My Official Disclaimer about CBD for Dogs:

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CBD has popped up as the newest craze in the dog world.  I am seeing it recommended on nearly every dog behavior or medical post on social media, and it's making my brain hurt.  I would like to be clear that I do not think CBD should be the first thing you try when your dog is having behavior issues.  Behavior issues need to be addressed holistically.  Meaning you need to look at your dog's nutrition and training before just giving them a "magic pill".

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I'm still not utterly convinced of it's use yet.  Here's why:  We have protocols for nutrition that we know help with behavior issues.   Currently, we are utilizing CBD oil in severe medical cases, epilepsy, and extreme behavior cases where our normal working protocols have improved things but there's still room to go.  Our philosophy is if you've done everything else on our protocols of behavior and nutrition, then go ahead and try the CBD oil and see if it helps.  

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I will say as an alternative to many of the over prescribed medications by a veterinarian, I would much rather see dogs try the right CBD oil first.  But that gets me on a whole soapbox about how your veterinarian shouldn't be your first line of defense in behavior issues, and slapping medication on behavior issues doesn't solve anything and often exacerbates behavior or makes other things even worse due to side effects.  

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Going to a regular veterinarian for behavior medication without trying nutrition and training/ behavior modification first is like going to a general practice doctor for anxiety meds as a person, yes they can prescribe them, however they don't have a full understanding of what the medications do compared to a psychiatrist that specializes in mental issues and helping people find the right medication.  Going to just your general practice doctor can get you put on medications that can make things worse not better!  This is NOT meant to be a knock of any sort on veterinarians.  They have so many species to work on that it's even harder than being a general doctor who just works on the human body.  BUT, the reality is they don't have much training in behavior.  

 

It is vital that prior to behavior modification medication you work with a certified trainer who can work on true behavior modification and not just you typical sit, down, stay without using force as this just scares a dog into compliance and often creates its own issues.  A great trainer will be familiar with modification medication, and while they SHOULD NOT be prescribing things for you they can familiarize you with what is important to speak to your veterinarian about and what medications to ask about and why so you're prepared to be your pup's best advocate.   

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Now, there's an entirely different approach when you are utilizing CBD for medical/ pain management.  I have seen CBD be effective for dogs who are in pain and unable to take prescribed pain medication, or those that doesn't work for.  

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Secondly, finding a safe CBD oil for your pet that is actually effective is MUCH harder than marketing is leading you to believe!  The CBD Oil Industry is booming when it comes to both people and pets!  However, not all products are the same and there's one scary difference between what your pets can handle and what we can: THC, the component that is psychoactive for us people, can be harmful to your pup!  It can actually cause seizures!  So it's VITAL that you find a product that has 0% THC for your pet!  This means, anything sold at a dispensary is NOT safe for your pup as it contains 

THC.  

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Then there is the issue of appropriate dosing.  The recommended dosage for dogs is .5mg -1mg of CBD per pound of body weight.  This means that a 50 pound dog should get 25-50mg of CBD, but most bottles don't actually tell you how much is in each drop which is aggravating as you think a larger, or cheaper bottle is saving you money but it actually might be costing you more.

 

Here's how to break down the mg of CBD per drop of the bottle you bought:

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1) How many mg of CBD are in the bottle?  
Make sure you're seeing mg of CBD and NOT mg Hemp Oil 

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2) What is the size of the bottle in milliliters? 

Generally it's 5ml - 30ml though I've seen larger

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Take the milligrams CBD and divide it by milliliters in the bottle = mg CBD per ml

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3) Divide that answer by 20 (there's generally 20 drops in each milliliter)

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This gives you mg CBD per drop of liquid.

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We aren't sold yet on CBD being used as widely as it is currently.  However when all alternatives have been tried or ruled out, we have given this a go.  We are currently using Farmacopeia Oil for a seizure case, and some severe medical and behavior cases.  Stay tuned for our thoughts in the next few months!

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