Pet owners will go to great lengths to support the health of their beloved animals. It’s hard to watch them get older and suffer from symptoms like chronic joint pain, inflammatory disorders, autoimmune disease, and more.
This is why so many pet owners are reaching for a bottle of CBD oil to use with their dogs these days. This all-natural health supplement has been shown to reduce pain and inflammation, improve joint mobility, alleviate anxiety, and much more.
When shopping for CBD pet oils, it’s important to order your products from a reputable source. There are a lot of companies these days selling products that simply aren’t worth the money.
Here are three of the best CBD oils for dogs. We’ll also cover some of the basics about how to use CBD oils with your dog effectively.
Best CBD Oil For Dogs: 2020 Roundup
- Royal CBD – Award Winning, Best CBD For Dogs Overall
- Gold Bee – Runner Up, Quality Product at a Good Price
- Blessed CBD – Potent CBD, But Only Ships to the UK
1. Royal CBD Pet Oil — Editor’s Pick
Royal CBD only launched its lineup of CBD pet products earlier this year. They released two lines of products, a selection of CBD-infused dog treats and these organic CBD pet oils.
Despite being so new, these pet oils have already been awarded as the top pick for CBD products for pets on a variety of websites. A few notable examples include Weed News, We Be High, SF Weekly, CityBeat, SF Examiner, and CL Tampa.
What makes these pet oils so special?
The first point we need to mention is the price. Most pet products come with an added markup. This isn’t exclusive to CBD products but includes all health supplements. Pet products, on average, cost 15% more than their human counterparts — despite consisting of the exact same ingredients.
Royal CBD doesn’t markup their pet oils, and in fact, the cost for every milligram of CBD (a good metric for assessing value) is actually lower than their regular line of CBD oils.
The second selling point for these oils comes from the way they’ve been optimized for dogs. They have a dog-friendly bacon flavor to make it easier to convince your dog to take their CBD oil and come in three different potencies specifically designed to match the size of your animal.
Royal CBD pet oils come in the following options:
- 125 mg CBD oil — best option for small dogs
- 250 mg CBD oil — best option for mid-sized dogs
- 500 mg CBD oil — best option for large dogs
2. Gold Bee CBD Oil — Runner-Up
We like Gold Bee oils for many of the same reasons as Royal CBD. Their products deliver very high value for the money spent and come in potencies perfectly suited for dogs of different sizes.
This company doesn’t specifically market its CBD oils for pets and doesn’t come in dog-specific flavors. However, the unflavored version of this oil is perfectly safe to use with dogs.
None of the products in the Gold Bee lineup have psychoactive side effects or contain any ingredients that may make them harmful for your pet. Additionally, they’re priced well below the average cost for CBD pet oils of equivalent or lesser quality.
These oils have been recommended for use with pets by several industry experts and media outlets, including Orlando Weekly, LA Weekly, Metro Times, Cleveland Scene, Riverfront Times, VentureBeat, and SA Current.
We recommend you match the potency of the oil with the size of your pet for the best results:
- 300 mg CBD oil — best option for small and mid-sized dogs
- 600 mg CBD oil — best option for large dogs
- 1200 mg CBD oil — best option for very large dogs
3. Blessed CBD Oil — UK’s Best CBD Brand
We’ve included Blessed CBD as our alternative option for readers living in Europe. None of the other companies on this list will ship beyond the American border.
Most American CBD brands won’t ship internationally due to core differences in the regulation of CBD products in Europe compared to the United States.
Blessed CBD oils are considered by many to be the best option on the UK CBD market. This brand is one of the few companies implementing independent testing on all its products. Third-party testing is the only way to verify the claims a CBD brand makes about its products.
Tests are done to examine the total CBD content of the extract, along with the ratio of other cannabinoids, terpenes, and other phytochemicals in the final product.
Other tests are done to check for contaminants that can be harmful to both humans and pets.
You can find all these tests live on Blessed CBD’s website to read yourself.
These oils come in three different potencies, but it’s best to stick to the 500 mg version for use with dogs. The other options (1000 and 1800 mg) may be too strong to use with dogs. A single drop too many could cause your dog to feel lethargic for the rest of the day.
Another excellent UK-based brand to consider is Crush CBD. They offer comparable products at a competitive price for the UK market.
Is There a Difference Between Human CBD Oil & Pet CBD Oil?
There is no fundamental difference between a CBD oil marketed for humans compared to CBD oils marketed for pets. Both products are made from the same hemp extract.
This means that any simple CBD oil made for humans can also be used safely with dogs — with some caveats.
The only products unsafe to use with dogs are CBD oils that have other ingredients added that might pose a risk to dogs. Caffeine, for example, can be found in some CBD oils designed to promote daytime energy and focus. These products are not safe to use with dogs.
One difference you may see between CBD oils for dogs and conventional CBD oils are the flavors used.
CBD oils for dogs usually feature flavors like bacon, chicken, or beef, while conventional CBD oils usually have fruity, minty, or vanilla flavorings instead.
If using a regular CBD oil with dogs, it’s best to stick to the raw, unflavored versions instead of giving dogs CBD oils that are overly sweet.
How Much CBD Oil Should I Give My Dog?
Dogs need much smaller doses of CBD than humans. They weigh less and have a lower fat content on average compared to humans. Older or younger dogs also tend to be much more sensitive to CBD products, so it’s important to start with a very low dose, and gradually increase over time.
We recommend starting all dogs at a low dose of around 2 mg of CBD. This works out to around eight drops of a standard 250 mg pet oil. From here, you can increase the dose by 2 mg every day until you notice symptoms start to improve.
If your dog is very large (over 50 lbs), you may want to start at around 5 mg of CBD instead and increase the dose by 5 mg per day.
If you find your dog is much more tired than usual after using CBD oils, you may need to cut back a bit on the dose.
Are Cannabis Terpenes Safe For Dogs?
Many people are using cannabis-derived terpenes alongside their CBD oil to provide additional benefits. You can order all different kinds of cannabis terpenes from companies like Finest Labs and add them to your pet’s CBD oil.
Popular terpenes to include are:
- Bisabolol — for pain and inflammation
- Myrcene — for pain and inflammation
- Caryophyllene — makes the effects of CBD stronger
- Limonene — uplifts your dog’s mood
- Pinene — for immune support
- Humulene — sedative and relaxant
Summary: Best CBD Oils For Dogs
CBD oils are a popular health supplement for dogs. They’re used to support a variety of common health complaints experienced by our canine companions.
The most common reasons to reach for a bottle of CBD pet oil include separation anxiety, pain and inflammation, autoimmune disease, digestive inflammation, and as an adjunctive for chemotherapy or cancer treatment.
It’s important to find reputable sources of CBD oils in order to avoid wasting your money on ineffective or unsafe products. Look for brands with a solid track record and plenty of positive customer reviews or brand mentions.
The best CBD pet oils on the market today come from sources like Royal CBD and Gold Bee. Both brands provide multiple potencies to match the size of your dog, come backed by a 30-day satisfaction guarantee, and use high-grade, organic hemp to make its products.
