Best CBD Oil For Dogs — Benefits, Dosage, & Safety (2022)

What Are The Benefits of CBD Oil For Dogs?

CBD (cannabidiol) works the same way in dogs as it does in humans. It has what’s called a ‘bidirectional’ effect — which means it can either increase or decrease biological processes depending on what the body needs.

Through this ability, CBD can be used to restore balance to various organ systems.

You could say it has a normalizing effect — which is why CBD oils have such a strong effect on dogs (and people) experiencing symptoms — and less of an effect on healthy dogs that don’t have any symptoms. 

CBD owes its bidirectional effects to its ability to interact with the endocannabinoid system (ECS for short). This system is responsible for regulating appetite, immune function, nerve transmission, and more. 

Here’s how people are using CBD oil for their dogs:

• As a daily health supplement to slow or prevent age-related illness
• To manage arthritis or other forms of chronic hip, back, or joint pain
• To alleviate anxiety in high-strung dogs (separation anxiety or other forms of anxiety)
• To promote sleep during a long drive
• To help dogs relax during stressful events (such as visiting the groomers or hosting a party at home)
• To alleviate allergic reactions or skin rashes
• To support digestive health (such as ulcerative colitis)
• To soothe dry or irritated skin
• To treat specific medical conditions (with approval from a vet)

1. CBD Oil For Dogs With Arthritis

As dogs get older they often suffer degenerative damage to their joints. Arthritis is common in dogs over the age of ten and can lead to a dramatically reduced quality of life.

CBD oil has been shown to alleviate the pain and inflammation associated with chronic arthritis and may help prevent or slow the progression of the disease if started early.

The main health benefits of CBD for dogs with arthritis include: 

• Reduces inflammation contributing to pain in the joints
• Alleviates chronic pain 
• Promotes faster recovery of joint tissue
• Helps alleviate side effects of chronic pain

2. CBD Oil For Dogs With Anxiety

Dogs can suffer from several different forms of anxiety — separation anxiety while they’re young, post-traumatic stress from an abusive past, or fear from loud noises like thunder or construction next door.

Pet owners are using CBD oils to support chronic stress and anxiety in their dogs through their ability to regulate the central nervous system and reduce hyperactive mental states.

The benefits of CBD oil for dogs with anxiety include: 

• Reduces the secretion of stress hormones 
• Alleviates hyperactivity in the brain 
• Supports mood 

3. CBD Oil For Dogs With Epilepsy & Seizure Disorders

Seizure disorders (such as epilepsy) are relatively common in dogs. In many cases, the underlying cause for the seizures is never discovered. Instead, vets will treat the condition with powerful anticonvulsant medications. Some pet owners are turning to CBD oil instead to help manage their pet’s condition.

The benefits of CBD oil for dogs with seizures include:

• Reduces muscle convulsions
• Alleviates negative side-effects of seizures
• Protects the health of the neurons
• Promotes GABA activity in the brain
• Regulates the vanilloid receptors

4. CBD Oil For Dogs With Cancer

Nearly 50% of dogs over the age of ten will receive a cancer diagnosis — only half of which is curable. Most cancer treatment regimens bring a variety of negative side effects along with them.

Pet owners are using CBD oil to support the side effects of cancer therapies (nausea, anxiety, insomnia, fatigue). It’s useful for pets not undergoing cancer treatment as well to support symptoms of cancer itself — such as chronic pain & anxiety.

The benefits of CBD oil for dogs with cancer include: 

• May help the immune system detect cancer cells faster
• Alleviates cancer-related pain 
• Alleviates common side-effects of cancer therapy (diarrhea, nausea, insomnia)
• May slow the growth of cancerous tumors

What to Ask Before Buying CBD Oil For Your Dog

When trying a new CBD oil (for dogs or humans alike) make sure to ask these 5 questions to avoid wasting your money on scammy CBD oils:

1. How Strong is This CBD Oil?

CBD products come in many different strengths, so it’s important to be aware of how strong the product is before giving it to your dog.

The best CBD dog oils come in potencies no lower than 100 mg, and no higher than 600 mg.

2. Does the Pet Oil Have Good Value?

Don’t just look at the price of CBD oil. It’s better to determine the value of the oil in terms of the cost for every milligram of CBD in the bottle.

Some products appear cheap at first, but if you assess the amount of active CBD you’re getting for every dollar spent — the value tends to go way down.

The best CBD dog oils cost somewhere between $0.07 and $0.12 for every milligram of CBD oil.

Any less and you should consider why the oil is so cheap, and any more is overpriced.

To find the cost per milligram, simply divide the total cost ($$$) by the total amount of CBD (mg).

3. Are There Other Ingredients in the Formula?

Pet oils that combine other active ingredients in the formula to support the effects of CBD for a specific condition are always going to work better than simple CBD oils.

For example, we believe the best CBD oil for joint pain in dogs is Bakko’s Hip & Joint Oil by Austin & Kat because it combines CBD with other joint-supportive ingredients — including green-lipped mussels.

4. Is The Oil Third-Party Tested?

Third-party testing is something companies do to back up the claims they’re making about their products. The process works by sending a sample of each batch to an independent lab where they look for contaminants and determine the true concentration of CBD and other hemp derivatives. 

A good third-party test will check for several different types of contaminants, including pesticides, solvents, heavy metals, and organic contaminants (such as mycotoxins). 

These tests must be done by a third-party lab for them to provide credibility and trust.

If a CBD company isn’t posting third-party test results to its website — we recommend moving along to a brand that does. There are just too many problems with false claims on CBD products these days to be able to trust CBD brands without quantifiable testing.

→ Learn How To Evaluate CBD Products in More Detail

CBD Oils for Pets vs. CBD Oils for Humans: What’s the Difference?

CBD works the same in a dog as it does a human — so there’s nothing fundamentally different about a CBD oil designed for dogs compared to a CBD oil designed for humans.

As long as the oil contains less than the legal limit of 0.3% THC, and there are no additives like caffeine or theobromine — it’s completely safe to use with your dog.

What makes pet-specific CBD oils different is flavoring options (such as bacon or beef), and the maximum dosages.

For humans, you can easily find CBD oils that reach doses of 2500 or 4000 mg — which is way too much for dogs. To use these oils, you’d need to be counting the drops very carefully.

Dog oils tend to come in three distinct potencies that make using the oil easier for dogs of different sizes:

• 150 – 300 mg — best suited for small dogs
• 300 – 600 mg — best suited for medium dogs
• 600 – 1200 mg — best suited for large dogs

Why Pet CBD Oils Are More Expensive Than Regular CBD Oils?

One common, but unfortunate difference between pet CBD oils and human CBD oils is the cost — pet oils are, on average, 15 – 30 percent more expensive than the equivalent ‘human’ CBD oil.

We’ve already covered the fact that CBD oils made for dogs aren’t inherently different from human oils. So why are pet oils more expensive?

The truth is that pet products always come with a markup — this isn’t unique to the CBD industry.

Market research has shown that products with a pet-friendly label on them make people more confident in using them with their dog (fair enough).

So companies are banking on the fact that adding a pet-friendly label makes people more comfortable with paying a higher price. The added level of confidence that what they’re buying is safe for pets makes the product more valuable.

Average Price Comparison of CBD Oils for Humans Vs. Pet Oils

Here are three CBD pet oils that don’t mark the price up:

• Neurogan
• Pet Hemp Company
• Hemp Bombs
• Lazarus Naturals

How to Use CBD Oil Safely With Dogs

As a responsible pet owner, you want to make sure your dog is comfortable — that’s really what CBD is all about.

But something very important to keep in mind is how much CBD you give to your animal and what signs to look out for that may indicate a problem.

Our pets can’t articulate how they’re feeling — taking too much CBD can be stressful to an animal that doesn’t have control or understanding about what’s happening. Making sure your pet is getting an appropriate dose of CBD is essential.

We’ll cover how to calculate the right dose for your pet in the next section, but first, let’s cover some things you should keep in mind when using CBD oil with your dog:

1. Always use CBD oils with low THC (less than 0.3%)
2. Always start with a small dose (5 mg or less) and increase gradually over time
3. Never give your pet CBD-infused chocolate or caffeinated products
4. If you have a picky dog, choose an oil with a flavor they like (bacon is usually a safe bet)
5. If you’re using CBD for a specific medical condition, always visit a vet before trying CBD oil

How to Administer CBD to Your Dog:

Giving CBD oil to a dog is simple — there are two main options.

The first method is to simply add the dose of CBD oil to your dog’s food. In most cases, your dog won’t even know it’s there. However, for picky dogs it will go a long way in finding a pet oil with a flavor they like so they don’t turn their nose up at the food.

Even with delicious flavors like bacon, beef, fish, or peanut butter — your dog may still turn their nose up at it and refuse to eat it.

If this is the case for you, the second option is to simply drop a few drops of CBD oil directly into your dog’s mouth and then hold their snout closed for a few seconds. This will force the dog to swallow the CBD oil.

This is a standard method for giving dogs medicine. It doesn’t hurt and ensures 100% of the dose was actually swallowed.

CBD Oils vs. CBD Dog Treats

The other common method people use to give their dogs CBD is to buy CBD-infused dog treats.

CBD dog treats have an advantage over CBD pet oils when using CBD with picky animals. Treats effectively mask the flavor of the cannabis plant and make it much easier to convince your pet to take their dose. They often feature added ingredients that support a specific application or symptom.

The downside of a CBD dog treat is that they usually cost a little bit extra than oil to make up for the added ingredients and processing needed to make them.

The best CBD dog treats combine full-spectrum hemp extract with a tasty treat base and other complementary ingredients like turmeric, Boswellia, chamomile, and more.

How Much CBD Oil Should I Give My Dog?

Finding the right dose for your dog isn’t complicated, but it will take a little bit of thought for the first couple of doses until you get it right.

Every dog is different, and the optimal dose can vary substantially from one dog to the next — but there are some general guidelines to follow based on the weight of your animal that can help get you in the right ballpark.

CBD Oil Dosage Chart For Dogs

	Animal Size	Dose	Recommended Potency	Notes
	Very Small Dogs (2-15 lbs)	0.5 mg – 3.75 mg	150 mg CBD Oil	You may need to give small dogs 3 – 4 doses per day as they tend to have a fast metabolism.
	Small Dogs (15-30 lbs)	5 mg – 7.5 mg	300 mg CBD Oil	Aim to give medium-small dogs 2 – 3 doses per day.
	Medium Dogs (30-60 lbs)	7.5 mg – 15 mg	300 – 600 mg CBD Oil	Aim to give medium to large dogs about 2–3 doses per day.
	Large Dogs (60-150 lbs)	15 mg – 38 mg	600 mg CBD Oil	Large dogs can take higher doses of CBD and will likely only need about 2 doses per day.

Finding the Right Dose for Your Dog: Start Low & Go Slow

Using the dosing chart above, find the lowest dose for your dog base on their body weight. If your dog tends to be more sensitive, there’s no harm in starting with an even lower dose.

Give your dog the first dose and wait to see how it affects them. Look for signs of improvement as well as signs of side effects (more on the side effects of CBD oil in dogs in the next section).

If nothing happens, increase the dose by about 0.5 – 1 mg for the next dose.

Continue increasing the dose and looking for changes until you find a dose that works, or notice side effects (most common is fatigue).

If you find a dose that works (symptoms appear to go away) — great! You found the optimal dose for your dog.

If you notice some mild side effects — dial the next dose back to the last dose that didn’t produce side effects. This is the optimal dose for your dog.

Most dog-owners find the ideal dose will be somewhere within the range listed above.

You can measure your dog’s dose of CBD in drops or milliliters. The dropper included with your oil is designed to dispense exactly 1 mL of oil — which roughly works out to around 30 drops. 

How Much CBD Oil Do I Need to Get the Right Dose?

The doses listed above look at the amount of pure CBD your dog needs — so how many drops do I need to use to hit the right dose?

Finding the right amount of CBD oil to hit a target dose is a confusing topic for new users. But it’s not all that complicated once you understand how it works.

CBD oils come in many different potencies — which means 1 drop of a high-potency CBD oil delivers a lot more CBD than 1 drop of a low-potency oil.

• 150 mg CBD Oil — 1 drop = 0.15 mg
• 300 mg CBD Oil — 1 drop = 0.30 mg
• 600 mg CBD Oil — 1 drop = 0.60 mg
• 1200 mg CBD Oil — 1 drop = 1.30 mg

We’ve made the following chart to help you find the right dose by the number of drops for the most common pet CBD oil potencies — 100, 300, 600, and 1000 mg CBD oils (1 oz bottles).

How Many Drops of CBD Oil Should I Give My Dog?

*These dosages are based on standard 30 mL (1 oz) bottle sizes and 30 drops per milliliter.

Is CBD Oil Safe For Dogs?

CBD is safe for all mammals — including dogs.

There’s only been a few studies involving CBD oil with dogs to date, but plenty of research in other mammals such as humans and rodents to prove the oil is safe.

Even very high doses of CBD oil have been shown to have little to no side effects and no lasting damage.

Despite how safe CBD oil may be, there’s always a chance of side effects whenever using health supplements of any kind.

The most common side effects of CBD are all mild in nature — common side effects include indigestion, fatigue, and dizziness. These effects will subside once the CBD oil wears off.

There are a couple of very important points you should be aware of when shopping for CBD to ensure it’s safe to use with your animal:

1. Never buy cannabis oils that contain THC
2. Never buy CBD oils that have caffeine or theobromine (from chocolate) in them
3. Always buy from a reputable source
4. Avoid oils stronger than 1000 mg with your dog

Potential Side Effects of CBD in Dogs

• Indigestion
• Dizziness
• Fatigue
• Nausea/Vomiting (rare)
• Dry mouth
• Diarrhea
• Poor appetite
• Skin rash (rare)

→ Learn more about the potential side effects of CBD.

Can I Use CBD Oil With My Puppy?

CBD is safe to use with puppies — just as it’s been shown to be safe to use CBD oil with children.

However, the smaller your dog, the more sensitive they’re going to be. We always recommend speaking with your vet before using CBD oil with your new puppy, and you should avoid using it altogether with dogs less than 6 months old.

It’s also a good idea to go with a very low potency oil to start — such as a 150 mg or 125 mg CBD oil. These products are going to be the most forgiving if you accidentally give them a few extra drops.

Why You Should Never Use THC With Dogs

THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) is the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana. It’s what makes you feel high when you smoke weed or use marijuana oils.

While THC is safe for humans and animals in small quantities — animals are a lot more sensitive to THC than we are. This means the side effects can be severe.

THC will cause many of the same effects on pets as they do for humans. Even in high amounts, THC poses no risk of overdose — but the experience can be traumatizing for the animal.

THC can cause anxiety, insomnia, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, and low blood pressure in pets.

Always read the bottle before you give CBD to your pets to ensure the product contains less than 0.3% THC by weight — which is far too low to cause any psychoactive side effects.

Is CBD Safe For Other Pets?

CBD works the same way in all mammals — including your dogs, cats, or even horse.

Any CBD oil will work on your furry friends as long as they’re made from hemp and contain less than 0.3% THC (the legal limit). You should also make sure the oil you’re using is free from ingredients that could be harmful to animals (such as chocolate or caffeine extracts).

CBD Oil For Cats

The main difference when using CBD oil for cats compared to dogs is the potency you’re using.

For cats, aim for a very low-potency CBD oil (200 mg per ounce or less). The best CBD oils for cats use a full-spectrum CBD, come in a low potency, and provide cat-friendly flavors like salmon or tuna.

CBD Oil For Horses

If using CBD oil for larger animals, such as horses, you’ll want to find a high-potency CBD oil. If you try using something with a low potency you’ll likely need to use half the bottle for a single dose.

It’s more cost-effective to go with something that contains a higher dose of CBD.

The best CBD oils for horses contain at least 1000 mg of CBD per ounce and contain a full-spectrum hemp extract.

Final Thoughts: What’s the Best CBD Oil for Dogs?

CBD oil is an excellent health supplement for dogs as well as other mammals like cats or horses. It’s useful for alleviating separation anxiety or chronic stress, promoting sleep when taking long drives in a kennel, or supporting joint or hip pain in aging dogs.

While it’s completely possible to use any CBD oil you may have around the house with your dogs (as long as there’s no THC or caffeine in it) — it’s better to use a pet-specific oil.

Pet-friendly CBD oils come in more appropriate doses for your dog (usually between 100 and 1000 mg) and use dog-friendly flavors to make it easier to convince your dog to use it (bacon seems to work the best).

If you’re looking for a good general-purpose CBD oil to use with your dog, we recommend either the pet oil from Neurogan or Royal CBD.

For dog-owners looking for specific support to help with joint or back pain — check out the Bakko’s Hip & Joint Formula by Austin & Kat. This oil comes formulated with high-dose CBD along with several other joint-supportive ingredients.

For anxiety and stress support, we recommend the Calm by Honest Paws instead — which contains CBD along with chamomile for additional anxiety and sleep support.