CBD oil is claimed to help dogs in numerous ways. Current studies on its efficacy are somewhat promising yet slightly inconclusive, though many pet owners decide to give it a shot anyway. Still, getting your dog to actually take CBD oil can be a challenge.
With that said, CBD oil is one of the easier ways to give your dog CBD. If you’re looking to dose your dogs with CBD, using oil is the way to go. While CBD treats may seem like a good idea, if your dog decides not to eat them, you’re out of luck.
In comparison, there are many ways to give your dog CBD oil. Here are some of the methods you may want to try:
The FDA has not yet approved the use of CBD or any other hemp-containing products in animals to treat any ailment. If you plan to administer CBD to your pet, you should consult with your veterinarian before doing so.
The 5 Tips to Give CBD Oil to Dogs
1. Use a Dropper
If your dog will tolerate it, you may want to try utilizing a dropper. This method is the most straightforward, so it is typically the method you’ll want to start with. Just ensure that you get the right dosage into the dropper and then gently dispense the liquid into your dog’s mouth.
If you do it quickly and efficiently, you shouldn’t have to hold your dog down or fight them. It’s best to dispense slowly and allow your dog to swallow the oil you release into their mouth bit by bit rather than dispensing everything at once.
If your dog puts up a fight, move on to another method. Some dogs will figure out what you’re trying to do after a few doses. Therefore, don’t be surprised if your dog suddenly runs from the dropper. Conversely, some dogs love the taste of CBD and look forward to seeing you holding the dropper. You’ll have to figure this out with your dog, though most CBD oils made specifically for dogs are usually readily accepted by dogs due to their flavor.
You can also use a syringe, which may help with measuring. However, if your product comes with a dropper and a recommended dosage, you should use that dropper and follow the dosage instructions on the box.
2. Use the Oil on a Treat
If the dropper doesn’t work, it’s time to pull out the dog treats. Choose a treat that you know your dog will like, as the CBD oil may change the taste slightly (and not for the better). Therefore, it is best to use a treat that your dog will like even with the oil on it.
One of the best parts of using an oil over a premade treat is that the oil can be added to a treat your dog already likes. You can pair it with literally anything that is safe for your dog, including pieces of cooked chicken if that’s what it takes.
For this method to work, you simply need to drip the appropriate number of drops onto the treat and then give it to your dog. Depending on the dosage and the treat, you may have to feed two or even three treats. If you do the math and discover that you have to use a lot of drops for your dog’s size, you may want to consider getting a stronger oil.
Most dogs do not have a problem eating a treat with the oil on it. Even the pickiest dogs often don’t notice. However, if your dog does, you have a few options. You can either move on or try a completely different method. Or you can try a higher-value treat. In other words, find a tastier treat that your dog simply can’t say no to!
Please be mindful that overfeeding your dog treats may contribute towards weight gain, so if you increase your dog’s treat intake, you should factor this into their other meal portions as well.
3. Make Your Own Treats
If you have a homemade recipe that your dog likes, you can add CBD oil to the mixture as you’re making them. This does two things. Firstly, it makes the CBD extremely easy to dose, since you just have to pull out a treat and give it to your dog. Secondly, it allows you to hide the oil very well in the dog treat, which should get around even the pickiest dogs.
However, one of the downsides of this method is that there is a lot of math involved—and it’s important that you get it right. You’ll need to add enough CBD to ensure that each treat contains the right amount. If your dog needs five drops and your recipe makes 20 treats, you’ll need to add 100 drops to the mixture.
Sitting over the mixture and counting out 100 drops can be tiresome!
Please note that if your treats require cooking or baking at high temperatures, then this might not be the best option for you. CBD oil begins to lose its efficacy if heated to a certain temperature. This usually occurs somewhere between 320-350 oF (160 – 177 oC).
4. Mix It into Your Dog’s Food
For dogs with a set mealtime, you can often add CBD straight into your dog’s food. Of course, this only works if your dog will finish the whole bowl immediately. However, for dogs that do, adding the oil to their food is an easy way to get around picky eaters. Often, the oil spreads across the food so your dog won’t even realize it’s there (or may not mind its presence because it’s so diluted).
However, we have found that some dogs will purposefully not eat the kibble pieces that are mostly covered in the oil. If you find that this is your dog, we recommend a different method instead.
5. Dilute the Oil
Sometimes, dogs are simply very turned off by the oil. Therefore, they may refuse to eat anything with oil on it, even if you’ve tried all the above methods. In this case, you may want to water down their oil. While regular CBD oil is usually tasteless and odorless, watering it down may make it less oily, which will encourage your dog to consume it.
After diluting it, you can try any of the above methods to actually get your dog to consume it.
You can also place most CBD oils in water. However, dogs usually don’t drink all of their water at once, so they may not receive the benefit of the oil. Therefore, we don’t necessarily recommend just placing drops in your dog’s water, unless they don’t need the whole dosage at once.
Conclusion
CBD oil is extremely popular these days. There are many pet-focused companies out there that are creating CBD oil just for pets. Therefore, you may want to try CBD for your dog, though the science is still out on its effectiveness.
Luckily, giving CBD oil to dogs is often not a huge issue. With the methods we’ve listed above, you can usually get your dog to consume it without a huge fight.
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