According to a 2024 survey, 66% of Americans own a pet. That’s 86.9 million households caring for some kind of animal buddy. It’s safe to say we love our animals.
When it comes to our fur babies, we want to provide a safe home and a long, healthy, happy life. You’ve probably read about the therapeutic use of CBD for some pets and wondered whether CBD is safe for pets.
From grapes to chocolate, we try to avoid anything that might be toxic to our pets. In fact, you may have heard that THC can be toxic to animals and that has given you pause. If THC could be dangerous, is CBD safe for my dog or cat?
Today, we’ll discuss CBD pet safety, including how CBD works in our pets’ bodies, why people try CBD for their pets, and what products work well for dogs and cats.
Is CBD Safe for Your Dog or Cat?
We won’t make you wait any longer. Is CBD safe for pets?
Yes!
In 2017, the World Health Organization stated that CBD is safe for pets. In addition, professional organizations like the American Kennel Club show increasing interest in the therapeutic potential of CBD for animals.
It’s vital, however, to note the difference between CBD and THC, because THC can indeed be toxic to pets. We’ll discuss the difference in greater depth below, but keep this in mind when shopping for CBD pet products: the quality of the product you purchase is important.
In addition to avoiding THC, you want to avoid pesticides, heavy metals and toxins. This is important to remember, because the cannabis plant absorbs so much of what is in the soil where it grows that it’s actually used to remove toxins from the ground.
So, you want to make sure your CBD is raised, harvested and processed organically, without pesticides or GMOs, in the cleanest facilities with the highest quality processing. It’s always good to look for a report from a third-party lab.
Also, the FDA warns against making definitive claims about the therapeutic benefits of CBD for either humans or animals, because although there is extensive research and clinical study, it’s all ongoing.
How Does CBD Work for Pets?
Both CBD and THC are cannabinoids, or molecular compounds found in the cannabis plant.
However, there is a very big difference between THC and its many less famous cousins, such as CBD, CBG, and CBN. THC is psychoactive. That means it causes a high.
CBD and the other cannabinoids found in CBD products are not psychoactive. They do not cause a high. Instead, they work with receptors in systems throughout the body to impart therapeutic effects. While THC in large amounts can prove toxic to animals, CBD is safe and often very therapeutic.
CBD products—at least the ones not sold in a dispensary—are derived from the oil of the cannabis hemp plant. Unlike marijuana, hemp has almost no THC in it (less than 0.3%). So again, CBD pet products cannot get your dog or cat high and are not toxic to animals.
The Endocannabinoid System
Nearly all animals, from humans to dogs and cats to birds and reptiles, have something known as the endocannabinoid system.
The endocannabinoid system is integrated with our central and peripheral nervous systems, as well as systems that regulate sleep, mood, immune function, and digestion. Its receptors are also found in organs and tissues throughout the body.
When we or our pets ingest a cannabinoid, like CBD, it interacts with receptors in our endocannabinoid system and imparts their therapeutic effects.**
Choosing the Right CBD for Your Pet
Full Spectrum CBD or Broad Spectrum CBD?
To better understand how to choose the best CBD for your pet, we need first to understand the difference between full spectrum and broad spectrum CBD.
Full spectrum CBD contains all of the naturally occurring cannabinoids within the hemp plant, including legally allowed trace amounts of THC (less than 0.3%). Broad spectrum CBD filters out the THC, but keeps the other beneficial cannabinoids.
We recommend broad spectrum CBD products for your dogs and cats.
Shop for Purity to Keep CBD Safe for Pets (and Yourself!)
As we mentioned above, quality and purity are also key in choosing CBD products. CBDfx products are made with hemp that is organically grown and free of pesticides and GMOs. The Kentucky soil where we harvest is free of pesticides, heavy metals and solvents.
Once our hemp is harvested, the cannabinoids are extracted using a CO2 extraction method that creates highly purified CBD.
Look for Third-Party Testing
Finally, all of our CBD products are tested by third-party labs to ensure purity and quality. You can access the lab reports for the products you purchase.
Make Sure All Ingredients Are Safe for Pets
Many CBD products are formulated with other ingredients, either for flavor or to enhance their effectiveness. When it comes to flavor, this is especially true in CBD products for pets.
While it’s fun and helpful to have a flavored CBD treat for a picky pet, it’s important to know what’s in that flavoring. Our CBD products for pets are flavored with natural ingredients, including sweet potatoes and an all-natural (and vegan!) bacon flavor that pets love.
Additional ingredients, like natural antioxidants, anti-inflammatories, and soothing botanicals should also be pet safe. We use pet-friendly ingredients like chamomile, passion flower, blueberries, spinach and parsley.
CBD Pet Safety: Dosage
Our pets can’t tell us in words how well their CBD is working for them. So, how can we know how much CBD to give our pets? This is one of the most common concerns among pet owners. What’s the right dosage to keep CBD safe for pets?
There are two major factors that come into play when considering CBD dosage for pets: body size and CBD concentration. Your pet’s size and metabolism are important in understanding how long it may take for the CBD to take effect, as well as how long you can expect the effects to last.
CBD concentration is important because different products have different concentrations of CBD per serving, and the amount of CBD in one serving of one company’s product may vary quite a lot from the concentration in one serving of another product.
Giving your pet too much CBD can result in sleepiness and an upset tummy, so it’s best to take it slow and start small.
We do our best to take the guesswork out of CBD pet dosage by creating products geared specifically toward pets within certain size ranges.
Our CBD Dog Tincture is available in formulas designed specifically for:
- Small breed dogs weighing less than 20lb.
- Medium breed dogs weighing 20–60lb.
- Large breed dogs weighing over 60lb.
- Extra large breed dogs weighing over 100lb.
Cat lovers, never fear. We also offer a special CBD Oil for Cats.
So, CBD Is Safe for Pets. But Why Give It to Them?
We pet owners look to CBD to help our furry friends with a number of issues, from separation anxiety and fireworks stress to dry skin to the aches and pains of aging.
Here are some of the reasons we look to CBD to help out our pets.
Stress
Just like us, our pets feel stress. Moving to a new home, handling separation and boredom, and dealing with fireworks or storms are just a few stressors on our pets. In addition to CBD Pet Tinctures, pet owners also love CBD Dog Treats: Calming Chews.
Aches and Pains
Whether your pet is grappling with temporary muscle or joint soreness or suffering from a longer-term condition, CBD can offer relief.**
Our CBD Dog Treats: Hip & Joint Chews combine the soothing strength of CBD with natural antioxidants and anti-inflammatories, including turmeric, glucosamine and chondroitin. It’s also available in our mobility bundle.**
Skin and Coat Health
Dry skin and ragged coats can drag down your dog’s overall health. Keep your pupper’s skin in peak shape with CBD Dog Treats: Skin Health Chews with soothing CBD and natural skin-care supplements, including fish oil, biotin, and more!**
CBD, Your Pet, and You
Our relationships with our pets run deep, and we want to keep them healthy, happy, and safe. We hope we’ve addressed your concerns about CBD pet safety and given you some useful tips on how to shop for CBD for your pet.
Whether you’re considering CBD for a stressed out pup or an achy cat, it’s good to know that CBD is safe for pets, and that it can most likely help yours. Remember to take it slow and shop smart, and always consult with your vet and take cues from your pet.
Interested in taking the next step? Check out our full lineup of CBD products for pets!
