Are CBD Dog Treats Healthy for your Pet?

CBD, while still technically considered a schedule 1 substance by the FDA, has been slowly approved at the state level, is now legal in 47 states for use. It’s medicinal properties have led many to seek it out in various forms as a way to relieve discomfort and even help with a weakened immune system. Studies have been conducted on this substance to see if it offers the same benefits for pets as it does for humans. Turns out, it does.

It may sound scary hearing CBD and your pets in the same sentence. But many pet owners swear by the use of CBD oil or CBD dog treats that has helped hundreds of pets live a discomfort free life or avoid complications from systemic health issues. It’s not a cure all or miracle drug, but it can help your dog live a happier and healthier life when given in moderation.

What Is CBD?

CBD stands for cannabidiol, which is a compound found in cannabis and hemp. The first and most important thing to note is that CBD contains less than 0.3% (tetrahydrocannabinol), commonly known as THC, which is another compound in cannabis that results in a high. So, to answer the quick questions: CBD will not make you high, though it offers relief and other positive effects.

How Does It Affect My Dog?

There are many peer-reviewed formal studies on use of CBD with pets. CBD interacts with the endocannabinoid receptors located in the central and peripheral nervous systems. These are the systems that help us maintain balance and maintain the status quo healthy state. Many pet owners have reported positive effects on their pets after using CBD.

So how does the ECS (endocannabinoid system) in pets work? Look at the ECS like a conductor of a symphony orchestra, where it does not actually play an instrument, but rather interacts with almost every major function of dog and cat health. It is a chemical balancing system that signals to different mechanisms in the body and helps to balance and promote homeostasis in the body. 

What Does CBD Dog Treats Help?

While no formal data exists, many pet owners have used CBD to treat discomfort, neuropathic issues, and stress in their pets. CBD also promotes healthy inflammatory response properties, benefits for the cardiac system, stimulates appetite, helps with nausea, calms or relaxes, and may even have immune supporting benefits currently being explored. Many older dogs with joint discomfort can benefit from CBD.

Despite the many benefits of using CBD dog treats, they more importantly offer a palatable option for pet owners. Dogs can occasionally be deterred by the earthy smell and taste of CBD, so creating a palatable option in treat form is an easier option. At Earth Buddy, we take pride in our CBD dog treats because we oven bake them at low temperatures with whole-food ingredients. 

What are the effects and risks of CBD dog treats?

CBD dog treats are sold all over the place now due to the explosion of pet owners reporting the help they provided their companion animal. That does not come without risk, and pet owners need to be aware and know how to assess whether a product is quality or not. As we stated before, CBD dog treats are not a miracle drug or cure all and have to looked at on an individual basis. All dogs are different, so as a safe and responsible pet owner, take the approach of starting low and going slow. 

Like anything, there are some side effects associated with CBD. It can affect the production of saliva, resulting in some dry mouth. It also may cause drowsiness and lower blood pressure. The full scope of safety risks for CBD in dogs has not been explored. To accommodate this, doses are kept low and you need to monitor for any reaction the same way you would for yourself taking a new medication. And be sure to talk to your vet who cannot legally prescribe your dog CBD but can offer advice on the best options.

So to determine how CBD treats are good for dogs, you will want to start with researching reputable companies that provide third-party lab tests. This is a first step in deciding whether this product is right for your dog. The second step is another confirmation of transparency and willingness to explain things like their sourcing of hemp and how it is extracted. Many companies in the pet industry 3rd party source their hemp for pet products and have little to no information on how it was grown and processed. 

Lastly, looking at full ingredient panels to see what else is in the product is just as important as the concerns around the hemp used. Pet CBD companies often use low quality ingredients that provide no nutritional value and are used as binders or fillers. Be wary of long ingredient lists that contain things that are hard to pronounce ingredients or preservatives that can be harmful to your dog. Low quality grains, like wheat, and highly processed animal fats are also commonly used as palatants and often marketed as “bacon” flavor, etc..

What makes Earth Buddy CBD dog treats different from so many other brands? 

For starters, Earth Buddy CBD dog treats are NOT your typical dog treat and we have tried and true recipes that we have used for almost 20 years. Our recipes are different from that of traditional dog treat manufacturers, in that, we take a small bakery approach. We start by sourcing real, human-grade ingredients that are not highly refined or processed. Made from scratch, we use functional ingredients like organic coconut oil, apple cider vinegar, and turmeric with black pepper. These are just a few reasons why our Hemp Hearts have been one of our best-selling categories for almost 7 years! 

Till this day, we hand cut each and every Hemp Heart dog treat and bake them at low temperatures to preserve the smell and potency of our CBD dog treats. Contrary to large scale treat manufacturers, who often make hard and nearly inedible dog treats that have no sign of being palatable or nutritious, our CBD dog treats smell like a fresh baked cookie. Large scale manufacturers often bake their CBD dog treats at very high temperatures creating a rock-hard biscuit that can be difficult for older pets to consume. Because we operate our facility like any local commercial bakery, there is a lovely smell of pumpkin, blueberry, cinnamon, or apple that you can smell when you open a bag of our Hemp Hearts up.

Always choose minimally processed and limited ingredients when looking for CBD dog treats and steer clear of any artificial flavors or preservatives. Synthetic compounds used in dog treats of any kind are harder for the body to digest. 

Now that you have read through the many aspects of CBD dog treats and how your dog’s health can benefit from them, we encourage you to do your own research. We take pride in being fully transparent with our sourcing and process, so feel free to reach out with any questions. 

You can explore our offering of CBD dog treats in Denver and learn more!

For additional resources:

https://youtu.be/WHZrYU2W2c8

https://www.petage.com/earth-buddy-study-full-spectrum-cbd-effective-at-calming-pets/

https://wgnradio.com/anna-davlantes/how-can-cbd-benefit-your-pet/