If you were feeling anxious, suffering from chronic pain, or having trouble sleeping for days on end, you would probably be tempted to seek relief in the form of medication or a natural supplement.
Now, picture what it must be like to suffer from these conditions and have no way to find relief or even ask for help. That’s how many dogs must feel when they’re anxious, in pain, or unable to rest easily. Unless their human owners take notice and do something about it, they’re stuck.
In an effort to avoid pricey prescriptions that come with a host of side effects, from the merely unpleasant (such as constant drowsiness) to the downright awful (such as addiction), many people turn to CBD as a natural, non-addictive alternative. CBD works beautifully to soothe pain, anxiety, and sleep troubles, because it helps to restore the body’s endocannabinoid system to its natural, balanced state where everything functions as it should.
What most people don’t know is that the exact same safe, natural relief from CBD is available for their canine companions.
Just like humans, dogs have an endocannabinoid system that ties into every organ in their bodies. And just like in humans, the canine endocannabinoid system regulates functions like appetite, sleep cycles, pain, anxiety, metabolism, and inflammatory responses. This means dogs can receive the same benefits from using CBD that humans do.
But before you rush to buy a CBD product for dogs or even slip your pooch a dose of your own CBD supplement, it’s important to know how it will affect your loyal friend. For one thing, the CBD dosage for dogs is wildly different than in humans, because dogs are not the same size as human beings. For another thing, you’ll want to select a product just as carefully for your dog as you would if you were ingesting it yourself.
How to choose a canine-friendly CBD product and find the right CBD dose for dogs
What are some signs your dog might benefit from a CBD supplement?
If your pooch is chewing up the house while you’re away, has trouble standing up from a lying position, or gets cranky when the kids want to play, that might mean he’s having some trouble with separation anxiety or chronic pain and he doesn’t know how to tell you. Undesirable behaviors in dogs are their way of communicating that something isn’t right and needs to be addressed.
Additionally, if you know your dog has arthritis, an old injury, or a significant fear response to stimuli such as fireworks and thunderstorms, you can do a lot to soothe his pain and fears by giving a CBD supplement a try.
What’s the best CBD product for dogs?
There are a ton of dog-specific CBD products on the market. However, we would argue that the best CBD formula for your canine companion is actually one meant for humans.
Products for dogs tend to include several additives that don’t appear in human formulas. One of the most popular additives is flavoring, which often comes from unnatural chemical agents. Not only does this add unnecessary chemicals to your dog’s diet, but it’s also likely you’ll pay more for a bacon-flavored CBD tincture than you would for an unflavored one. So unless your dog refuses to take his dose without the flavor additive, his health and your wallet are probably better off with a CBD formula meant for people.
This is even more true if you have a large dog. Many canine-specific CBD oils are created with dogs under 50 pounds in mind. If you have a 160-pound Tibetan Mastiff with chronic arthritis, you’ll be buying a lot of CBD dog treats in order to double or even triple the daily dose most dogs would need.
The better option is to buy a pure CBD oil meant for human consumption. Not only will you be skipping the potentially harmful additives, you’ll be buying a product intended for larger doses by default, which can save significant money over time.
If your dog is larger than 20 pounds, we recommend our Extra Strength Full Spectrum Oil. Dogs under 20 pounds should stick with the regular strength Full Spectrum Daily Blend. Both are an excellent bang for your buck with zero flavorings or additives.
What’s the right dose of CBD oil for dogs?
The general rule of thumb:
Give your dog up to 5 mg of CBD for every pound of body weight.
The tricky part is knowing exactly how much of your chosen product to give, because different CBD oils come in different strengths.
Butler Hemp Co’s Full Spectrum Daily Blend, for example, contains 1500 mg per bottle, and 50 mg per dropper full, while our Extra Strength Full Spectrum Oil contains 3000 mg per bottle, at 100 mg per dropper.
For our products specifically, we recommend one drop — note that’s one drop, not one dropper full — for every ten pounds of body weight if you’re using the regular strength daily blend, or one drop for every 20 pounds of body weight if you’re using the extra strength blend.
Important: If you’re using a product other than the ones we’ve mentioned here, you’ll need to do the math yourself based on the product’s strength.
To dose your dog, you can simply place the specified number of drops on a treat or mix it in with their food. Try a tasty treat like peanut butter or cheese if your pup has trouble getting used to the unfamiliar flavor.
How many mg of CBD for dogs would be toxic?
While overdoses are unlikely — and negative symptoms from an overdose are even more unlikely — it’s a good idea to stay below the threshold of 5 mg per pound of body weight.
Note that the dosage for dogs is a fairly specific limit, whereas humans typically have a wider range of doses that could be appropriate for their body weight. That’s because humans have a number of other factors, such as differences in BMI, individual metabolisms, and even a resistance to cannabinoids that could affect their ability to process CBD. In contrast, dogs may come in different sizes and breeds, but their body compositions and metabolisms tend to stay relatively consistent for their sizes.
What this means in practical terms is that you shouldn’t give the same dose you usually take to your dog, because his needs are likely to be far different from your own.
The best CBD products for humans and dogs come from Butler Hemp Co.
What better bonding experience than to share your daily CBD supplement with your best furry friend?
Every batch of products that comes out of Butler Hemp Co. has been double or even triple tested to make sure there’s nothing in the formula that you or your dog shouldn’t ingest. Plus, we maintain up-to-date certification as a GMP facility and handle our products with the same care as a pharmaceutical or food manufacturer. You can both relax and feel the soothing anxiety and pain relief without worrying about strange flavoring additives or tricky dosing guidelines.
Remember, you can always contact us if you have any questions about our products or dosing!
Daily Blend New 1:1 Formulation 1500mg THC Free Oil
$54.99
With daily life comes daily aches, pains, and stressors that can throw our bodies and mind off kilter and into a state of imbalance. Unfortunately on our quest to find relief, sometimes the easiest options are over the counter and prescription medicines that can cause… read more
