Can Dogs Eat Hemp Seeds? Hemp Hearts, How Much to Feed, and Safety

Yes, dogs can eat hemp seeds. Hulled hemp seeds, sold as hemp hearts, are the easiest form for a dog to digest, and freshly ground whole seeds are a close second. A tablespoon of hemp hearts carries about 3 grams of protein, 5 grams of fat, and 55 calories, so the right amount is small: about half a teaspoon a day for a 10 pound dog, working up to a tablespoon and a half for a dog over 75 pounds. Hemp seeds do not naturally contain THC and will not make a dog high. They are a good source of omega-6 and plant omega-3, but they do not stand in for fish oil, because dogs turn only a small share of plant omega-3 into EPA and DHA.

Can Dogs Eat Hemp Seeds? The Short Answer

Yes. Plain, unsalted hemp seeds are safe for healthy adult dogs in small amounts, and they bring a nutrient profile few other seeds match: protein with every amino acid a dog needs, a useful balance of omega fatty acids, and a dense load of magnesium, phosphorus, and zinc.

The hesitation makes sense. Hemp seeds come from Cannabis sativa, the same species as marijuana. The difference is in the plant and in the part you are feeding. Hemp is bred to carry 0.3% THC or less, and the seed itself does not produce THC at all. If you want the bigger picture on the plant, we covered it in hemp for dogs: everything you need to know.

The rest of this article covers which form to buy, how much to feed by weight, what the nutrients actually do in a dog's body, and where hemp seeds fall short.

Hemp Seeds vs. Hemp Hearts: What's the Difference for Dogs?

A whole hemp seed has two parts: a hard, crunchy outer hull and a soft, pale inner kernel. Hemp hearts are that kernel with the hull removed. So hemp hearts are hulled, and whole hemp seeds are unhulled. (An earlier version of this article had those two words reversed.)

The hull changes how the seed behaves in a dog's gut. Dogs tend to swallow small food without much chewing, and a whole hemp seed can pass through with its shell intact, carrying the fat and protein inside right along with it. Removing the hull, or grinding the whole seed, solves that.

Hulling also shifts the mineral mix. A 2022 analysis of eight hemp varieties found hulled seeds higher in phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, and zinc, while whole seeds held more calcium, manganese, and copper (Alonso-Esteban et al., Journal of Food Composition and Analysis). Both forms carry a lot of phytate, a plant compound that binds iron and zinc in the gut. So the mineral numbers on a hemp label run higher than what a dog actually absorbs.

Are Hemp Seeds Good for Dogs? What's in One Tablespoon

Hemp heart labels list nutrition per 30 gram serving, about three tablespoons. That is a human portion. Here is one tablespoon, which is about the daily ceiling for a 60 to 75 pound dog, with what each nutrient does in a dog's body.

Figures are calculated from USDA FoodData Central data for hulled hemp seed.

Protein: All 10 Amino Acids Dogs Need, With One Caveat

People have nine essential amino acids. Dogs have ten, because they also need arginine from their food. Hemp seeds contain all ten, and arginine is where hemp stands out: it makes up about 14% of hemp's protein by weight. Most of that protein comes from two storage proteins, edestin and albumin, both of which are highly digestible.

The caveat is lysine. Hemp protein runs low in it, which is why hemp scores below soy and animal proteins on standard protein quality measures (House, Neufeld, and Leson, Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 2010). For a dog on a complete diet this barely matters, because a spoonful of hemp is a topper and not the protein source. It is the reason hemp seeds should never carry the protein load in a homemade diet. For the proteins that should, see our guide to sources of protein for dogs.

Omega-6 and Omega-3: About Three to One

Hemp seeds carry linoleic acid (an omega-6) and alpha-linolenic acid, or ALA (an omega-3), at roughly three parts to one. That is a far more omega-3 heavy balance than chicken fat or corn oil, two of the most common fats in dog food. Linoleic acid is essential for dogs, and it is the fatty acid most closely tied to a healthy skin barrier and a glossy coat.

The ALA is the part to be straight about. EPA and DHA are the long-chain omega-3s found in fish and marine oils, and they are the forms a dog's brain, eyes, and joints actually use. Dogs convert only a small fraction of ALA into EPA, and even less into DHA (Bauer, Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 2016). So hemp seeds cover the omega-6 side well and the omega-3 side only partly. They pair with a marine omega-3. They do not replace one.

Hemp also carries small amounts of two less common fatty acids, gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) and stearidonic acid (SDA). Both are more concentrated in hemp seed oil than in the hearts (Farinon et al., Nutrients, 2020).

Magnesium, Phosphorus, Zinc, and Iron

Hemp hearts are unusually dense in minerals for their size. Magnesium supports normal nerve signaling and helps muscles contract and relax. Zinc supports skin cell turnover, coat quality, and immune cells. Iron is part of hemoglobin, which carries oxygen in the blood.

Phosphorus deserves its own note. Hemp hearts carry more than 20 times as much phosphorus as calcium, and dogs need those two minerals in balance. A complete dog food is formulated to hit that balance, and a small spoonful on top will not tip it. It is one more reason to keep portions small, and a reason to check with your vet before adding hemp to the bowl of a growing puppy or a dog on a phosphorus-controlled diet.

Fiber Lives Mostly in the Shell

Whole hemp seeds are a real fiber source. Hemp hearts are not. Removing the hull takes most of the fiber with it, leaving about 0.4 grams per tablespoon. If fiber is what you are after, grind whole seeds instead of buying hearts, or reach for a food built for the job, like plain canned pumpkin. We ran the fiber numbers on that one in can dogs eat pumpkin.

Benefits of Hemp Seeds for Dogs

Each benefit below traces back to a specific nutrient in the seed. Most hemp seed nutrition research comes from human and livestock studies. Direct studies in dogs are few, and the one covered in the next section is small. Read these as what the nutrients are known to do, not as guaranteed results.

Skin and Coat

This is the benefit with the most solid footing. Linoleic acid is built into the fats that hold moisture in the outer layer of skin, and dogs that run short on it tend to show a dry, dull, flaky coat. Hemp seeds are a concentrated source, and the zinc alongside it supports normal skin cell turnover. If coat condition is your main reason for looking at hemp, our guide to dog supplements for skin and coat compares it with the other options.

Joints and Mobility

The GLA in hemp is converted in the body into compounds that support a healthy inflammatory response, which is why it shows up in conversations about active and aging dogs. The amount in a daily spoonful of hearts is modest, and GLA is more concentrated in hemp seed oil.

For dogs where joint comfort and mobility are the main goal, a formulation built for it goes further than a food topper. Mobility Hemp Extract for Dogs - CBDa Tincture uses a 4:1 ratio of CBDa to CBD. CBDa is the raw, unheated form of CBD, and keeping it intact is the reason we extract at lower temperatures. More on why in our guide to CBDa for dogs and cats.

Heart and Muscle Function

Arginine, the amino acid hemp is so rich in, is what the body uses to make nitric oxide, a signaling molecule that helps blood vessel walls relax and supports normal circulation. Magnesium supports normal heart rhythm and muscle function. Both are established nutrient roles. Whether a spoonful of hemp seeds changes anything measurable in a healthy dog's heart has not been studied, so read this as nutrition rather than a cardiovascular plan.

Brain and Nerve Function

Magnesium is the most useful thing hemp brings here, because it supports normal nerve signaling. The omega-3 story is weaker than it sounds. The brain's key omega-3 is DHA, and dogs make very little DHA from the ALA in hemp. For cognitive support in senior dogs, a marine source of DHA does that job better.

Digestion

Hemp protein is easy to digest, and freshly ground whole seeds add insoluble fiber that supports regular, well-formed stool. Hemp hearts contribute little fiber. The fat is the thing to watch: introduced too fast, a rich topper can loosen stool, which is why the serving table below starts low.

Immune Function

Zinc supports normal immune cell function, and arginine is used by immune cells as well. Hemp seeds also carry tocopherols (mostly the gamma form of vitamin E), which help protect their own fats from oxidizing. These are supporting roles. Hemp seeds are a food that contributes to normal immune function, not an immune supplement.

What Research in Dogs Shows So Far

One published study has fed a hemp seed ingredient to dogs under controlled conditions. Researchers in Italy fed eight adult dogs for 30 days, one group on a commercial diet with added pork fat and the other on the same diet with hemp seed cake (what remains after the oil is pressed out) at 3.5% of the food (Vastolo et al., Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 2021).

The hemp diet carried more than twice the linoleic and alpha-linolenic acid of the comparison diet, with a better omega-6 to omega-3 ratio (about 5 to 1, against about 7 to 1). Blood values in the hemp group stayed within normal ranges, and the researchers saw no adverse effects. They flagged one downside: the hemp diet's fats were more prone to oxidation, which matters for shelf life and is the reason storage gets its own section below.

Eight dogs is a small study, and hemp seed cake is not the same as hemp hearts. It is an encouraging early result, not proof. The FDA's 2018 review of hulled hemp seed, hemp seed protein, and hemp seed oil as safe food ingredients points the same direction, though it covers human food rather than pet food (FDA).

How Much Hemp Seed Can a Dog Eat?

Hemp Seed Serving Size by Dog Weight

Amounts are for hemp hearts or freshly ground whole seed. Feed the starting amount for about a week, then work up toward the daily amount if stool stays normal. There is no benefit to going past it.

Why Calories Set the Limit

Everything outside a dog's main food, from chews to toppers to training rewards, should stay at or under 10% of daily calories. We laid out that rule, and why you trim the main meal instead of stacking extras on top of it, in our guide to the best whole foods for dogs.

The daily amounts in the table keep hemp at about 5% of calories or less for a typical spayed or neutered adult dog, which leaves the other half of that budget for everything else. The old one-size advice of a tablespoon a day (including in an earlier version of this article) works out to 55 calories. For a 10 pound dog, that is close to 16% of everything the dog needs in a day. Less active and senior dogs usually need fewer calories than the typical adult, so stay near the starting column for them.

Can Puppies Eat Hemp Seeds?

Puppies can have hemp seeds in tiny amounts, but they have the least reason to. Puppy food is formulated with a precise calcium to phosphorus balance for growing bones, and hemp is heavy on phosphorus. Keep a puppy at or below the starting amount for its current weight, and ask your vet first for large and giant breed puppies, whose bone growth is the most sensitive to that balance.

How to Feed Hemp Seeds to Your Dog

Sprinkle hemp hearts over your dog's food and stir them into anything wet so they do not settle at the bottom of the bowl. For whole seeds, grind a small batch in a coffee or spice grinder and use it within a few days.

Hemp hearts also work well on a lick mat. Spread a thin layer of plain yogurt or plain canned pumpkin and press the hearts into it. We have more ideas for what to put on one in our guide to the lick mat for dogs. If you mix hemp into peanut butter, read the label first and skip anything containing xylitol, a sweetener that is dangerous for dogs.

Buy plain hemp seeds only. Skip anything salted, seasoned, sweetened, chocolate coated, or sold as a trail mix, since garlic, onion, chocolate, and some sweeteners are all hazards for dogs.

Keep Hemp Seeds Cold

The same fats that make hemp seeds worth feeding make them fragile. Polyunsaturated fats oxidize when exposed to air, light, and heat, and a study of cold-pressed hemp seed oil tracked measurable changes in its composition over three months of storage (Journal of Food Composition and Analysis, 2021). Keep hemp hearts sealed in the refrigerator, keep ground seed and hemp seed oil cold and use them within a few weeks, and go by the date on the bag. Fresh hemp hearts smell mild and nutty. If they smell like paint or taste bitter, they have gone rancid, and they go in the trash.

Are Hemp Seeds Safe for Dogs? When to Skip Them

Will Hemp Seeds Make My Dog High?

No. The FDA's position is that hemp seeds do not naturally contain THC. Any trace amount on a finished food product comes from contact with other parts of the plant during harvest and processing, and food-grade hemp hearts are hulled and cleaned. At the amounts in the serving table, there is nothing there to affect a dog.

Dogs are more sensitive to THC than people are, which is exactly why the distinction matters. The real risk is a marijuana edible left within reach, not a spoonful of hemp hearts. If your dog gets into a THC product, call your vet or an animal poison control line right away.

Too Much Fat, Too Fast

Hemp hearts are about half fat by weight. A big jump in dietary fat can bring on vomiting, loose stool, or greasy stool, even in a dog that handles its regular food perfectly well. Start low, as the table shows. Dogs that have reacted to rich or fatty foods before, or that are on a low-fat diet from their vet, should skip hemp seeds unless the vet signs off.

Calories creep, too. A daily topper that goes unaccounted for adds up over months, so trim the main meal a little if hemp becomes a regular part of the bowl.

Other Reasons to Hold Off

Food sensitivities to hemp are uncommon, but they happen. If you notice new itching, licking, or stool changes after adding hemp, stop and talk to your vet. We covered how dogs can react to hemp and CBD in more depth. For dogs with a sensitive stomach, stay at the starting amount for two weeks instead of one.

Hemp Seeds, Hemp Seed Oil, and CBD Oil Are Three Different Things

Hemp seeds and hemp seed oil are food. They deliver fats, protein, and minerals, and they carry no meaningful amount of CBD or other cannabinoids. CBD is made in the resin glands on the flower and leaves of the plant, not in the seed. (An earlier version of this article said to look for hemp seed oil if you wanted cannabinoids. That was backwards.)

Full spectrum CBD oil is a different product doing a different job. It carries CBD alongside CBDa, CBG, other cannabinoids, and terpenes, and it works with the endocannabinoid system, the network of receptors that helps regulate stress response, comfort, and balance. Nothing about hemp seed nutrition overlaps with that.

Labels blur the two because "hemp oil" can mean either one. Check two things. A CBD product lists milligrams of CBD per serving and backs it up with a lab report showing cannabinoid content. A seed oil lists fatty acids and says nothing about cannabinoids. Our full comparison lives in CBD vs. hemp oil for pets, and the case for CBD itself is in 7 benefits of CBD for dogs.

Plenty of dogs get both, since a food and a supplement are not competing for the same slot. Our full spectrum CBD comes as a dropper oil (CBD Oil for Dogs), a water-soluble spray (Quick Calm 250mg for Dogs), and the chews described below.

How to Check the Quality of Any Hemp Product

Hemp is a strong accumulator. The plant pulls metals and other contaminants out of the soil it grows in, which is why where and how it is grown matters for seeds and CBD alike. Look for a certificate of analysis (COA) from an independent lab.

For hemp seeds, the COA should cover THC, heavy metals, and microbial testing. For a CBD product, it should also show cannabinoid potency that matches the label, THC at 0.3% or less, and pesticide and solvent screening. If a company will not show you its lab results, keep shopping.

Every batch of Earth Buddy product carries a QR code on the package. Scan it and you get the lab results for the batch in your hand, not a sample report from some other lot. Every result is also posted on our lab results page.

Earth Buddy Hemp Hearts for Dogs

Oven-baked, wheat-free chews with 4mg or 8mg of full spectrum CBD in every heart.

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Blueberry Hemp Hearts for Dogs – 4mg

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Extra Strength Hemp Hearts for Dogs

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Pumpkin Hemp Hearts for Dogs – 4mg

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Are Earth Buddy Hemp Hearts Made From Hemp Seeds?

No, and the name trips people up. Earth Buddy Hemp Hearts are oven-baked, heart-shaped chews made with full spectrum CBD. "Heart" is the shape. They do not contain hemp seeds or hemp hearts, and they are not a substitute for the food this article is about.

They are baked low and slow from an oat flour base, so they are wheat free, with MCT oil from coconuts, organic apple cider vinegar, cinnamon, and turmeric with black pepper. Full spectrum matters here because the CBD arrives with CBDa, CBG, and the plant's terpenes rather than as a single isolated molecule, and baking at lower heat is how that spectrum makes it into a finished chew.

There are three: Blueberry Hemp Hearts for Dogs - 4mg with organic blueberries, Pumpkin Hemp Hearts for Dogs - 4mg with pumpkin, and Extra Strength Hemp Hearts for Dogs at 8mg for larger dogs. Start with one heart per 20 pounds of body weight. Chews were one of the formats pet parents used in our 26-day Calming Study with full spectrum CBD, and if you are wondering whether a CBD chew does anything at all, we answered that in do hemp chews work for dogs.

Your dog can have both. A spoonful of hemp hearts on dinner and an Earth Buddy Hemp Heart in the afternoon are doing two separate jobs. You will usually find Hemp Hearts at a better price at your local independent pet store, and our store locator shows the closest one.

Hemp Seeds for Dogs: Frequently Asked Questions

Can dogs eat hemp hearts?

Yes. Hemp hearts are hulled hemp seeds, and they are the easiest form of hemp seed for a dog to digest because the hard shell is already gone. Start with a quarter teaspoon for a small dog or a teaspoon for a large one, sprinkled on food, and keep the daily amount within the serving table above.

Can dogs have hemp seeds every day?

Yes, as long as the daily amount stays small and fits within your dog's calorie budget. A daily topper works best when it is consistent and measured. At the amounts in the serving table, hemp stays at about 5% of daily calories or less for a typical adult dog. Trim the main meal slightly if hemp becomes a permanent part of the bowl.

Can dogs eat whole or raw hemp seeds?

Dogs can eat raw hemp seeds, and hemp hearts are sold raw. Whole seeds with the shell on are safe but often pass through undigested, because dogs rarely chew small seeds. Grind whole seeds in a coffee or spice grinder right before serving, and refrigerate anything you grind ahead.

Is hemp seed oil good for dogs?

Hemp seed oil is a concentrated source of linoleic acid and plant omega-3 in about a three to one ratio, which supports skin and coat. It is pure fat, so measure it carefully and introduce it slowly. It contains no meaningful CBD. For how seed oil compares with CBD oil, see our CBD vs. hemp oil guide.

Are hemp seeds a substitute for fish oil?

No. Hemp seeds supply ALA, a plant omega-3. Dogs convert only a small fraction of ALA into EPA and DHA, the long-chain omega-3s found in fish and marine oils. Hemp seeds are a good source of omega-6 linoleic acid for skin and coat, and they pair well with a marine omega-3 rather than replacing one.

What happens if my dog eats too many hemp seeds?

A dog that gets into a bag of hemp seeds will most likely have an upset stomach: vomiting, loose stool, or greasy stool from the sudden load of fat. Hemp seeds are not toxic and will not make a dog high. Call your vet if your dog is small, ate a large amount, has a history of reacting to fatty foods, or seems lethargic.

Can cats eat hemp seeds?

Cats can eat a small pinch of hemp hearts, but they get less from them than dogs do. Cats cannot convert plant fats into some of the fatty acids they need, and they rely on animal sources for those. Keep portions to a pinch and think of hemp as an occasional topper for cats, not a regular addition.

Do hemp seeds have CBD in them?

No. Hemp seeds and hemp seed oil contain no meaningful CBD or other cannabinoids. CBD is made in the resin glands on the flower and leaves of the hemp plant. If you want CBD for your dog, look for a full spectrum CBD product with a lab report showing its cannabinoid content.

For further reading, we recommend:

• Hemp seed cake as a dietary fat source in adult dogs, Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 2021
• Omega-3 fatty acid requirements in dogs, Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 2016
• Protein quality of hemp seed products, Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 2010
• Nutritional composition of industrial hemp seed, Nutrients, 2020
• Minerals in whole versus hulled hemp seeds, Journal of Food Composition and Analysis, 2022
• How cold-pressed hemp seed oil changes during storage, Journal of Food Composition and Analysis, 2021
• Nutrient composition of hulled hemp seed, USDA FoodData Central
• FDA review of hulled hemp seed, hemp seed protein, and hemp seed oil as food ingredients, 2018

Research on hemp seed in dogs is still early, and individual dogs respond differently. Nothing here is a substitute for your veterinarian's read on your specific dog.