Using CBD tinctures for dogs provides one more way you can support a healthy lifestyle for your dog. They are designed to work with your pup’s biological makeup to ensure various bodily systems are running smoothly, which can greatly improve your dog’s everyday life.
Today we’ll cover the basics of CBD for dogs – more specifically, CBD tinctures for dogs, formulated precisely for your dogs’ physiology. We’ll cover the benefits of CBD pet tinctures so you will know if it is right for your dog, how to choose the right formula, and finally, how to use the tinctures as a part of your dog’s healthy lifestyle.
CBD Oil Tinctures for Dogs: A Quick Overview
Recently our blog covered The Benefits of CBD Oil for Dogs, which in addition to this article may help you to get a good understanding of what CBD oil for pets really does. We took a wider lens and discussed the various CBD oil options there are for your dogs, but didn’t really do a deep dive into the tinctures. The tinctures, by far, are the most popular option, largely because they are so easy to use.
What Is a Tincture?
First of all, a tincture might sound like an exotic, slightly scary thing, but it is not. It simply means that a component (in our case, our Superior Broad Spectrum formula) is added to a carrier like MCT oil. Because the main ingredient is so small and concentrated, dispersing it into a larger-volume substance like the carrier oil allows it to be more easily measured and administered with a pet-safe dropper.
An oil is used for the delivery system because cannabinoids like CBD are fat-soluble. The carrier oil also gives a vehicle for other healthful additives that you want in a CBD oil for your dog. For our CBD dog tinctures, we include our Superior Broad Spectrum formula (which includes CBD, CBN, CBG, and select terpenes), natural flavorings that dogs love, and for some formulas, melatonin. And we keep all the icky stuff out of our tinctures – like preservatives and artificial dyes. When it comes to CBD and pets, we choose only the best of ingredients for our products.
Check out a full list of the ingredients for cbdMD dog tinctures.
What Are the Benefits of CBD Tinctures for Dogs?
There are a slew of benefits of CBD tinctures for dogs to help your dog to live their best life. While each dog is a little different, most respond positively with little to no adverse reactions. When your dog first begins their daily regimen of CBD oil, they may experience a little nausea or dry mouth, although not all dogs will experience this. Compared to the benefits CBD oil has to offer your dog, most pet parents find that these minor adjustments are worth it.
Here’s a bit of what you can expect from using CBD tinctures for your dog(s) and how you can use them to support your dog.
A Wellness Lifestyle for Your Dog
CBD oil partners with all of your other health and wellness decisions for your dog to give them optimum health. Combined with a healthy diet, sufficient mental and physical exercise, regular veterinary care, and lots of love, your dog can experience the greatest wellness you can give them. CBD oil products are yet another tool in your wheelhouse to help your dog live a well life.
By working within your dog’s endocannabinoid system and their unique physiology, CBD works with your dog’s natural bodily systems. Some of these systems support greater mobility or dexterity, while others contribute to your dog’s natural sleep cycle and temperament, and manage signs of common daily stress.
Your Dog’s Quality of Life with CBD Oil
Your dog’s quality of life is, without doubt, very important to you. Dogs will wag their tails and do their best to make you happy, even when they may not be feeling their best. Dogs get tired or run down if they aren’t sleeping well at night. Or as they get older, it may be harder to jump up in your lap. But they will always do their best and try.
CBD is not a one-and-done fix-it-all for your dogs physical and mental care, but a supportive measure. CBD works to smooth out the rougher edges of things, moderating and softening those daily stressors on your dog’s body and mind. It supports their regular sleep cycle, which alone helps put more pep in your dog’s step. When it comes to your dog’s quality of life, CBD can support all those care efforts you make to give your dog the best life you can offer them.
What Types of Dogs Benefit Most from CBD Oil Tinctures?
Every dog is different. You may be wondering if CBD oil for dogs is the right thing for your dog. What signs should you look for or what types of dogs respond best? It is true, each dog has different needs and dogs respond to CBD oil to varying degrees, so how do you know if it is the right thing to help your dog?
Here are some of the applications that show your dog may be a good candidate for a daily CBD tincture regimen:
- Your dog is healthy and active, but you want to support their lifestyle with wellness options.
- Your dog has a variable temperament or has difficulty winding down when appropriate.
- You are training your dog and want the support of a CBD product (and other helpful ingredients like melatonin) to ensure maximum calm and focus.
- You want to support your dog’s mobility.
- Your dog isn’t resting comfortably.
- Your dog doesn’t like being left alone.
- You want to help support your dog’s regular sleep cycle.
Choosing the Best CBD Pet Tincture for Your Dog
CBD tinctures for dogs come in a variety of concentrations, brands, and flavors, so how do you choose which one is right for your dog? Here are some of the things you will need to consider before you purchase a CBD tincture for your dog.
Factors to Consider When Choosing a CBD TIncture
- Your dog’s age: CBD oil products are not for dogs under one year of age.
- Your dog’s size: This will affect the concentration you choose. Use higher concentrations for larger dogs.
- Your dog’s taste preferences.
- Your budget.
- Any known dietary restrictions your dog may have (like any allergies).
- The CBD oil tincture: brand, manufacturing process, ingredients.
- The advice of your veterinarian.
Choose a Reputable Company and Brand
As with any product, the company that produces it, their safety and manufacturing practices, their reputation, and their commitment to research are all important. Review manufacturing practices to see where the CBD / hemp production comes from. Here in the USA, there are standards to uphold in the growing and harvesting of CBD and this is to protect you, the consumer, and ultimately your dog.
Also look for ingredient lists, a professional website, and transparency on their testing practices. You want to work with a company that doesn’t just test their own products, but also incorporates third-party testing for authentic results you can trust. Look for companies that work with ISO-certified labs (International Organization for Standardization), which means those labs are part of a world-wide set of operational standards governing lab procedures. This, too, is for the quality of the product and for your protection.
You’ll also want to review the ingredient lists of each product you consider. Look to see if there are additives, preservatives, or any other unwanted ingredients. A reputable company will post the ingredient lists on the product pages for each product. Here at cbdMD we also have a “chat” service on the website, so if you are unsure about any of our ingredients, you can ask questions in real time with our helpful and knowledgeable staff.
Choose the Right Strength/Formula for Your Dog
At cbdMD we have multiple options of tincture for your dogs:
Regular CBD oil tinctures for dogs: Canine CBD oil 150 mg, 300 mg, 750 mg, 1500 mg, and 3000 mg, each in your choice of natural flavor or tasty peanut butter flavor.
Calming CBD oil tinctures for dogs: Canine CBD oil with melatonin and other calming ingredients in 250 mg and 500 mg, delicious blueberry flavor.
Consider the size of your dog when choosing a strength. Choose the natural flavor if you want to sneak it into their food with little alteration to the flavoring of their dog food, or the peanut butter flavor for dogs who would enjoy the taste.
If your dog needs more support before bed or if they need more calming support, try the calming formula suitable for your dog’s size. It is OK to use the regular formula during the day and the calming one at night, if you prefer.
How to Use the Pet CBD Oil for Your Dog’s Wellness
The tinctures offer a quick way to get your dog their CBD on a regular basis. You can easily work it into their normal feeding routine.
Give the bottle a little shake to make sure the oil is blended well, and then use the dropper to count out the drops. You can drizzle it onto their regular food or onto a doggie treat – they are sure to gobble up quickly. If your dog will allow you to place drops under their tongue, this provides the best absorption.
Starting Your Dog on Tinctures
Always read the package instructions on the product you choose. Begin with a lower serving size to allow your dog’s system to acclimate to something new, and after a few weeks you can adjust the amounts up or down as needed. It may help to use a calendar or notebook in the beginning so you can remember the numbers of drops you are using and when you started a new serving size.
When you first begin a CBD regimen with the CBD tinctures, offer your dog plenty of fresh water if they seem to be experiencing dry mouth or unsettled tummy. If it is particularly bothersome, decrease the amount you are giving and allow your dog some time to get adjusted to their new CBD regimen.
Fortunately, for most dogs, they adjust quickly and show few signs of discomfort, if any at all. Soon, your dog’s CBD regimen will become just as routine as their regular feeding and potty times are. As with many new things, it just takes a little time to get used to doing something different.
CBD works optimally when given on a regular schedule and with consistent serving sizes. You should not simply fill the dropper and squirt it on your dog’s food or in their mouth. The dropper allows you to count out the drops to equal a serving size.
A daily, regular regimen will help your dog to enjoy the benefits more consistently, for sure, but also helps you to find that sweet spot of the “perfect” amount for your dog’s individual size and needs.
Observe and Adjust Your Pet’s Daily Servings
Understand that CBD takes a bit of time to reach an equilibrium in your dog’s system. This is why you need to take a few weeks and, with careful observation, adjust the serving size for your dog. It takes about a month to see the full and continuous effects. Giving up too soon will mean your dog may miss out on the benefits CBD has to offer them.
Begin with the recommended serving or a little less, give regularly for 30 days (usually morning and night) as a “starter amount,” and observe your dog’s behaviors, habits, and temperament. If you want to adjust the serving size after a few weeks, adjust it by drops and not by large jumps in the serving size.
After three or four weeks (30 days is best) bump up the amount by a few drops. Each time you make an adjustment, wait a few more weeks and observe your dog to see how the new amount is working. This waiting time in between adjustments gives ample time to see how the CBD is working at that amount before you make too many changes.
Stay within the package instructions on serving recommendations, and if after a month of use at the max serving size you do not see the benefits you want, consider the next highest concentration of CBD oil tinctures and begin again with a starter amount. It takes some time to tweak the amounts before you get to the perfect routine for your dog. Be patient and work with your dog until you get their serving sizes just right for them.
An example regimen: You may give your dog 10 drops in the morning of the regular tincture and 12 drops of the calming tincture at night to help your dog get a better night’s sleep.
CBD Tinctures for Dogs Help You Care for Your Dog
We hope this overview on canine CBD tinctures has helped solidify your decision to use CBD tinctures for your dog, cleared up any confusion, or helped you to make a choice for your pet. It can be unsettling to make decisions for your pets and there’s a lot of confusing information out there about canine CBD products.
Our friendly staff is always available to answer any questions you have about any of our pet CBD products. Our product offerings include the best CBD tinctures for dogs on the market as well as CBD treats and other products to enhance your dog’s quality of life. Along with that, we try to be as informative as possible on all things dog (and cat!). We know a well-informed pet parent is a more confident one in caring for their four-legged family members.
For more information on a variety of pet-approved topics, follow our Pet Blog or follow us on Facebook and Twitter to stay informed of pet-trending topics, news, and sales on our pet products.