Using cannabis for pets is a hot topic. It comes up in my practice daily. Now that marijuana is legal in Colorado, more of my clients have access to and use cannabis for medical and recreational purposes. In this article, I am going to cover the basics of cannabis and how you can use it for your dog. If marijuana isn’t yet legal in your state, keep reading. Everything I am going to teach you is legal in all 50 states.
Don’t worry cat lovers, the next installment is for you! Cats are not small dogs and don’t metabolize this herb in the same way. They deserve their own post!
Is it hemp or marijuana? What’s the difference?
I was initially confused by this! So, I am going to break it down in the simplest of terms.
First, let’s consider dogs. We classify all domestic dogs to be one species, Canis lupus. Within this classification we have different breeds. For example, a Rottweiler is a different breed than a Chihuahua. While they are both in the same species (Canis lupus), they have very different properties such as size and demeanor.
Let’s get back to cannabis. Cannibus sativa is the term for the plant. It is a very general classification. There are different strains of Cannibus sativa. This is where we can differentiate hemp and marijuana. They are both cannabis but have different properties. For example, some strains of cannabis sativa are designed to make industrial hemp fiber, while others are designed to make psychoactive marijuana.
Wait, is this legal?
To answer this question, it’s important that you understand what makes cannabis medicinal. There are two main components to consider.
THC (tetrahydrocannabinol). This is the part of the plant with psychoactive properties. In other words, this is the part of the plant that causes you, or your dog, to get ‘high’. There are medicinal properties to THC as well.
CBD (cannabidiol). This is the part of the plant with NO psychoactive properties. Instead it has only medicinal properties. Your dog cannot get high from this component of the plant.
It is legal to buy and use products in all 50 states with THC concentrations below 0.3%.
Keep reading to find out what products I use and where you can buy them.
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Will my dog get ‘high’?
Dogs have many, many more THC receptors in their brains compared with humans. It takes a small fraction of THC to get a dog ‘high’ compared with a human. For some people, consuming THC, causes paranoia and anxiety. Obviously, we don’t want that for our dogs.
If you stick to the preparations of CBD for dogs that are legal and have less than 0.3% THC, this won’t be a problem.
Don’t share your marijuana with your dog!
When should I use cannabis for my dog?
As always you should work with your veterinarian when deciding on a treatment plan. We still have a long way to go to fully understand the medicinal properties of cannabis. Most of the information we are using in veterinary medicine about cannabis comes from human studies. This isn’t ideal and hopefully more animal studies will be done in the future. At this point we have a lot of anecdotal evidence in dogs. Anecdotal evidence isn’t the most reliable but it’s a start.
Here are some common uses of cannabis in veterinary medicine:
Anxiety – CBD has been shown to improve overall tranquility and feeling of well-being in people. It’s calming effects may be due to an increase in GABA and serotonin, both calming neurotransmitters. I also like using l-theanine and magnesium to help manage anxiety.
Arthritis – The anti-inflammatory properties of CBD can be a great addition to a pain management protocol. Consider using cannabis in conjunction with acupuncture and massage.
Epilepsy – There is a lot of interest in the anti-seizure effects of cannabis in human medicine. A quick web search reveals many people that are treating themselves with cannabis and successfully controlling seizures. It is very important that you never discontinue medications for dogs with epilepsy.
There have been reports of cannabis helping heart disease, reducing allergies and reducing symptoms of IBD. Right now the possibilities are endless.
Where can I get it?
There is one brand I use for dogs,HempRx by Rx Vitamins for Pets. What’s wonderful about this product is that they offer an oil or chew. You can add the oil to your dog’s food once or twice daily. It’s formulated by a veterinarian and has a pleasant smell. If your dog doesn’t mind chews, that’s another great option.
It’s important that you know the quality and strength of the cannabis product if you decide to use another product. Some of the commercial products I see are just not potent enough to see great results. I always use the maximum dose with my patients and generally see results within four weeks.
Be patient.
Want to learn more? Check out this book written by Dr. Robert Silver, DVM. It is really user-friendly and is extremely comprehensive.
I would love to hear from you! Are you using cannabis for your dog? What results have you seen? Is it legal where you live?
With love,
Recommended Products From This Post
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Hi! Our dog is allergic to a lot and while we feel we now know what she’s allergic to we worry she may still have times where she could get a “reaction” to something and get a rash or hives etc. So can you give benadryl if they are taking CBD? If so how far apart do the doses need to be? Or can they not be mixed?
Hi there!
We’ve not seen any negative interaction when giving CBD and Benadryl together.
I hope this helps!
Warmly,
Claire
I have an older rescue English Cocker. I also had an 11 year old Lab whom we put to sleep 4 days ago due to severe arthritis that made it unbearable to walk (Criss cross) and she was in constant pain. She was on your Forte Hemp for 2 years and gave us a few more years. Thanks! Now our little dog has developed severe separation anxiety and depression. I have an almost full bottle of Forte Hemp left from Amber and would like to know if it would help our little guy’s life. He misses Amber so much it’s heartbreaking. Thanks for listening.
Hi Myra!
I am so deeply sorry to hear about the passing of your sweet lab. I am so glad that the CBD helped to greatly improve her quality of life for the last years of her life. What a blessing!
Yes, I would absolutely suggest using the Forte for your English Cocker! Here is our dosing chart.
I sure hope this helps. LOTS of love to you!
Hugs,
Claire
Hi, I have a German Shepherd dog, 8 yrs old with arthritis. He has been prescribed carprofen for pain and inflammation management. It has caused colitis symptoms (bloody diarrhea) and subsequently we tried Galliprant, which is supposed to be easier on the GI tract, but caused the same symptoms. And so then he has to have metronidazole to stop the GI symptoms. We now use the carprofen 5 days on, two days off, and it seems to be working better that way. And he also gets gabapentin to supplement the pain relief. But, I am wondering if using CBD might be a way to reduce the dosage of carprofen and help his sensitive GI tract while relieving some arthritis pain. In our state Vets are still not allowed to prescribe or recommend CBD products. What do you think?
Hi Michele,
CBD may absolutely help with pain management, and help with lowering the effective dose needed from NSAIDS!
I would definitely recommend an oil verses a chew, simply because the oil is a single-ingredient product and this will be very helpful for your pup’s sensitive stomach!
For large dogs, we recommend HempRx Forte and our dosing chart is here (however you can easily double the “high end” dosing if needed)
Will you keep me posted on how it may help!?
Warmly,
Claire
Hi there. I inherited a chihuahua / rat-terrier mix about a year and a half ago. He came with some anxiety issues around food. (All food — I have tried them all. Now we’re getting the gently cooked meats from Marty’s Meals.) We have to coax him to eat, and often hand feed him. Sometimes he’s just shaking like a leaf when we do. Of course he’s been physically evaluated — there’s nothing physically wrong with him to cause this. (It might be the result of having subsisted primarily on treats for the first 1.5 years of his life.) Would CBD help? If so, how much should I give him?
Hi Stephanie,
Your pup landed a good home when he found you,I can tell!
We love Marty’s Meals! Does this make you local to Boulder?
This sounds so stressful. Are you warming up the food at all before feeding? That’s just one thought that came to mind. Also, is he generally anxious during other periods of time?
CBD may help! For small dogs, we usually suggest HempRx and our dosing chart is here (although there is a lot of wiggle room to work beyond the “high” dose if needed).
I hope this helps, and keep us posted!
Warmly,
Claire
Nice Blog ! Keep sharing
Hi there,
Yay! So glad you enjoyed it!
Warmly,
Claire
I guess you did not like my question, so you deleted my post?
You could at least reply that you don’t want to reply…
Thank you
Tomas
Hi Tomas,
We “approve and reply” all comments at the same time, I’m sorry if that felt misleading. Let me go ahead and read your previous comment from Sunday and respond now!
Warmly,
Claire
I have a cbd oil in a 40 ml bottle that says the cbd is21-30 mg/ml & the thc is 2mg/ml. My question is can I give this to my 70lb golden retriever to help with her hip? If so how do I calculate how much I can give her? Right now I give her glucosamine & it helps some but I’d like to do a little more for her.
Hi Malcolm,
We usually suggest starting around 0.50mg-1mg/kg of CBD twice daily. For a 70 pound dog, this is around 15-30mg of CBD twice daily. We don’t tend to recommend THC.
I hope that this helps!
Warmly,
Claire
Hello,
I would like to know why THC is not recommended? I am using CBD and a type of Simpson’s oil to treat
two stray dogs I took in who were diagnosed with TVT, and they seem to be responding well. Aside from acting happy and playing, I cannot see any negative effects. Am I missing something?
Thank you
Tomas
Hi Tomas,
We mainly don’t suggest THC because we see great results with CBD only. We also can’t be sure how our pets respond to the “high” from THC. I’m so glad that it’s working well for your pups!
Warmly,
Claire
Hi – I really enjoyed your articles. I recently adopted a 12 yr old Chihuahua (about 7 lbs now) and about two weeks ago he started loosing his appetite and vomiting. Tests showed he is in kidney failure. He also has a heart murmur and IVDD. Is there any indication CBD oil is helpful in dogs with kidney disease? He’s the sweetest little fellow and the idea of not being able to do more is heart breaking. Any suggestions or tips you can provide are greatly appreciated!
Hi Riana,
I am so glad that you are loving Dr. Angie’s articles! I am so sorry to hear that your new sweet pup is in kidney failure, with a heart murmur and IVDD. That is so much to process! How are you handling it all? How is he doing?
CBD oil may certainly help with some of the side effects associated with kidney disease (like nausea for example), however there are a lot of other approaches you can take to supporting him as well. Have you read Dr. Angie’s article discussing her holistic approach to kidney disease? It is here. The title says cats, but that is only because kidney disease is more common in cats. Her approaches, like fluid therapy and herbs, are also great for pups in this situation as well.
Please keep us posted, I am sending you such a GIANT hug!
Love,
Claire
I have a Aussie / German Shepard who has had seizures for 6 years . He is on keppra 750 er (1500 am & 1500 pm) and phenobarbital 97.2(1 1/2 am & 1 1/2 pm). I want to use CBD instead of all the drugs. Any suggestions? He is 12 and 103lbs.
Hi Stacey!
Have you had a chance to read Dr. Angie’s approach to seizures here? She discusses all kinds of topics, including medications AND CBD. She also gives her suggestion on CBD product and dosing for dogs with seizures.
I hope that this helps!
Warmly,
Claire
Hello ! I have a 80lb almost 16 yo rottie / retriever mix. Her arthritis has gotten really bad and was having a difficult time getting up without whimpering. She was on Carprovet 75mg 2 x a day and it was no longer helping. I started her on CBD oil 1000 , at 2mg per her weight . Stopped the pills. Helped a little . She now has to take 17mg every 8 hours to keep her able to get up easily and walk. She still gets excited to go outside and is talking again like she used to. This dose seems so high compared to recommendations. Am I causing her harm ? I just want her to be comfortable for whatever time she has left. Thanks for your helpful site .
Hi Kathy,
You are doing a great job!
We usually recommend starting with 0.25-0.50mg/kg of CBD twice daily. For your girl’s weight, this is 9-18mg twice daily. However you can easily double that to 34mg twice daily and go up from there if needed.
I hope that this helps!
Warmly,
Claire
Hi Dr. Angie,
I have a 4 y/o, FI, Aussie who has a heterozygous MDRI mutation. Should I use whatever the recommended dose of CBD oil is or should I reduce it and by what amount? Thanks in advance.
Doris
Hi Doris,
Thank you for reaching out!
I am not sure we have any research on how CBD works for dogs with the MDRI mutation. However, I definitely don’t think it would be wrong to start at the low dose (0.25mg/kg twice – or even once- daily) to monitor for a response.
Did you try CBD? How is it going?
Warmly,
Claire
I am new to your site and have been searching out many holistic sites with answers regarding the use of CBD oil. I did find one that I think fits for my dog but was just following up on your sites recommendation of the Hemp RX. Not understanding the amount of mg being offered so minimal for large dogs. I am now using 1000 mg .05-.75 ML twice a day for my 145 pound mixed breed. How could there be such a difference in what you believe a large dog should be taking for inflammation. This brand comes highly recommended with COA on each batch, all natural, 0 THC and on and on. I just find it so frustrating to search for answers and find such a varied response from what I think are good sources. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thank you.
Hi Denise,
Great question!
The difference is likely the concentration of the actual product. How many mg of CBD are in each drop of the product you are using? For There is 0.50mg of CBD/drop in the HempRx and 1mg of CBD/drop in the HempRx Forte. Because it is so highly concentrated, a smaller volume is administered at each dose.
I hope this helps clarify a bit!
Warmly,
Claire
Hello.
Thanks for creating your website. Ive enjoyed the read.
I have a question with regards to the “max” dosage of CBD oil. I ask this as i’ve only found your website that states 2 to 3mg of CBD per kg of body weight, twice daily.
My 16 year old Jack Russell is currently on CBDistillerys CBD oil. 1.7mg per drop.
She has 4 drops on a morning, 4 at night. She has this for purely for seizures and weighs 7kg. Therfore she is currently on, if we round it up, 1mg/kg twice daily (1.7 x 4 = 6.8mg).
It does seem to be helping slightly but if i can do more i have to try.
Simple question here for you is this. From what i’ve read on your website it seems as if im safe to double or even tripple the current droppage i give her. I could in theory give her a “max” of 12 drops on a morning (3mg/kg of body weight) and 12 on a night? (another 3mg/kg of body weight) Any advice here would be welcome.
Sorry if this is long winded, it’s done intentional to help other people out with their dosage questions.
Many thanks in advance.
Craig
Hi Craig,
Excellent question!
Studies done (on dogs) have shown CBD use for seizures at 2.5mg-3mg/kg twice daily. You can definitely try a slow increase of the dosing and see how this helps! I would also recommend using a calendar to log when you increased the dosing (and to what) and logging when she has seizures. Ultimately, this will hopefully help you find the perfect dose.
I hope this helps. Keep us posted, you are doing a great job!
Warmly,
Claire
It isn’t legal in Texas but I started my toy poodles on your oil . Our vet couldn’t recommend it because it isn’t legal but told me he had his dog on it and told me about the website. Bryndi is 12 years old and has arthritis really bad in her front knees and had a really hard time getting around . I was doing injections but they were not lasting very long for the cost of them so I decided to try your oil and it has really help her and you can tell she feels so much better and even runs and plays now . We have been doing it for little over a month and this time I am going to try the chews for her . I also have a dog 14 year old toy poodle which has heart trouble and I am going to try and see if it will help him a little bit , I give him medication every day and I am going to start giving him some cbd oil and just see if it will help him a little more . Thanks Diane Galindo
Hi Diane,
Wow! We are so thrilled to hear that your sweet Bryndi is feeling better on the HempRx. What incredible news!
Will you continue to keep us posted? YAY!
Hugs,
Claire
My old boy has recently been having a real tough go. His leg muscles get so tight he will not even let me bend his elbows. He has a hard time walking. I took him to CSU and they said he likely had a tumor in his neck messing with his nervous system. They would need to do an MRI to be sure but any relief would probably require surgery. I will not put my old friend through that at his age. They gave me several medicines to try but none gave him any relief.
I tried a CBD oil that was made for pets. It worked fantastic. The relief was obvious within one day. He still had trouble walking but was much more relaxed. He easily let me bend his leg joints. But when the bottle ran out, I ordered another from the same place, supposedly same stuff. It did not work at all. He is now back the way he was. So disappointing. This place has lab work on their product but I wonder if they really know what to look for or if they can really QC the product well enough to develop a consistent product?
AL
Hi there!
I am so sorry to hear that your boy has been struggling lately. How overwhelming and scary.
How frustrating to find a product that worked, only for the second bottle to not help. It sounds like you looked into it, and the brand does does a COA or guaranteed analysis of the product? Do you know the dosing that you are administering? The maximum dose that we use for dogs is 3mg/kg twice daily.
I hope this helps! Big hugs to you, I know this is a difficult time.
Warmly,
Claire
Dr. Angie,
Have you seen any results with CBD oil and helping to prevent cancer from metastasizing ? I know there is not much research but I have read articles about possible prolonging on life and improve end of life from CBD. Thanks!
-Alison
Hi Alison,
Great question!
Dr. Angie just wrote an article for Animal Wellness Magazine discussing CBD for cancer! It won’t be published until June, but she discusses tons of information in the article regarding CBD for our pets with cancer. She discusses that hemp derived CBD has been shown to cause death to cancer cells, may improve the success rate of chemotherapy and may slow tumor progression.
For cancer patients, she usually recommends 0.50mg/kg of CBD twice daily, slowly increasing to 1mg/kg by day 3 of use.
I hope this information helps!
Warmly,
Claire
I’m confused. You say hemp is different from CBD (which I believe it is) but the product you recommend is hemp. I’m thinking of trying CBD for my 5-month old puppy for his car sickness which I think may be from anxiety.
Hi Celia,
Thank you for reaching out!
CBD derives from the hemp plant (a type of cannabis). All the terminology can get confusing!
We have seen CBD be tremendously helpful for anxiety! The HempRx that we carry has 0.50mg of CBD per drop. Here is our dosing chart.
If you try CBD for your puppy, will you keep us posted on how it helps?
Warmly,
Claire
do you treat dogs with epilepsy with cbd oil there?
Hi Melissa,
We see great success using CBD for epilepsy!
We use the HempRx products, and you can find them on our online store here.
If you try CBD, will you keep us posted?
Warmly,
Claire
I want to thank you from a long distance for the information you have shared. I have a 5 year old intact Bulldog. After some unsuccessful traditional treatment for pancreatitis, I stopped all prescription meds and began treating him with probiotics, slippery elm, and CBD. I trust my vet, but he is terribly conventional. My boy had a serious reaction to the Deramaxx prescribed for his pain. After 24+ hours of bloody diarrhea and another trip to the see the vet, we left with antibiotics and de-wormer. His stool sample (x2) was negative for worms… I had already discontinued the Deramaxx. After two doses of the antibiotics (the rebel in me refused to give him the panacure), he got grumpy and the abdominal pain returned in full force. Within minutes of his first dose of CBD, he was calmer. After his second dose, we had our first full night of peaceful sleep in a week. Today is day 2 of treatment and he has been playful, able to move without discomfort, and had his first normal movement in days. I was scared to veer off the traditional path. It’s one thing for myself, but my boy depends on me to make decisions for him. I’m so glad I chose to try the CBD. Thank you for sharing this information. It was a support I was unable to find elsewhere on a holiday weekend.
Hi Ramona,
YAY! What a great story. I am SO glad your boy is responding so well to CBD. It is truly an amazing and powerful herb!
Thank you so much for sharing – knowing your pup is feeing well brings a smile to our faces!
Warmly,
Claire
Great article Angie! I really enjoyed reading it and found it very informative! Thanks so much for doing the research and sharing your knowledge! If you want yet another interesting aspect of cannabis to look into, terpenes are ALL the rage and have their own therapeutic and medicinal benefits as well! Check out the website below for more information on how the company i am now working with is using terpenes to give people more control over their highs and mood. Look forward to reading more of your articles!
Lia aka Dexter’s nanny 🙂
Hi Lia!
It is so good to hear from you! Many of the CBD products will give the terpene amounts in the their guaranteed analysis. I have been using HempRx by Rx Vitamins for Pets. I hope you are well!
Dr. Angie