How to Give CBD Oil to an Anxious Pet

Can You Give CBD Oil to an Anxious Pet?

I’m not just a crazy chicken lady, I’m also a crazy dog lady, and a crazy cat lady (and pretty much a crazy animal lady). My pets and their well-being is important to me so I do my best to keep them happy and healthy. However, I was at a loss for how to help one of my rescue dogs overcome his anxiety. Some articles I’ve read suggested that CBD oil would help. So I asked my veterinarian about this and she told me that giving CBD oil to an anxious pet is often very helpful. I was a bit concerned that it would upset his stomach or make his anxiety worse, so I didn’t jump into this experiment immediately.

Disclosures:
I received CBD oil for pets from Eaton Hemp free of charge to review. All opinions are my own and I do my best to remain impartial in my review.
Regulations on CBD products vary from state to state. Please check your local regulations to determine if you are able to use this product.

Are you wondering if CBD might help your pets? Before you start, make sure you aren’t breaking local laws and do some research. You’ll need to determine if CBD is safe and offers a benefit for the animal you wish to treat. According to this article, CBD in its pure form is safe to use for animals. However, if your pet has any liver conditions, you should steer clear until there’s more research. It’s also important to make sure that the product you purchase doesn’t contain THC because it is harmful to dogs and cats.

CBD may offer relief from arthritis, seizures, anxiety, and pain for our pets. So, after doing my research and determining that it’s perfectly legal in my area, I decided it should be safe to use this product to treat Shadow for his anxiety.

Shadow’s Anxiety Problems

Here’s a little bit of background about Shadow and his anxiety problems. We adopted this loveable guy in October of 2011 from a high-kill shelter. When I saw Shadow in his cage I could tell he was very friendly and loveable and scared to death by all of the barking and commotion in the shelter.

When we put his leash on and let him out of his cage, he was so happy to get out and he made it clear there was NO WAY he was going back in. He was such a big baby and everyone in our family agreed to adopt him. You could definitely see his relief when he got to jump in our car and come home with us.

Shadow quickly bonded with me and, although he loves our entire family, he is definitely my dog. If I leave to get groceries or get together with friends for coffee, he waits by the door for me.

He’s always been a bit of a worrier and he seems fearful we’ll leave him. Shadow doesn’t like to travel, go to the vet’s, or the kennel. Every excursion seems to cause anxiety and over the years it’s gotten much worse. In recent years he started moaning almost constantly. The vet has checked him over repeatedly and determined that his problems are emotional, not physical.

Trying CBD Oil for My Anxious Dog

Once I had done my research and decided to try CBD for Shadow, I started looking at prices. I’ll admit that it isn’t cheap. I hesitated to purchase an expensive product without knowing if it would make him sick. Fortunately, I was offered a chance to review a bottle of CBD oil from Eaton Hemp recently… talk about serendipity!

Now, I’ll be honest, I get a little bit concerned about giving any new foods, treats, or supplements to either of my dogs. They both tend to have sensitive stomachs and new treats often end in several days of dog vomit and frustration. I hate to see them uncomfortable so it took a few days before I got up the nerve to actually add any CBD oil to his food.

Here’s How He Reacted…

I started out by giving him just a few drops of the product on his food. He made it through the next 24 hours with no tummy troubles… yay! Each day I increased the amount slightly, adding it to his breakfast. I don’t give him a full dose (according to the instructions) because he is doing very well with about two-thirds of a dose.

Here are the changes I’ve noticed in him over approximately 2 weeks of daily use:

• No more moaning (from near-constant moaning to the occasional grumble when I don’t feed him on time)
• Sleeping soundly instead of moaning and acting restless at night
• Taking regular naps during the day and sleeping soundly
• Not underfoot or right behind me all of the time
• Much happier attitude and less anxious as long as he gets his CBD oil
• He actually gets the zoomies sometimes! (Pretty good for an old guy)

On several occasions, Shadow has refused to eat his breakfast with the CBD oil in the morning. On those days he has gone back to moaning and acting very anxious. One day he got very worked up and his teeth started chattering uncontrollably. When he finally ate his food with the CBD on it, he calmed down within a few minutes and took a nap.

I wanted to be sure that these results weren’t just my imagination so I asked my husband if he noticed any changes in our senior dog’s behavior. He had also noticed that Shadow was no longer moaning and anxious and agreed that the CBD oil has helped immensely.

Trying CBD for a Grumpy Cat

Our cat, Moonie, is usually pretty laid back and I’ve never felt he needed help dealing with anxiety. However, my sister recently adopted a cute little kitty who likes to shred things with her nails, go figure! In an attempt to protect her furniture and other belongings, Beth started clipping her cat’s claws. This, naturally, does not go over well with Sasha the kitty, and nail clipping time was turning into ‘grumpy kitty vs scratched-up human.’

So my sister started giving Sasha CBD oil a little while before trimming her nails. Although she still can’t get all of her nails trimmed in one sitting, things are going much more smoothly and Sasha cooperates (begrudgingly) for her ‘pedicure,’ for a little while at least.

If I ever do have a problem with an anxious cat, I would have no problem trying CBD oil to help improve their quality of life. We’ve had several pets over the years that I think would have benefited greatly from CBD if it had been available at the time.

Is Giving CBD Oil to an Anxious Pet Right for You?

If you have a pet that has anxiety problems, arthritis, or other problems, you may wish to add CBD oil to their daily regimen. Research and anecdotal evidence both show that this can be a good alternative treatment to some conventional medications. Naturally, there are some things to keep in mind if you wish to try this.

First, you should always talk to your veterinarian to see if this is a good solution for your pet. Be aware that they may not be able to recommend CBD oil because of state regulations. You should also ask about the benefits and potential dangers.

It’s also important to choose a quality product from a reliable company. I had very good results with the CBD oil I received free of charge to review from Eaton Hemp. Make sure that you follow the instructions on the container and try a small dose at first to see how your pet reacts. Use the recommended dose for your pet’s weight once you determine they can handle a smaller dose. Keep an eye on your pet to make sure they don’t have any adverse reactions.

I can’t say if using this product for your pet is a good solution for their problems. However, in my experience, CBD oil has proved to be very beneficial for my senior dog, Shadow. I am convinced that his last few years will be much more comfortable and he’ll be a lot happier! Next, I am planning to try CBD for our other rescue dog, Rocky. He is developing arthritis and I’m looking into some products that have turmeric, CBD, and glucosamine for joint pain in dogs. I hope it helps him as much as the CBD has helped Shadow.

I think you’ll like these posts…

Wheat Free Dog Biscuits (a treat I can safely give my dogs with sensitive stomachs)
Make a Soothing Balm for Your Pets’ Paws (this stuff is great for dry paws)
How to Foster a Dog on the Homestead (more cute pictures of little rescue Rocky!)
How to Make a No-Sew Fleece Pillow Cover (to see how I made a new cover for an old dog bed)
All Hands On Pet! Your How-To On Home Physical Therapy Methods for Pets Book Review

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