Top 10 CBD Oils for Pets
Best of 2024

Paul James Updated on November 15, 2023 Affiliate Disclosure Some links are specifically formatted for which we may receive a commission on resulting sales or clicks from affiliate partners (“Affiliate Links”).

Dog lovers get to choose from a wide selection of dog CBD products, including tinctures, treats, capsules, and topicals like salves and balms. CBD oil tinctures can be mixed into food and drinks or applied under the tongue to get the maximum effect. If you’re looking for the best CBD oils for pets, here are our top 10 to keep you informed and help you decide.

Studies into cannabidiol (CBD) for pets are lacking, but there’s some evidence that suggests CBD could be an effective treatment option for many illnesses in dogs. Pet owners across the world have turned to CBD when nothing else has helped their furry friends.

While research is lacking, it may improve conditions like obesity, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), motion sickness, pain, allergies, seizures, anxiety, and other common medical conditions for dogs.

That said, we invite you to follow along as we take a deeper look into the best CBD oils for pets!

What Are CBD Oils for Pets?

Cannabidiol (CBD) is a powerful cannabinoid (chemical compound) found in the cannabis plant. The plant is known to contain over 100 cannabinoids, some of the most famous being tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), cannabigerol (CBG), and cannabinol (CBN).

CBD oil is simply a hemp extract combined with a carrier oil

These cannabinoids naturally interact with a pet’s endocannabinoid system (ECS) and, in turn, may be able to produce a number of health benefits. CBD oil is simply a hemp extract combined with a carrier oil, usually MCT oil or hemp seed oil. Hemp is the federally legal plant used to produce these tinctures as it contains a large serving of CBD and small servings of cannabis’s other cannabinoids.

When you’re purchasing a pet CBD oil, you’ll come across three different hemp extract types:

  • Full-Spectrum – Contains all of hemp’s cannabinoids.
  • Broad-Spectrum – Contains all of hemp’s cannabinoids with the exception of THC.
  • CBD Isolate – Pure CBD with no other cannabinoid.

 

In terms of garnering all the benefits hemp has to offer, full-spectrum CBD is ideal. However, if you find your pet is highly sensitive to even a small amount of THC, you can always opt for a broad-spectrum extract or CBD isolate.

How to Use CBD Oils on Pets

You may find it difficult to administer CBD oil to your pet. Let’s face it, some animals simply don’t want a dropper being shoved into their mouths. If your dog or cat simply isn’t allowing this, you can always opt to drop the CBD oil into their favorite food or treat.

While effective, some animals may still refuse to take CBD oil. In these cases, your best bet is finding a CBD pet treat (sometimes referred to as chews) – these are tasty snacks that are already infused with CBD. Many of the companies featured on this list offer such products.

Top 10 Best CBD Oils for Pets

CBD oil can benefit our furry friends just as it can us. That said, more pet owners are turning to it when other medications don’t work.

What are the Health Benefits of CBD Oils for Pets?

Admittedly, the research concerning CBD for dogs and cats is limited. However, what we do know is based on preliminary studies and pet owner’s testimonials to how CBD affects their furry friends.

Since both humans and certain animals share an ECS, CBD has a very similar reaction in pets as it does in humans. While scientists still aren’t 100% sure how this interaction works, it’s theorized that CBD has a way of balancing the ECS, returning it to a state of homeostasis. It’s through this balance that CBD produces its potential health benefits.

While there’s only so much research backing up CBD’s benefits for pets, it’s believed CBD oils can help with:

 

It’s also worth mentioning that some pet owners give CBD to their animals simply to help with the many problems that come with old age.

Our Criteria for the Best CBD Oils for Pets

We only want the best for our furry friends and with that, we ideally only want to choose the best CBD oils for them. In order to determine the best CBD products for dogs, we had a list of criteria that all companies had to follow. If you decide to purchase CBD from another source, we definitely suggest using a similar criteria of your own.

Certificate of Analysis (CoA)

Since the CBD industry is unregulated, reputable companies have taken it upon themselves to test their products in order to ensure safety and quality. They do so through a third-party lab test and most of the time, they will share these lab reports somewhere on their website.

Extract Types

As mentioned above, CBD comes in three different extract types. It’s extremely beneficial to familiarize yourself with these in order to ensure you know exactly what you’re giving your pet.

Ingredients

CBD oils tend to be made with very few ingredients and are almost always gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan. However, it’s always worth checking the ingredients of a product on a company’s website to ensure it’s safe for your pet to consume and meets their dietary needs.

Potency

If you’re wondering how potent a CBD oil is, you should always check the milligram (mg) count mentioned somewhere on the label. Generally speaking, the higher this number, the more potent a product is. It’s important to understand potencies as various animal sizes react differently to certain amounts of CBD. In other words, smaller animals will need fewer milligrams of CBD than larger ones.

If you’re looking for CBD oils for dogs Canada, feel free to check out our guide!

Our Criteria for the Best CBD Oils for Pets

CBD Oils for Pets Dosage Recommendation

When it comes to figuring out the right dosage for your pet, this can be trickier than finding your own dosage. Unfortunately, pets can’t tell us how the CBD dose we give them makes them feel so we have to make a decision based on their organic reactions.

In terms of pet CBD dosage, the number one factor to take into consideration is body weight. Smaller-sized animals will need a lighter dose, whereas larger pets will need a higher dose. The exact dosage based on body weight varies from pet to pet and ultimately depends on their ailment.

You’ll want to consider how much your pet struggles with a particular health condition before determining whether to give them a low, medium, or high dose. For example, a pet struggling with chronic anxiety will likely need a high dose, whereas a pet struggling with mild anxiety will need a low dose.

Most of the companies on this list feature informative dosage recommendations for their products. If you decide to purchase from one of these brands, we highly suggest taking a look at their charts to get a sense of how much CBD oil you should give your pet.

Keep in mind that it’s okay to give too much or too little CBD oil to a pet when experimenting with dosage. CBD is extremely safe compared to other supplements and there are no reports of a pet or human ever overdosing on CBD oil.

Safety and Side Effects of CBD Oils for Pets

While CBD is 100% safe for pets to take, it may come with some side effects. These side effects are quite rare and usually only occur in extremely sensitive animals or pets that are given too large a dosage. The most common side effects of CBD oil observed in animals are:

  • Appetite changes
  • Diarrhea
  • Drowsiness
  • Dry mouth
  • Fatigue

 

If your pet is currently on prescription medication, we highly suggest consulting your vet before giving them CBD. While it is rare, CBD has been found to negatively interact with certain medications.


Paul James

Paul James is a seasoned cannabis and CBD writer and expert. He is a mental health blogger who advocates CBD as a natural alternative to prescription medications. You can read more about this and other natural alternatives on his blog: https://bedlamite.co/."

FAQs

The timeframe of when CBD oil produces its effects varies from animal to animal. However, generally speaking, CBD oil will start to work within 15-45 minutes after consumption.