Best CBD Dog Treats for Pain & Anxiety: Top Hemp Brands (2021 Review)

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There’s an evident demand for high-quality CBD products for dogs.

In the last few years, CBD has garnered a lot of attention thanks to its therapeutic versatility and potential medicinal applications.

Humans use CBD oil to relieve different symptoms and conditions, from inflammation to chronic pain to insomnia, anxiety, and neurological problems.

Since dogs have the same endocannabinoid system as humans, CBD has quickly become very popular among dog parents as a safer alternative to conventional treatments for common canine ailments.

That being said, not every dog will like the distinct taste of CBD hemp oil. Fortunately, there’s a much more appealing option—CBD dog treats.

In this article, we provide an overview of the best CBD dog treats along with an extensive FAQ section to leave no stone unturned when buying CBD for your four-legged friend.

Best CBD Dog Treats: Editor’s Choice for 2021

1. Royal CBD Dog Treats

    

Royal CBD is known for making premium-quality products. After succeeding with its award-winning CBD products for humans, the company has decided to go one step further and create a line of CBD treats for dogs. These products are made with supercritical CO2 and contain the full spectrum of cannabinoids, terpenes, and flavonoids to boost the efficacy of CBD using the entourage effect.

Variety is the name of the game when it comes to Royal CBD Dog Treats. The brand offers three specific formulations, each designed to help your dog deal with a different problem:

Active – these cinnamon-and-pumpkin spice dog treats are made for dogs who suffer from low immune system and joint problems. They are formulated with turmeric, which is a superfood known for its potent anti-inflammatory properties and the ability to boost the functioning of one’s immune system. These are the best CBD dog treats if you want to improve mobility and overall health in your dog.

Calming – this formulation is great if your dog is struggling with anxiety or stress. These treats are infused with lavender and chamomile, which may help your friend overcome problems with mental discomfort. And if your dog still refuses to take CBD, the peanut butter and apple flavour should seal the deal.

Hearty – as the name suggests, these treats are designed to help dogs who have cardiovascular issues. The formula contains flax seeds which reduce the risk of heart disease. The blueberry and sweet potato flavor make them fall in love with the hearty dog treats. 

Long story short, Royal CBD produces some of the best CBD dog treats out there, both when it comes to the quality of ingredients and their flavors. The company is a surefire pick if you’re looking for the right dog treats for your pup.

Pros of Royal CBD Dog Treats:

• Made from Colorado-grown hemp

• Extracted with supercritical CO2

• Contains full-spectrum CBD

• Formulated to help with different health issues

• Non-GMO

• All-natural

Cons of Royal CBD Dog Treats

• A little bit more expensive than the competition

• Better suited for medium and large dogs

2. Gold Bee CBD Goofy Bones

Gold Bee is our second pick when it comes to the best CBD dog treats. The company has recently won several awards among the best CBD edibles for dogs in 2021 by Peninsula Daily and Seattle Weekly.

Gold Bee uses organically grown hemp to ensure the highest purity of their treats. Their dog treats are made without THC, but it’s not a CBD isolate. The company infuses the dog treats with a broad spectrum extract to ensure a number of cannabinoids, terpenes, and flavonoids. This ensures the benefits of the entourage effect but without any THC content.

The CBD extract used in Gold Bee CBD Dog Treats is obtained through cold-press extraction. Each Goofy Bone is infused with 5 mg of CBD, which makes the treats suitable for dogs of all sizes. Owners of smaller dogs will find them very cost-efficient.

The Pros of Gold Bee CBD Goofy Bones

• Made from US-grown hemp

• Broad-spectrum CBD

• Delicious bacon flavour

• Third-party tested for potency and purity

The cons of Gold Bee CBD Goofy Bones

• Only one flavour available

• The lack of THC results in a weakened entourage effect

 

CBD 101 for Dog Parents: Everything You Need to Know

CBD stands for cannabidiol, an active ingredient found in cannabis plants. It is a popular alternative to conventional treatments for pain, stress and anxiety, even neurological problems, which is why CBD-infused products have garnered so much attention recently.

The reason why CBD can help with so many health concerns lies in its interaction with the endocannabinoid system (ECS). The ECS is a vast network of receptors, enzymes, and neurotransmitters (endocannabinoids), which helps the body maintain its internal balance known as homeostasis.

The ECS controls many essential biological processes, including memory, mood, pain perception, stress response, immune function, neuroprotection, reproduction, appetite, sleep cycles, body temperature, and more.

CBD helps the ECS maintain higher concentrations of its naturally produced cannabinoids; it also engages with cannabinoid receptors to produce its therapeutic effects on top of acting on 65 other molecular targets.

We already know that CBD can help humans, but can it do the same for our canine friends?

Here’s what science has to say about the health benefits of CBD for dogs.

 

How Can CBD Help My Dog?

There’s a number of studies that highlight CBD as a potentially effective treatment for many canine health conditions. Here are a few examples of how CBD can help improve the health of dogs:

• CBD may relieve chronic pain associated with neurological issues and arthritis

• CBD may reduce the frequency of seizures of epileptic dogs

• CBD may increase the comfort of dogs with osteoarthritis

 

Why Choose CBD Instead of Over the Counter Meds?

What makes CBD a safer alternative to regular medications is the low incidence of serious side effects. In fact, CBD is well-tolerable in both dogs and humans, even in very high doses administered frequently. CBD can also be used in dogs that experience symptoms of allergy when using prescription medications. In fact, many holistic veterinarians recommend CBD over medications and supplements such as chondroitin or glucosamine.

 

How Can I Give CBD to My Dog?

CBD comes in many different forms, including oil, capsules, dog treats, and topicals. Most dog parents use CBD treats because their dogs fuss over the taste of natural CBD oil.

 

Will CBD Get My Dog High?

There’s a reason why cannabis and dogs don’t match together in one sentence for some people. High-THC cannabis (marijuana) can get the dog high and drive them into mental discomfort aside from temporarily increasing their heart rate and causing them to vomit. While both CBD and THC are cannabis compounds, hemp-derived CBD dog treats contain less than 0.3% of THC, which isn’t enough to get your dog high. Therefore, you can safely give CBD pet treats to your dog.

 

CBD Oil vs CBD Dog Treats: What Are the Differences?

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As mentioned earlier, not every dog owner is lucky enough to have a dog that will accept the distinct taste of unflavored CBD oil. In a perfect world, the dog should hold the oil under the tongue for a while, and then swallow it. If the dog isn’t willing to take the oil this way, you can always place a few drops over their regular food. But, if the dog is particularly good at picking up specific aromas, they may also fuss over the CBD-laced food.

The biggest advantage of CBD dog treats over CBD oil is the lack of botanical aftertaste. CBD dog treats are crafted into delicious flavors whose purpose is to make this form of supplementation appealing for your companion.

 

CBD Dog Treats Are Less Potent

The majority of CBD dog treats are baked, which involves using additional heat. As a result, CBD can break down in the process, losing some of its potency. Even low and slow cooking methods are known to cause fractional degradation of the compound. Many manufacturers don’t even inform their customers about the cooking methods they have used while making their dog treats. The best thing you can do is to always buy from trustworthy and reputable brands who describe their production process in detail.

 

CBD Dog Treats Take Longer to Kick In

This is true for all edible forms of cannabis. When you take CBD oil under the tongue, it absorbs through tiny capillaries in the mouth, bypassing the liver and avoiding the first-pass metabolism. CBD oil usually kicks in within 15–30 minutes. CBD dog treats need to pass through your dog’s liver, where they get metabolized before being released to the bloodstream. This, in turn, causes a delay in their onset; the effects of CBD edibles usually take about 40–90 minutes to take hold.

On the other hand, CBD dog treats tend to last longer in the dog’s system than the oil (around 8–10 hours), as the CBD is released gradually from the liver.

CBD Dog Treats Come with Extra Ingredients

Some CBD dog treats contain other ingredients that may or may not be beneficial to your companion. Royal CBD and Gold Bee are both good examples of how you can complement the effects of CBD using other natural ingredients such as chamomile, turmeric, or l-theanine. These compounds are known for their beneficial properties and can boost the efficacy of your CBD dog treats.

However, some manufacturers also use artificial flavourings, colourings, and preservatives that can do more harm than good to your pup. Make sure that you always buy products that have been tested by a third-party laboratory before making a purchase.

 

A Buyer’s Guide to Choosing the Best CBD Dog Treats

No two CBD products are created equal. The market is largely unregulated, so you need to carefully read the product description and look for other evidence of high-quality, such as organic hemp, CO2 extraction, and third-party testing. Here we share more details on each parameter.

 

Check the Source of CBD

Hemp plants are dynamic bioaccumulators. In plain English, they effectively absorb every substance from their environment. If the plants are grown in a clean soil that’s rich in nutrients, it will yield high-CBD flowers with no contaminants from the soil and air. On the other hand, mass-produced hemp may be contaminated with pollutants from the soil, as well as with the pesticides and growth boosters that are used to spur the plant’s production and maximize the yields in a short time period. 

We always recommend buying your CBD products from manufacturers who use locally grown, organic hemp.

 

Opt for CO2-Extracted Products

CBD can be extracted using a variety of methods. Reputable companies make their products with supercritical CO2. In its supercritical state, CO2 has the properties of both gas and liquid, which enables it to strip the beneficial compounds from the plant matter without introducing extra heat source or solvents.

Steam distillation, cold-press extraction, and alcohol distillation are also good alternative methods.

However, you should always steer clear of CBD products that have been produced with hydrocarbon solvents. Chemicals like butane or propane are often improperly purged, leaving toxic residue at the bottom of the extract.

 

Choose Full-Spectrum vs Isolate

As mentioned earlier in the article, cannabis plants contain over 400 chemicals, of which 100+ are active ingredients known as cannabinoids. 

Cannabinoids work synergistically with other compounds, such as terpenes and flavonoids, to create the “entourage effect.” This term refers to a phenomenon where the sum of all compounds is more effective than each of them in isolation.

So, while CBD isolate may give your dog a higher dose of CBD per serving, this dose may not be as effective as the same amount accompanied by the other phytochemicals.

The only advantage of CBD isolate over broad- and full-spectrum extracts is the lack of aroma and flavour. That being said, you can achieve pretty amazing flavours using CBD dog treats infused with a broad-spectrum extract. They may still leave a slightly bitter aftertaste, but it’s much more palatable than raw CBD oil.

 

Read the COA

Every reputable company should test its products in a third-party laboratory for the CBD content and purity levels. A laboratory is considered third-party when it has no affiliation with the manufacturer; there are several such facilities throughout the USA.

A certificate of analysis (COA)  should be included in the purchase, either in the form of QR code or printed on paper. The lab analysis should list the results for the product’s potency, it’s entire cannabinoid and terpene profile, as well as for common contaminants such as pesticides, heavy metals, microbial toxins, and residual solvents.

Always make sure to check the date of any given certificate. Some companies test their products only once — and move on, which is a dishonest practice.

 

Key Takeaways on the Best CBD Dog Treats

To wrap things up, CBD offers a wide range of health benefits for dogs of all breeds, sizes, and ages. While it may not be the go-to treatment for most veterinarians, there’s an increasing number of holistic practitioners that are starting to embrace its positive effects on the well-being of our canine companions.

However, you should always keep in mind that buying CBD in an unregulated market carries a risk of getting a sub-par product that may be counterproductive, or even dangerous for your dog. That’s why we underline the importance of buying from reputable companies who regularly test their products in independent laboratories. 

If you don’t have the time to run your own research, feel free to use our recommendations from this article. Both Royal CBD and Gold Bee use premium-quality ingredients and test their products for potency and safety.