What Is the Best Way to Give My Dog CBD?
How To Give CBD Oil to Dogs
Due to some of the amazing health benefits it can provide for our four-legged friends, CBD is becoming a more popular natural therapy option for pet parents with senior dogs suffering from how to treat dog arthritis pain, severe canine skin allergies or separation anxiety.
Unfortunately, dogs only know whether or not they enjoy the taste of a CBD oil–It’s up to dog owners to find ideas on how to encourage your pup into taking CBD into their body.
This Quick Start Guide is designed to help answer some of the basic questions on how to deliver CBD to your dog to get the best, most therapeutically effective (and economical) results to successfully improve your dog’s overall health and wellbeing.
Quick Start Guide to Giving CBD Oil to Dogs
Currently, Cannabidiol (CBD) comes in many forms that you can give your dog–from treats to tinctures to topical paw balm for dogs–but which delivery method is most clinically effective to help heal & comfort your dog?
1. Sublingual CBD Application
Oral application is the most effective for CBD oil delivery & direct placement is ideal because your pet will get the exact amount of the recommended dose.
Bioavailability is key to CBD absorption and to a large extent, the therapeutic effects provided by CBD oil can only be realized if the cannabidiol is presented to specific receptors found throughout the dog’s Endocannabinoid System (ECS).
These targeted cellular receptors are present to varying degrees in the canine brain, central nervous system & body organs and tissues and are only reached by CBD-rich blood flow.
So before CBD can have any influence over your dog’s biological systems to correct disease processes, it first needs to be absorbed into the bloodstream and transported to cannabinoid receptors throughout the body and exposure to these ECS receptors depends on the adequate and timely ‘absorption’ of CBD into the bloodstream.
Unfortunately, cannabinoid extracts are ‘oil-based’ so by their very nature are highly hydrophobic, meaning they have a low affinity for water–and are, therefore, very difficult to absorb into blood, plasma and body tissues.
Therefore, the direct application of CBD oil to your dog’s mouth through a measured dropper is the preferred method of giving CBD oil to dogs.
If your dog tolerates this method, stick with it! Just remember to be gentle with your dog—don’t gag or squeeze their mouth too tight.
Also, consider giving your furry friend snack treats immediately after to reward their good behavior!
2. Mix CBD With Your Dog’s Daily Food
If there’s one thing all dogs have in common, is they LOVE FOOD.
So, another simple way to get your dog to take their CBD is to add it directly to their daily food consumption. This will ensure they will eat it and it will only be one extra step in their (and your) daily routine.
Another benefit of this is that they will NOT be eating high-caloric treats all day; rather eating their regular dog food, ensuring they maintain a healthy weight.
Most dry dog foods will actually mask both the taste and texture of the CBD oil product, some wet food however may not be accepting of the compound and may separate in the bowl or on the plate. Make sure your dog is not passing up the CBD oil as they eat as some dogs have been known to be sneaky about skipping added ingredients.
As a delivery method, CBD added to food has less bioavailability.
Compared to sublingual oral delivery, less than 10% of CBD consumed in food is actually absorbed into the blood; most will be broken down by digestive enzymes and the rest will pass through the liver, never reaching the target receptors.
But mixing CBD oil with your dog’s food is at least a good introduction of CBD to your dog’s diet.
3. CBD As A Snack Treat Topper
Some dogs are just picky towards everything and notice even the slightest change to their favorite food. In these situations, it may be best to try and apply it directly onto a snack treat given between regular mealtimes.
Many dog owners who want to give their canine friends the benefits of CBD for dogs use dog treats or commercial pet snacks to administer the CBD.
This is best with porous treats, as these can absorb the CBD oil better than flat or rounded dog treats.
Once you have the correct dosage of CBD, you can apply it to the dog treat; give it some time to soak in. You can even use a dropper to make the process simpler.
Though this method is less effective in delivering CBD to the target receptors it is still effective at getting CBD into your dog’s system which, over the long run, will ultimately help them out.
4. Ready Made CBD Dog Treats
Or, of course, you can buy CBD pet treats that have the CBD baked into them. These are preferred for a number of reasons – namely convenience, you don’t have to spend time applying the right dose of CBD yourself and many are made with other health enhancing ingredients to help a dog with painful joints
Another thing you want to consider when looking at CBD dog treats is what else is in that treat. Adding CBD won’t matter if the product contains artificial flavors or preservatives. The amounts of CBD won’t likely be high enough to combat the negative health impact of low-grade food additives.
5. Dilute CBD In Your Dog’s Water
Administering CBD oil tinctures under the tongue can be challenging for some dogs. However, an easy way to replace this method of CBD delivery is to add your dog’s daily CBD dosage in their drinking water.
For dogs that drink water on a regular basis you can add the oil into your pet’s water dish without them knowing. Just make sure that you put the appropriate dosage(s) so that at the end of the day, your pet will get all the beneficial effects of CBD.
Note: if your pet doesn’t drink water frequently, then this method may not be an effective substitute for sublingual oral delivery.
The Bottom-Line Takeaway
CBD is a highly effective natural compound in treating different health conditions in dogs. The primary reason most pet parents are turning to CBD oil is to help care for their furry friends suffering with painful joints or to calm an anxious dog.
But the most important step for your dog to fully experience the healing benefits of CBD oil is to efficiently deliver these Phyto-nutrients directly into their body.
With varying degrees of efficacy, successful CBD therapy depends on the mode of delivery.
Although the effectiveness of oral (sublingual) CBD administration is the preferred method of administration, your dog can still experience the prolonged benefits of this amazing healing compound through other forms of CBD oil delivery.
Successful CBD Therapy for Dogs Begins with These 5 Steps:
Curtis has been passionate about the health and welfare of animals since his first dog rescue.
After studying Sports Medicine & Biology at the University of Oregon, Curtis went on to excel in a career of Clinical Nutrition, later owning a health care supplement company serving private-practice physicians.
Known for his expansive knowledge of natural health and alternative medicine, Curtis believes that natural plant-based therapies can be applied to veterinary animal care which led him to study the science of Cannabinoid Medicine. His expertise in Functional Medicine led him to formulate a unique hemp-based canine care product, Canine Support Formula, fulfilling a dream to combine natural pet-care strategies with the new therapeutic potential of medical cannabis.
In reverence for his own dog, Parker, Curtis has dedicated his company–K9 Medibles–to improving the health and longevity of all dogs.
To learn more about Curtis and how K9 Medibles can help your dog, click HERE.
Thx for the very informative article Curtis!
Giving my dog his CBD oil sublingually (under or even on his tongue) was a real challenge. He actually spit it out (dogs can spit? Yes ????)
My vet said (as you did here, Curtis) that putting the dose in his food wasn’t as effective by far. So I found that by pulling out RudiBoy’s lower lip I could drop it in his gum area much more easily (tho he still doesn’t like the process). Followed by a treat, it works!
K9MEDIBLES is the best CBD oil and customer service!!?!