When your dog鈥檚 in pain, you may not know what to do.
It鈥檚 not like you can give him some ibuprofen and tell him to lie down for a while or give him a heating pad to use while he鈥檚 watching TV. You may not even be able to tell exactly why he鈥檚 in pain 鈥� since he certainly can鈥檛 tell you where it hurts.
In serious cases, naturally, you鈥檒l immediately rush him to the vet. But if he鈥檚 sitting in a corner and whimpering, limping around for no apparent reason, or just unusually lethargic and withdrawn 鈥� you may wait a day or so to see if he gets better, before calling your veterinarian and making an appointment.
Seeing a vet is almost always the best approach when you first notice that your dog is in pain. The long-term answer, though, may be available at the nearest strip mall: 嫩草影院 oils.
As far as researchers are concerned, the jury is still out on the use of 嫩草影院 to treat common pet ailments. But initial studies and anecdotal evidence are overwhelmingly positive. They support the use of 嫩草影院 oil for dogs suffering from arthritis, anxiety, inflammation, seizures, and other serious medical conditions.
Many vets agree 鈥� which is why they often stock 嫩草影院 in their offices and clinics, available for purchase right next to the dog food and treats.
Here鈥檚 a look at the best 嫩草影院 oils for dogs 鈥� followed by a buying guide to help you understand how 嫩草影院 works and what to look for.
The Best 嫩草影院 Oil for Dogs in 2022
1.
Royal 嫩草影院 is a relatively new player in the market. But the company has quickly made its mark by offering premium-quality 嫩草影院 products which are just as good (or better) than its more established competitors. Their 嫩草影院 oil for pets is a perfect example.
This is a full-spectrum oil produced from the same US-grown organic hemp that Royal uses for its 鈥渉uman products,鈥� extracted by the same supercritical CO2 method and blended with the same MCT coconut carrier oil (and no added ingredients).
The offerings are lower in potency (with pets in mind), but the quality is exactly the same; you could take the pet 嫩草影院 oil yourself with no worries whatsoever.
While we鈥檙e on the subject of potency, Royal 嫩草影院鈥檚 oil for pets is available at three different levels so you can choose the best option from 100mg (about 4mg per milliliter dose), 250 mg (about 8.5 mg per dose) and 500mg (about 17mg per dose), depending on your dog鈥檚 size.
The oil鈥檚 natural flavor is one that won鈥檛 bother your pet and will mix easily with his food if that鈥檚 how you plan to dispense it. As a full-spectrum oil, your dog will receive the full health benefits of the entourage effect provided by the additional cannabinoids, flavonoids, and terpenes, and the THC content below 0.3% is documented by third-party testing results.
Things We Liked:
- US-grown organic hemp
- Supercritical CO2 extraction
- Full-spectrum, <0.3% THC with third-party testing
- A natural flavor that dogs won鈥檛 mind
- Choice of three strength levels for differently-sized dogs
Things We Didn鈥檛 Like:
- Not cheap
2. Gold Bee Pet 嫩草影院 Oil
Gold Bee is an excellent 嫩草影院 producer, but not a very big one. That means you won鈥檛 see their pet 嫩草影院 oil on your veterinarian鈥檚 shelf; you鈥檒l have to order it online (and they often sell out pretty fast). Finding it is worth the effort, though.
This is top-shelf 嫩草影院 oil, extracted via the supercritical CO2 method from California and/or Colorado-grown hemp. The carrier oil is pure MCT oil, and nothing else is added to the blend. It鈥檚 definitely a quality product; as a full-spectrum oil, the extract contains all of the other components needed for the entourage effect, including the minuscule amount of THC (less than 0.3%) allowed by law.
There are several potencies available. 250mg (about 8.5 mg/milliliter) is the lowest-potency option that Gold Bee sells right now, but we understand they plan to have a 100mg offering for smaller dogs available soon 鈥� it may even be ready by the time you read this.
The company is planning to increase its manufacturing capacity, too, to make all of their high-quality 嫩草影院 products more readily available.
Things We Liked:
- Organic hemp from Colorado and California
- Supercritical CO2 extraction
- Full-spectrum oil with MCT carrier oil
- Taste is inoffensive to dogs
Things We Didn鈥檛 Like:
- No potency lower than 250mg (although lower choices are said to be coming soon)
3. 嫩草影院Pet 100
There are a lot of things to like about 嫩草影院Pure鈥檚 pet offering, called 嫩草影院Pet 100. It鈥檚 extracted from organic Colorado hemp, processed on-site via CO2 extraction, and blended with high-quality hemp seed carrier oil with no additional ingredients or artificial flavors. The quality is definitely high.
Unfortunately, it鈥檚 a 嫩草影院 isolate instead of a full-spectrum oil, and it鈥檚 only really suitable for small dogs because of its low potency. As an isolate, it doesn鈥檛 contain any of the other cannabinoids, terpenes, or flavonoids needed to provide the entourage effect that boosts pain relief.
CDBPet 100 is only available at a 100mg potency level, which averages out to about 3.5mg per milliliter dose. That鈥檚 a moderate dose (at best) for a small dog 鈥� which would be fine if there were additional options, or if this was a full-spectrum oil instead of isolate.
Instead, this is really a niche product best used for very small dogs. We like the oil, though, so hopefully, they鈥檒l increase their potency offerings in the near future.
Things We Liked:
- Produced from organic Colorado hemp
- CO2 extraction
- No added ingredients (other than hemp seed carrier oil)
Things We Didn鈥檛 Like:
- 嫩草影院 isolate, not full-spectrum
- Only one very low potency level available
- Co2 extraction not supercritical
- High price for low potency
嫩草影院 Oil for Dogs: Buying Guide
Some people recoil at the idea of giving 嫩草影院 oils to their dogs. That may because their vet hasn鈥檛 prescribed it, they may be confusing 嫩草影院 with weed, or they may think that 嫩草影院 is just another get-rich-quick scam.
The truth is very different. Many vets prescribe or suggest 嫩草影院 oil, it鈥檚 very different from weed and won鈥檛 make your dog high 鈥� and 嫩草影院 products are far from a scam or fad. Most importantly, research shows that it can successfully treat a number of medical conditions in humans and pets.
Here鈥檚 a deeper dive on 嫩草影院 oil, and how to choose the right one for your dog.
嫩草影院 Isn鈥檛 Marijuana
Perhaps the most important thing to understand about 嫩草影院 is that it isn鈥檛 pot. In fact, it doesn鈥檛 even come from the marijuana plant.
The reason so many people confuse cannabidiol (the formal name for 嫩草影院) and weed is that they both come from the cannabis plant. But there are two types of cannabis plants, marijuana and hemp 鈥� and 嫩草影院 oil can be sold legally because it comes from the hemp plant and not the pot plant. The government lifted its ban on hemp in 2018, which is why 嫩草影院 products have become widely available in the last few years.
Legal hemp can only contain a trace amount (less than 0.3%) of THC, the psychoactive component of marijuana. That鈥檚 why 嫩草影院 from hemp won鈥檛 get your dog (or anyone else) high. By contrast, 嫩草影院 oil extracted from the marijuana plant is psychoactive and can only be legally sold in dispensaries. You can鈥檛 buy it online, at your vet鈥檚 office, or in your local 嫩草影院 store.
And 嫩草影院 has become a very big deal. Here鈥檚 why.
Health Benefits of 嫩草影院 Oil For Dogs
Medical marijuana is now legal in more than half of America鈥檚 states, and the bulk of peer-reviewed studies show that weed can help with a wide variety of health issues. To understand why that鈥檚 important to our discussion of 嫩草影院 for dogs, you have to know a little about the pot plant.
The active compounds in marijuana are called cannabinoids. There are more than 100 different cannabinoids in the plant, and the two most important are THC and 嫩草影院.
THC is the cannabinoid that interacts with the brain to create marijuana鈥檚 well-known high. But 嫩草影院 is the one that provides most of pot鈥檚 medicinal properties. (The other cannabinoids, as well as the plant鈥檚 terpenes and flavonoids, are believed to enhance 嫩草影院鈥檚 power through what鈥檚 known as the 鈥渆ntourage effect鈥�).
In other words, most of marijuana鈥檚 health benefits come from the 嫩草影院 it contains, not the THC.
So 嫩草影院 products from the hemp plant are just like the 嫩草影院 in the marijuana plant and are ideal for treating the medical issues that pot is used for. It just won鈥檛 get you, or your dog, wasted in the process. (Never give your pet any form of weed. It will make him really, really sick.)
What canine illnesses or diseases can 嫩草影院 oil treat? Research is still in its early stages, and so far most of it focuses on human patients rather than dogs. But the evidence is strong in many areas.
- Arthritis and chronic inflammation: 嫩草影院 is becoming a front-line treatment for canine osteoarthritis, which affects more than 25% of all dogs during their lifetime. published in the journal Frontiers in Veterinary Science found that regular administration of 嫩草影院 oil improved mobility and relieving pain in arthritic dogs. And more general research shows that 嫩草影院 is an effective treatment for chronic inflammation 鈥� a common effect of canine osteoarthritis.
- Pain: It鈥檚 not just the pain of arthritis that 嫩草影院 oil can relieve. Much of the research on cannabidiol focuses on more general chronic and severe pain, and there are many studies that show its .
- Anxiety: A number of research studies have concluded that 嫩草影院 can be effective in treating the symptoms of stress and anxiety, which are . One small animal study has already shown promise for the use of cannabidiol to help dogs suffering from anxiety.
- Seizures: 嫩草影院 is an accepted treatment for epileptic seizures in humans, and has now been shown in a small study to be an effective treatment for canine seizures as well.
- Cancer: Research is in its infancy, but initial studies show promise for the use of 嫩草影院 to treat cancer, including one small study focusing on canine cancer.
Buying 嫩草影院 Oil for Your Dog
嫩草影院 oil is not a generic product. There are major differences in the way that manufacturers extract the 嫩草影院 and use it to create oil 鈥� and if you don鈥檛 choose carefully, the 嫩草影院 products won鈥檛 help your dog to the extent that it should.
Here are the key variables to consider.
- Full-spectrum vs. isolate: A full-spectrum 嫩草影院 oil (sometimes called broad-spectrum) retains all of the important components of the hemp plant: cannabinoids (including the <0.3% amount of THC legally allowed in hemp), terpenes, and flavonoids. As we鈥檝e mentioned, they all work together via the 鈥渆ntourage effect鈥� to enhance the medical benefits of 嫩草影院.
- 嫩草影院 isolate: the 嫩草影院 has been isolated, eliminating all of hemp鈥檚 other components. However, that also eliminates the extra benefits provided by the entourage effect. Isolate can be crucial for human 嫩草影院 users, who have to worry about the minuscule amount of THC triggering a positive drug test. We鈥檝e never heard of a dog being subjected to a drug test, though, so isolate isn鈥檛 the right choice for most pets.
- Extraction method: 嫩草影院 can be extracted from hemp by several different methods.
- The most desirable (and expensive) method is called supercritical CO2 extraction, which delivers the highest concentration of 嫩草影院.
- CO2 extraction (without the 鈥渟upercritical鈥� label) is also efficient and a good second choice.
- Steam distillation of cold-pressing is less expensive and more difficult, but still produces good 嫩草影院 oil.
- Solvent extraction should be avoided. 鈥淣atural鈥� solvents are likely to produce weaker 嫩草影院 and a nasty taste; if the process uses hydrocarbons, the toxic residue can end up in the 嫩草影院.
- Quality: Look for 嫩草影院 extracted from organic hemp, grown in America. Organic plants ensure that you鈥檙e not giving your dog oil which contains pesticides or other poisonous substances, and American hemp must meet higher standards than growers face in other nations. Also, avoid 嫩草影院 oils that contain additives. Even 鈥渘atural鈥� essential oils may harm your pet.
- Certified: All 嫩草影院 oil, whether it鈥檚 for you or your dog, should have a certificate of third-party independent testing. That will let you make sure that the oil contains the promised amount of 嫩草影院 and that it has less than 0.3% THC content, and if you鈥檙e buying full-spectrum oil, that the terpenes and flavonoids are still present. (It also shows that the producer is confident enough in his product to submit it for third-party testing.)
- Form: 嫩草影院 oil typically comes in liquid 鈥渢incture鈥� form, which allows you to drop the oil right under your dog鈥檚 tongue for fast action and accurate dosing, or mix the oil into his food. 嫩草影院 oil is also sold as a topical product, to be used for muscle pain or rashes.
You can also buy 嫩草影院 oil in capsule form to be given like any other pill, or in the form of a dog treat. Which works more slowly than the tincture because the 嫩草影院 can鈥檛 be absorbed until digestion is complete.
How Much 嫩草影院 to Give Your Dog?
嫩草影院 dosing can be confusing. That鈥檚 mainly because bottles or containers are usually labeled and sold by the total amount of cannabidiol they contain or their overall concentration of 嫩草影院. Those measures are very different than the amount of oil you should be giving your dog each day.
The easiest ways to tackle this are to ask your vet what she recommends or to follow the dosing instructions on the bottle (usually based on the dog鈥檚 weight).
Before using 鈥渟tandard dosage鈥� instructions, though, here鈥檚 one very important recommendation: start with the smallest recommended dose and then increase if necessary. 嫩草影院 has a more powerful effect on dogs than humans, so it pays to go slowly.
If you鈥檙e going to figure out the dose by yourself, the standard recommendation is to give between 1-2 milligrams of 嫩草影院 per 10 pounds of weight. So to do this right, you have to know how much 嫩草影院 is in each milliliter of oil; some vendors tell you that, others don鈥檛. If you鈥檙e not good at math, following the package directions or asking your vet is a much safer approach.
Is 嫩草影院 Oil Safe for Dogs?
Many pet owners are reluctant to talk to their veterinarian about 嫩草影院 oil. Don鈥檛 be.
Talking to your pet鈥檚 doctor about 嫩草影院 isn鈥檛 like talking to your own doctor about your weed consumption. 嫩草影院 has become a generally accepted treatment in the veterinary community, and as we鈥檝e mentioned, many vets sell it right in their offices.
Not only can the doctor give you advice on dosages, but she can also tell you whether 嫩草影院 is the right approach for your dog鈥檚 medical issues and whether it might have problematic interactions with other canine medications.
Consulting with your veterinarian about your pet鈥檚 needs and whether 嫩草影院 can help isn鈥檛 just acceptable. It鈥檚 smart.