Earth Buddy Study: Full-Spectrum CBD Effective at Calming Pets

CBD Calms Pets in First Real World Study

In July 2022, Earth Buddy completed its first study on the effects of CBD in pets. The study focused on analyzing CBD’s effects on pet stress, and found that CBD was statistically significant in calming pets. 

Why a Study on CBD for Dogs & Cats

This is mostly because of CBD’s effects on a fascinating internal system within the mammalian body called the endocannabinoid system.

While many of these benefits are reported anecdotally from veterinarians, consumer reviews, or are interpretations from human/animal studies, the Earth Buddy team noticed there are not a lot of clear, study-based findings related to CBD’s effects on domesticated dogs and cats.

As a CBD company dedicated to revolutionizing the pet wellness industry, the Earth Buddy team tends to find such gaps–such as lack of transparent data, shortcuts in manufacturing products and subsequent quality issues, etc–and aims to close them.

“Once we realized there was this lack of objective data regarding CBD’s calming effects on pets, we did what we normally do,” states Earth Buddy founder, Sean Zyer, “We set out to close the gap and make something happen; we began looking for a research partner to help us create a study of our own and get this data out there.”

Real World Study: Calming Effects of CBD for Dogs & Cats

In July 2022, Earth Buddy partnered with research organization MoreBetter Ltd. to not only strategize and serve up a study, but also perform in-depth analysis of the data with specialized methodologies.

The duo crafted an at-home study pet parents could easily join online, and made it easy for them to answer daily questions via text message. 

“Because pets can’t tell you if something is working for them or not, there’s a lot of supplements being pushed to pet parents without any proof of quality. Data like this from Earth Buddy will finally provide pet parents with some assurance that they are purchasing a product that has some evidence of effectiveness,” explains Tyler Dautrich, COO at MoreBetter, “This data becoming available to pet owners everywhere is a win for cannabis and pet industry.”

Calming Benefits of CBD for Dogs & Cats: Study Design

This was a 26 day campaign with new and existing Earth Buddy customers.
The goal of the Calming Pathfinder was to determine the impact and efficacy
of three unique Earth Buddy products in helping relax or calm dogs and cats.

Participant demographics:

• 50 pet parents (new and existing Earth Buddy customers) observed 75 pets

  • 70 dogs (& a handful of skeptical cats living with dog participants)

Pet CBD Products used:

• Pet parents were allowed to select from Earth Buddy's three different pet CBD options:
  • Full-Spectrum CBD Oil for Dogs & Cats (same CBD concentration, offered in 3 different sizes of 15ml, 30ml, or 60ml)
  • Hemp Dog Chews - in Blueberry, Pumpkin, and Extra Strength CBD Dog Chews
  • Water-Soluble Quick Calm CBD for Dogs & Cats (fast-acting form of CBD in distilled water)

How data was collected:

• Pet parents observed the effects of CBD on their pets, and answered a series of questions each day via text message

How data was interpreted:

• MoreBetter utilized software and tests such as Shapiro-Wilk’s tests, QQ plots, Levene’s tests, Box’s M-tests, ANOV analyses, Pairwise t-tests, and various other charting methods to determine objective significance of data

Pet Calming Study Results

Earth Buddy’s CBD products were statistically significant at reducing stress score of pets (92% of pet parents reported that the products reduced daily stress levels in their pets, and 72% of pet owners agreed that the products were effective at reducing their pet’s stress severity).

In addition, a majority of pet parents agreed that their pet seemed to have a better overall quality of life while using Earth Buddy’s CBD products compared to when not using them.

Pet owners also reported that Earth Buddy’s products were more efficacious at managing their pet’s stress than other products.

Overall Pet Stress Scores:

Earth Buddy’s products were statistically significant at reducing pet stress scores. Across all Earth Buddy products, the mean stress score at enrollment was 9.53 and significantly decreased to 6.02 on Day 26 after using Earth Buddy products (N=49). This is about a 36% decrease in overall pet stress using any of 3 CBD options. 

Major findings by product

CBD Oils: 10.00 (Day 0), to 8.34 (Day 5), to 5.65 (Day 26) 

• • 57% decrease in overall pet stress!

Calming Dog Chews: 8.57 (Day 0), to 7.50 (Day 5), to 4.79 (Day 26) N=14

• • 44% decrease in stressed dogs! 

Pet Stress Severity:

There was a significant decrease in stress severity scores between baseline measurements and before vs after treatment. (N=49)

On average, Earth Buddy's pet CBD products reduced stress severity around 30%, while showing significant reduction depending on the product...

• CBD Oils: 6.04 (Day 0), to 5.17 (Day 5), to 3.87 (Day 26) N=23
  • A 36% reduction in Pet Stress Severity! 
• CBD Dog Chews: 5.64 (Day 0), to 5.21 (Day 5), to 4.00 (Day 26) N=14
  • 30% reduction from using CBD chews daily.
• Quick Calm CBD spray: 6.58 (Day 0), to 5.17 (Day 5), to 3.87 (Day 26) N=12
  • Pet parents reported an decrease in stress severity by 42%

Daily Stress Reduction in Dogs & Cats:

There was a significant increase in the overall proportion of pet owners who indicated a reduction in stress on Day 6 (62.16%) to Day 25 (91.89%). Almost 92% of pet parents saw some type of decrease in their pet's daily stress levels by the end of the study!

Treats had the most immediate and overall highest proportion of “yes” responses.

Here is the breakdown by different CBD products:

• CBD Oils: significant increase from 50.00% (n=18) to 86.36% (n=22)

• CBD Dog Chews: non-significant increase from 88.89% (n=9) to 100.00% (n=8)

• Quick Calm CBD: non-significant increase from 50.00% (n=18) to 86.36% (n=22)

 

CBD as a Promising Pet Supplement

Cannabidiol (CBD) is the most abundant of over 100 cannabinoids found in the hemp plant’s flowers and leaves. For the growing interest of pet parents looking for more

natural options for their pets, a botanical extract that is less processed and provides relaxation, like CBD, is a natural fit. 

Earth Buddy’s 2022 Pet Calming Study provides the first, game-changing data around the impact full-spectrum CBD pet products had on stress levels in dogs and cats. These findings will continue to help inform Earth Buddy's instructions on how to use CBD for dogs and cats.

“Our goal since 2016 has been to provide transparent resources on hemp-derived compounds and other natural ingredients for our pets. I am extremely excited to share the data considering stressed dogs are one of the primary reasons pet parents are using CBD products,” states founder, Sean Zyer. “There was something great in it for everyone, and we hope the benefits live on to those who will be reading this article, looking to discover benefits of CBD as a remedy for their pets.” 

For more information, please visit our Learn page or contact us. To be notified about or participate in Earth Buddy’s next study, visit our Study page.