If you’ve heard about CBD Oil before, then you’ve likely heard that it can seriously help with nervousness and anxiety. In fact, anxiety is most often the biggest reason both the faithful dog and graceful cat are given CBD by their owners.
So does your pet’s nervousness warrant attention, and if so, is CBD the answer to their anxiety? Let’s find out.
What Causes Anxiety?
Dogs and cats can struggle with anxiety for several reasons. The most common being abandonment/separation followed by noise/environmental sensitivity and fear of strangers.
In particular, anxiety is extremely common in dogs. While sometimes it can stem from their genetics, anxiety can be well-managed in the extreme majority of cases.
What Are The Symptoms Of Anxiety In Dogs And Cats?
The most common symptoms of anxiety in dogs are whining, shivering, whimpering, and timid demeanor. While aggression and hiding are the most common symptoms of anxiety in cats. However, anxiety can manifest itself in several ways.
Anxiety Symptoms In Both Cats And Dogs Include:
- Aggression
- Restlessness
- Repetitive or compulsive behaviors
- Urinating or defecating in the house
- Salivating
- Licking
- Panting
- Destructive behavior
- Depression
- Excessive barking
- Pacing
Common Treatments For Anxiety – CBD Oil
Common ways to help your dog or cat with anxiety include training, toys, audio stimulation, medication, and creating safe spaces for them to hide away in.
A big way to stop anxiety from taking hold in the first place or from increasing in severity is by not giving your pet excessive or concerned attention. More so, you don’t want your behavior to show it’s OK for your dog or cat to be scared of whatever they are. You need to casually take their mind off the issue to show it’s not a big deal instead of showing you’re concerned.
For example, if your dog is scared of thunder, instead of comforting them when they come running to you, grab a toy and play with them like you would if a storm wasn’t happening.
In some cases, anxiety can be so severe that your veterinarian may recommend prescription medication for them. First, it’s important to not get scared if this recommendation is made. In the large majority of cases, both cats and dogs tolerate anxiety medication very well, with many seeing fantastic results.
However, it’s completely fine to express your concerns about putting your pet on anxiety medication due to the potential side effects. In many cases, there are other options for treatments that have few to no side effects that can be explored first. And one of those options might be the notorious plant associated with the hippy.
How CBD Help With Anxiety
Derived from cannabis plants, in particular, the hemp variety, CBD is a non-intoxicating alternative to medical marijuana for those that want to avoid the high associated with these plants.
Both marijuana and hemp are nearly identical, containing hundreds of compounds that are beneficial to health in different ways. However, hemp plants don’t produce notable amounts of tetrahydrocannabinol or THC, otherwise known as the compound that gives marijuana its classic mind-altering effects. This makes hemp-derived CBD products safe for our kids and furry pets to take.
One of the major reasons hemp CBD became popular over the past several years is because this medical flower has collected a bountiful bouquet of studies showing it can help with anxiety.
With studies ranging from ones done on humans to recent ones done on dogs, CBD appears to help with anxiety regardless of its cause. And this is great because there are so many things that can cause anxiety in our pets.
Another major way CBD helps anxiety is in its duration. By providing around 6 hours of anxiety-reducing effects, CBD is great for those that have to leave their pet for long periods because of work, etc. As we learned above, separation away from their owner is the most commonly seen cause of anxiety in dogs.
How Much CBD Should You Give A Dog Or Cat For Anxiety
When it comes to how much CBD you should give your dog or cat for anxiety, there is no one-size-fits-all dosage. Weight plays a major role in determining how much you should give, followed by the condition, its severity, and your dog’s unique blood chemistry.
If we take a look at InnovetPet CBD’s label, we can see how pet’s weight is the basis of dosing instructions.
Most pet owners will want to start with the dosing instructions on the back of their CBD bottle’s label. CBD products vary in concentrations, so never assume two bottles of the same size have the same amount of active compounds in them.
From there, you can slowly adjust the dosage up to find which amount works best for your furnugget. Sometimes these dosages may vary depending on the level of anxiety your pet is experiencing at the moment.
Will CBD Oil Make My Dog Or Cat High?
When CBD oil is derived from industrial hemp, which it should be to be federally legal, CBD oil will not make your pet high. This is because CBD oil is legally required to be derived from cannabis plants that contain no more than 0.3% THC. Compare this to marijuana plants which typically contain 20% THC and up, and it’s easy to see why one causes a high but the other doesn’t, despite both being types of cannabis plants.
CBD Oil, CBD Treats, or Something Else?
Derived from the resin that coats cannabis plants’ leaves and flowers, CBD products range from oils to vapes to candies to hard chews with steak and cheese flavors.
When it comes to giving CBD to your pet, most pet owners prefer CBD oil because it’s easy to give — either directly or hidden in their food — and you can easily try out different dosages. As well, you can make CBD treats with them.
Because cats aren’t as big of fans of the flavors as dogs, CBD treats or CBD oil infused with catnip may offer the better option.
Final Thoughts
Helping a pet with anxiety can be anxiety-inducing in and of itself. However, many pet owners find treating their pet’s anxiety is easier than treating their own. It can take some time, but it’s usually not too difficult to diagnose the cause of your pet’s anxiety.
From there, you’ll likely have several treatment options to choose from. And often, the best treatment plan comprises of many. Whether it’s using CBD and training to overcome the cause or prescription medication and a new toy. You can get more tips on Tindog.
Last, anxiety is extremely common and can happen to the best pet owners. But when treating their pet’s anxiety, not only do most feel they grow as a pet owner, they become closer to their furnugget.
Also Read- Is CBD Oil Good For My Dog?
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