are manufactured in cGMP equivalent facilities, maintaining high standards in quality and potency whilst being environmentally friendly.

Conclusion

CBD can be effective for many kinds of conditions, but as a newly emerging treatment we recommend you do own research on the benefits of CBD from trusted publications.

As each pet is different and body weight varies widely, we strongly encourage you to experiment with the dosage in order to find the perfect amount of CBD for dogs that will have the optimal benefits on your pet’s health, as per your vets advice. Start small, and stop increasing the dose once the desired effect is achieved.

You should always seek advice before giving your pet a new medication or supplement.

Dr.Hemp’s CBD oil is the perfect natural food supplement to give to your beloved household pet. It can be used with dogs, cats and rabbits, dependent on your vets advice.