If you’ve found this post, you probably have a dog with an anxiety problem. No judgment and no shame; it’s not uncommon these days.
Modern life hasn’t only proven stressful for humans, and it affects our pets, too.
Many dogs we know suffer from separation anxiety when their humans go to work or when they simply leave for a quick errand. And how many countless pups still have lingering anxiety after being rescued?
If you already are a pet parent to an anxious dog, you know how heartbreaking it can be to watch.
It’s also often difficult to know what course of action to take. Training can only go so far, and vet visits get super-pricey and usually involve equally-pricey pharmaceuticals.
Luckily, you don’t have to put your four-legged friend on doggy Prozac (hopefully) to help them get relief from anxiety.
Best CBD for Dogs with Anxiety Problems
- Editor’s Pick: Cannanine CBD Soft Chews for Anxiety
- Best Value: The Anxious Pet Calming+ Kit
- Best Tasting: Penelope’s Bloom Stress + Anxiety Bundle
- Most Potent: HolistaPet CBD Dog Treats for Anxiety
- Best for Hyperactive Dogs: Reggie Anytime Calming CBD Dog Chews
How Can CBD Help Anxiety in Dogs?
According to multiple studies, CBD has been shown to be highly effective at relieving anxiety symptoms in humans. Now, CBD is being safely incorporated into pet products that can help calm dogs’ nerves and contribute to their overall wellness.
We’ve read literally hundreds and hundreds of testimonials from pet parents who say CBD has changed their dog’s life for the better, and we think CBD is a fantastic way to give your dog legal, all-natural plant medicine to help them lead better lives.
While CBD has multiple applications besides anxiety — like sleep health, anti-inflammatory, and more — we wanted to find the best CBD products for dogs specifically with anxiety issues.
Best CBD for Dogs with Anxiety
Here’s what we found when we took a good look across the market landscape. These are the best CBD products for dogs with anxiety that we could find, based on our list of criteria.
1. Editor’s Pick: Cannanine CBD Soft Chews for Anxiety
Cannanine’s bacon-flavored CBD soft chews are game changers for canines who deal with anxiety. They include their broad spectrum CBD oil in the ingredients, meaning your dog will get additional cannabinoids for more potency, minus the THC. If you’re worried about THC content at all, we highly recommend these treats, as they still provide the same level of potency as the full spectrum options.
The CBD soft chews for anxiety were formulated by a licensed veterinarian, with an impressively simple list of ingredients. Just powerful CBD oil and a few other plant-based items, save the natural bacon flavor.
Speaking of the flavor, dogs love these treats! Based on reviews and our personal experience, dogs gobble them right up. That’s not something that always happens with CBD dog treats, as their recipes can often still leave quite a hempy taste.
In addition to anxiety relief, dogs are experiencing other natural benefits courtesy of Cannanine’s soft chews. We saw reports of decreases in aggression, improved mobility, and better sleep from pet parents. All good things.
Your dog’s weight will determine the dosing with these treats, as with all CBD supplements for pets. Each CBD anxiety soft chew by Cannanine contains 5mg broad spectrum CBD, and each jar contains 60 soft chews. According to the brand, that makes 1 jar a 60-day supply for small dogs, a 45-day supply for medium dogs, and a 30-day supply for large dogs.
Last thing — each time you buy with Cannanine, they donate to a local shelter, and we think that’s totally pawsome, especially with such a small company. Cannanine continues to innovate and inspire in the CBD space for dogs with their passionate team. It’s no wonder their reviews are off the charts.
Pros:
- Made with broad spectrum CBD (0% THC)
- FREE shipping
- All-natural ingredients
- Donation to needy pets with every purchase
- Amazing reviews
Details: Each jar contains 60 CBD soft chews, and dosage is based on weight.
What pet parents have to say: Out of over 400 verified online reviews, Cannanine’s CBD soft chews for anxiety currently hold a 4.9 out of 5 score, making them one of the most well-reviewed on our list. Pet parents have a bit of everything to say, with dogs of all ages and issues responding well to these CBD soft chews. It seems dogs enjoy the taste, too!
2. Best Value: The Anxious Pet Calming+ Kit
One of the reasons we love The Anxious Pet is that they literally formed an entire company to address pet anxiety. The natural way, of course. Their Calming+ Kit contains 3 powerful CBD products and a list of impeccable ingredients, most of which are certified-organic.
Another reason we dig The Anxious Pet’s CBD products is that they’re formulated by real veterinarians. This goes a long way in getting effective combinations of ingredients that can really zap dogs’ anxiety with natural medicine.
Speaking of ingredients, dog parents everywhere can take one look at the ingredient lists in this bundle and see the quality. There are no scary animal byproducts, no artificial flavors or colors, just pure, nutritious, plant-based goodness.
The Anxious Pet includes all their anxiety-targeted dog products in this Calming+ Bundle. You can use the CBD oil tinctures by applying directly in the mouth or squirting on food. The CBD calming treats and the CBD bars can be given to your dog anytime of day. As with all CBD products for dogs, dosage is based on weight, so larger dogs will require more. The Anxious Pet provides dosing charts on all their CBD supplements to help guide you through the process.
The Anxious Pet offers FREE shipping on all orders, and you already save almost 40% by buying this bundle versus the individual products. This makes it a fantastic value for regular canine users and multiple-dog households.
Finally, we really like how The Anxious Pet gives two types of CBD dog treats in this bundle. The CBD dog treats and the CBD bars contain different calming ingredients, making it a great way to see which works for which dogs. For example, the CBD soft chews contain tryptophan, l-theanine, and melatonin, whereas the CBD bars have St John’s wort with a totally different flavor.
Pros:
- FREE shipping
- Formulated by veterinarians
- 3 CBD products in 1
- Full spectrum CBD oil
- Perfect for multi-dog homes
Details: Each Calming+ Kit comes with 1 400mg CBD oil tincture, 1 jar of CBD dog treats, and 3 packets of CBD bars.
What pet parents have to say: We saw glowing testimonials from owners of dogs of all ages who’ve experienced relief, and people really love the high-quality ingredients. Lots of reviews come from pet parents of rescues and older dogs who are stoked about the results.
3. Best Tasting: Penelope’s Bloom Stress + Anxiety Bundle
Penelope’s Bloom scores the Editor’s Pick for their highly effective, highly affordable CBD bundle that caters to dogs with anxiety. It’s well-reviewed and well-stocked with 3 different CBD products: CBD tinctures, CBD balm, and CBD dog treats. Each is specially formulated with full spectrum CBD oil and all-natural, calming ingredients to help your dog both ease their anxiety and improve their overall wellness.
We especially recommend this bundle for pet parents with multiple dogs at home, as you can choose your dosage based on weight for each CBD product.
(If you want to try something even more unique, Penelope’s Bloom also makes a delicious CBD Infused Peanut Butter that helps to calm nerves and anxiety.)
We love that Penelope’s Bloom uses full spectrum CBD oil in ALL their bundled products. It’s not super-common to see brands use full spectrum CBD in their pet balms, so it’s a definite win there.
The CBD oil tinctures contain organic full spectrum CBD, MCT oil, and chamomile to increase calming effects. You can squirt these directly in your dog’s mouth (this is the best way to make sure they get all of it) or pour onto their food or treats.
Next up is the soothing CBD balm that you can apply to the paws, nose, and elbows. It’s really great for keeping dogs comfortable when they have skin irritations.
And finally, we really love the CBD dog treats. They’re organic, and the supporting ingredients make them really effective. Penelope’s Bloom throws in valerian root, l-theanine, and some more chamomile to help Fido chill and rest. Dogs and owners can’t get enough!
Pros:
- Best value for your dollar
- 3 CBD products in 1
- Potent, full spectrum CBD
- Relaxing effect
- All-natural ingredients to promote calm
- Great for multi-dog homes
Details: Each Dog Stress & Anxiety bundle contains 1 bottle of CBD pet tinctures w/chamomile, 1 jar of soothing CBD pet balm, and 1 bag CBD dog treats for stress & anxiety. The CBD dosage for each product in the bundle is based on weight: small, medium, large, and extra-large.
You can select an individual CBD dosage for each product, so if you have more than one dog, you can cover everyone in the house or give a gift to a friend.
What pet parents have to say:
Multiple dog moms and dads explain that the CBD products in this bundle, taken both individually and in tandem, have made a big impact on symptoms of separation anxiety and fear of thunderstorms/loud noises. Plus, you save 20% BEFORE any other promotion versus buying all 3 separately!
4. Most Potent: HolistaPet CBD Dog Treats for Anxiety
One of our favorite CBD brands for pets to review was HolistaPet, who takes up the potency level with their CBD dog treats. You can select your dog’s dosage level, choosing between 5mg, 10mg, or 20mg CBD per treat. These options are great for helping you find your dog’s ideal CBD dosage, especially for dogs with severe wellness issues.
HolistaPet’s CBD treats were created specifically for dogs with anxiety — they pack a punch and can be taken anytime anxiety strikes. When taken regularly, many dogs experienced more than just anxiety relief, including mobility improvement and an overall increase in well-being. In short, they’re a holistic remedy that works!
Each CBD dog treat contains a special blend of 20 milligrams broad spectrum CBD (0% THC), l-theanine, and chamomile. All three of these natural compounds have been studied heavily for their calming effects. The result is a potent mix that’s helping dogs live a better life everyday.
If that sounds dramatic, it’s because it is: the verified online reviews we saw for HolistaPet’s wonder treats are extremely compelling. It looks like many pet owners are grateful to find this affordable, natural way to help their four-legged children live better.
These CBD dog treats for anxiety really pack a punch, so be sure to refer to the dosage guide provided on the packaging. As with humans, start low and go slow until the desired effects are achieved. What you want is that ‘sweet spot’ where you can see tangibly that your pup’s symptoms have greatly improved at the lowest possible amount CBD. Although your pet can’t overdose on CBD, it’s definitely recommended from a financial standpoint to keep your monthly supplement costs low.
Pros:
- Compelling reviews
- Pack-a-punch potent
- Broad spectrum CBD (0% THC)
- All-natural, organic ingredients
- Vegan
Details: Each bag contains 30 CBD dog treats. Choose dosage level between 5mg, 10mg, or 20mg CBD per treat.
What pet parents have to say: If we have one word to sum up the verified reviews for these calming treats, it’s this: compelling. We seriously were almost moved to tears from some of the stories, especially those with rescues and older dogs. Looks like they’re really making a difference in quality of life.
5. Best For Hyperactive Dogs: Reggie Anytime Calming CBD Dog Chews
The last product on our list doesn’t have CBD in the ingredients, but we gave it an honorable mention because frankly, it belongs in the discussion. Reggie has ingeniously combined calming botanicals in a tasty treat that dogs like to eat and that owners approve of. Their anytime calming treats promote anxiety and stress relief that you and your dog will see and feel.
Each treat contains a generous helping of l-theanine to help induce relaxation and calm the nervous system. Also included are magnolia and Phellodendron bark extracts. If you’ve never heard of those before, you’re not alone (we hadn’t either). Turns out that like chamomile, both bark extracts have been shown to have naturally calming effects.
Judging by user testimonials, the innovative combo of ingredients is working. We noticed that specifically, more than any other calming dog product we reviewed, hyperactive dogs respond well to these treats. Hyperactivity is common in certain breeds, and it can also be a symptom of anxiety.
Dogs under 25 lbs can take 1 treat per serving. The serving size for 25 to 75 lbs is 2 treats. And for dogs over 75 lbs, it’s 3 treats per serving. Start at the recommended dosage from Reggie and then slowly increase if you need to.
Reggie recommends that dogs that have recurring anxiety problems take 1 serving everyday for about 1 month. For stressful situations like a vet visit or the 4th of July, have your pup eat their treats about 1 hour before the event, so the calming botanicals have time to be digested and absorbed.
For any dog that’s struggling with anxiety, Reggie’s anytime calming chews are the natural antidote to promote peace and stress relief. We also think pet parents of hyperactive dogs ought to give this one a closer look, as it’s the best-reviewed for hyperactivity of all options on our list.
Pros:
- All-natural ingredients
- Great for separation anxiety
- Dogs love the taste
- Well-reviewed for anxious breeds
Details: Each jar contains 60 dog chews.
What pet parents have to say: Pet parents of the more anxious, hyperactive breeds describe these calming chews as life-changing. We saw a ton of glowing testimonials from owners of terriers and golden doodles specifically, but it looks like dogs of all breeds and sizes are experiencing high-impact benefits.
How We Picked Our Favorite CBD For Dogs With Anxiety
We want the best for our dogs, which means we’re going to scrutinize any supplement we give them. CBD is no exception, and in fact, these types of hemp products actually deserve more scrutiny.
Luckily, we’re super-familiar with both the CBD space and the pets products market and easily developed a list of criteria to pick our favorite products for pups with anxiety:
Sourcing
CBD comes from the hemp plant which must be cultivated, harvested, and processed to make it. The raw material is put through an extraction process and voila! CBD oil.
But the reality is that you can make CBD cheaply using synthetic seeds and chemical fertilizers. You can also buy inferior products made from Asian imports grown under who-knows-what conditions.
Thus, for the sake of our pups and yours, we required each brand to use CBD grown and processed in the US. We also looked for organic practices like foregoing pesticides and promoting sustainability. Finally, each brand must use a non-toxic extraction method, like ethanol or CO2, to procure the CBD included in their products.
Testing
Anyone that uses CBD in any pet product should be conducting regular testing for purity and safety with an independent laboratory. To qualify for our list, they had to take it a step further. We required that all brands provide a current Certificate of Analysis for pet owners to view before they purchase. You can find these on the product pages or on the testing pages of each brand’s site.
It’s important that all CBD oil is tested for purity and contaminants. Purity ensures that there is indeed the amount of CBD included that the company advertises. It also shows you how potent the CBD oil is. Contaminants panels ensure the products are safe for your dog to consume, free from toxins like heavy metals, pesticides, and residual solvents.
Ingredients
We stuck to our guns by requiring all-natural ingredients. Though we didn’t require organic, most of the options on our list contain certified-organic items.
Another thing we kept our eye on was efficiency and research. Do the active ingredients actually work? Have the ingredients been studied to have calming effects? To make our list, the answer had to be yes.
Effectiveness
You can easily drain your savings trying to find supplements that will actually work for your dog. We wanted to eliminate that struggle by making sure the CBD supplements on our list work. We determined efficiency by exploring our own histories with our dogs and CBD from brands on the list. And importantly, we poured through verified online reviews to see what pet parents are actually saying about each.
Mission-driven brands
Last, we narrowed the field by only going with mission-driven brands. Each of the companies on our list is somehow engaged in giving back to the canine community. You can see this reflected in charitable donations, volunteer work at shelters, and more.
What is CBD?
CBD is a natural chemical component of the hemp plant called a cannabinoid. Cannabinoids bind to receptors in the mammalian endocannabinoid system. This interaction helps the body maintain homeostasis and facilitate major bodily processes.
Unlike THC, another cannabinoid, CBD will not get humans or animals high. For this reason, CBD is sought after as a natural remedy for many health issues.
Types of CBD
CBD is processed by extracting CBD oil from raw hemp material. Depending on which type of CBD you use, it may go through additional steps for purification and filtration. Here are the 3 types of CBD you can buy and the differences between them:
Full spectrum CBD
Full spectrum CBD is the whole-plant extract that contains the ‘full spectrum’ of cannabinoids and terpenes present in the hemp plant. Full spectrum CBD contains trace amounts of THC which must fall under 0.3% by weight, as required by federal law.
Broad spectrum CBD
Broad spectrum CBD is CBD extract that contains additional cannabinoids and/or terpenes besides CBD, minus the THC. Broad spectrum is an attractive option for many who want synergistic benefits of hemp without any THC present.
CBD isolate
CBD isolate has been refined to contain pure CBD. It does not have a strong taste or odor, and it contains 0% of any other cannabinoids or terpenes.
What CBD is used for in dogs
Dog owners use CBD for a variety of issues, including:
- Separation anxiety
- Sleep health
- General anxiety
- Mobility issues
- Pain and inflammation
- Aggression
- Hyperactivity
How to Choose CBD for Dogs
There are different forms of CBD that you can give your dog, from CBD oils to CBD-infused treats.
Here’s a quick look at some of the popular ones:
CBD tinctures for dogs
CBD tinctures are a common delivery method for dogs. CBD tinctures come in a small bottle with a dropper. The most effective way to give your dog CBD tinctures is to squirt them directly in the mouth for maximum absorption. If you can’t do that, drizzle on top of food.
CBD balm for dogs
CBD balm is a great way to soothe local aches and pains as well as calm skin irritation. Top brands today make CBD balm specifically made for dogs, to apply on the pads, paws, ears, nose, wherever it’s needed. CBD balms usually include other natural ingredients good for the skin, so they’re great for animals that get hotspots and other irritations.
CBD dog treats
Perhaps the most popular CBD product for dogs, CBD dog treats make taking a supplement tasty and fun. CBD dog treats will contain a certain dose of CBD per treat — usually 5 to 10 mg — and you can find them in vegan options.
Other CBD edibles for dogs
We’ve seen other CBD edible products for dogs out there, including CBD peanut butter and CBD bars. The sky’s the limit, as long as pups will actually eat them, of course.
Benefits of CBD for your dog
While we’re mainly discussing CBD’s positive impact on anxiety for dogs, there are other ailments that CBD may help with for your pup, including:
- CBD’s anti-anxiety properties can help soothe your dog’s nerves for vet visits, separation anxiety, thunderstorms, and more.
- CBD is a natural anti-inflammatory, making it an effective way to relieve pain without a prescription and without making your pet woozy.
- This all-natural compound is non-psychoactive and will not get your dog high.
- CBD is great for mobility and joint pain; great for aging dogs.
- CBD can help regulate the circadian rhythm and promote healthy sleep cycles.
- CBD is great to help naturally relieve stress in multiple-dog and multiple-pet homes.
How much CBD should I give my dog?
First and foremost, check the CBD dosage instructions included with the CBD product. The manufacturer’s recommended dosage is always the best place to start.
Remember that CBD dosage for dogs is always based on weight, but if you’re ever confused, you should reach out to your veterinarian to find the best dosage for your pup.
No pet parent wants their dog to suffer through gut-wrenching anxiety. Thanks to CBD, there’s a natural way so that they don’t have to. CBD is available for dogs in a few different forms, the most popular of which are CBD dog treats, CBD tinctures, and CBD balm.
Whichever you choose, be sure your CBD product comes from a vetted brand and that it has glowing reviews for efficiency. Cheers to the mental health of your pup and dogs everywhere!
The post CBD for Dogs with Anxiety: 5 Products To Help Calm Down Your Pup appeared first on iHeartDogs.com.
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