CBD oil is one of the most popular medicinal products on the market right now. The relatively recent legalization of the product has lead to not only a wide increase in the availability of the substance, but also to an entirely new segment of the population discovering its utility. Though humans have naturally been making use of the benefits of CBD, our pets can also get some of those same benefits. Given the similarity between the biology of dogs and humans in terms of how we both process CBD, it makes sense that dogs could get some of the same health benefits.
Giving your dog CBD oil can be tough, though. If you’ve never used the product, you might wonder how to make sure that your dog takes it correctly. Fortunately, there are several good ways to give your dog CBD.
Article Summary
Giving CBD Oil to a Dog
Each of the methods below is commonly used by pet owners just like you. They’re all very dependent on the dog, of course, and there’s nothing wrong with trying multiple methods.
Direct Feeding
Perhaps the easiest way to give your dog CBD is by directly putting it in his or her mouth. If you think about it, this is definitely the method that gives you the most control over your dog’s dosage and that will allow you to be sure that he or she takes the CBD. All you have to do is drop the CBD oil directly in your dog’s mouth. The only thing you’ll really need to do is to avoid making your dog gag, then you’ll just need to watch to make sure that he or she swallows the whole dose.
Mixing CBD with Food
The good news is that your dog probably already enjoys his or her food. It makes sense, then, that you might want to add CBD oil to that food in order to get him or her to get the benefits of the product. The great news is that CBD is very easy to add to most dog foods – it’s as simple as dropping the oil directly onto the food itself.
This is a good choice for those dogs who don’t particularly like the taste of CBD. The oil’s flavor is masked by the dog food, which will allow your dog to get a full dose without having to deal with the taste. Note that this tends to work best with dry foods, as the composition of wet food makes it very hard to mix in the oil. This won’t necessarily stop your dog from eating, but it might clue him or her into the fact that something’s been added to the food.
Mix CBD Oil With a Favorite
If your dog isn’t taking CBD oil with food, he or she might still be getting overwhelmed by the taste. As such, you may want to try to mix it with another favorite substance in order to get your dog used to take his or her CBD. One of the best ways to do this is with an oil-based food like peanut butter, which is very easy to mix with CBD oil. The key is to make sure that you’re mixing the dog’s food with something that’s healthy and that he or she will eat without a second thought.
Using CBD Oil as Dog Treats
For some dogs, CBD oil itself can be a treat. The key isn’t necessarily the substance itself, but rather how you present it to your dog. Your goal should be to associate the CBD with the act of praising your dog so that your dog will always feel like he or she has done something good when it’s time for his or her dosage. Placing a few drops of CBD oil on a standard, dry dog treat is not only a good way to make sure that your dog gets the benefits of the substance, but that he or she takes the oil without any hesitation.
Adding Water to CBD
Giving your dog a little bit of CBD oil can be tough if your dog isn’t too apt to let you put a strange substance in his or her mouth. Luckily, you can add some CBD oil to your dog’s water without causing your dog to get upset. Many CBD oil formulations don’t really have an odor or a taste, so putting it in your dog’s dish won’t clue him or her into the fact that he or she is getting medicated. The only downside here is that you have to depend on your dog’s drinking schedule, so don’t dose your dog this way if he or she doesn’t drink very often.
Making Homemade CBD Dog Treats
If you don’t want to give your dog store-bought dog treats, you can always give him or she treats that you make yourself. You should not, however, use CBD oil during the baking process. Instead, you’ll want to make a treat that you can easily drop a few drops of CBD for dogs onto so that it is absorbed into the treat itself. Using CBD in the baking process simply evaporates the oil.
Picking the Right CBD Product for Your Dog
It’s always important to pick a CBD product that’s right for your dog. One of the things you’ll want to keep in mind is the flavors that your dog likes. If he or she doesn’t like the natural flavor, you can look for something that does have a flavor that he or she enjoys. With add-ins that range from cheese-flavored to peanut-butter flavored, you can almost certainly find something that your dog will love.
Picking the Right Dosage
Once you figure out how to give CBD oil to dogs, you’ll need to figure out how much to give your pet. Unfortunately, there are no federal regulations that will tell you exactly how much of any product to give your pet. Instead, you’re going to have to weigh a number of factors to get this right.
One of the most important things to consider is your dog’s weight. You’ll want to give your dog somewhere between one and three mg of CBD oil per ten pounds of the dog’s weight – a ten-pound dog gets 1mg, for example, while one hundred-pound dog might get 10mg. If you are dealing with a specific health condition or your dog seems not to have much of a reaction to the lower dose, try to go up a bit and observe the results. Though there are no signs that CBD oil can actually lead to death in dogs, it’s a good idea to watch out for side effects any time you happen to increase your dog’s dosage.
CBD Oil and Your Dog
It’s never a bad idea to at least stop and think about giving your dog CBD. It does have an impact on many different conditions that could impact your dog and there’s absolutely no doubt that it’s become popular among pet owners. Before you give it to your dog, though, try to put some thought into how you’ll give it to him or her. The right techniques can make it far easier for your dog to get the benefits of this compound.
