As cannabis and its derivatives become more widespread in America, many companies are stepping up to offer specialized CBD products for our furry friends.

Pet owners are using CBD products to support their dogs’ separation anxiety, chronic joint pain, inflammatory disorders, and more.

With so much interest in the CBD pet space, it’s no surprise there’s also been an uptick in poor-quality products entering the market. On average, CBD pet oils cost 16% more than standard CBD oils — despite using the same, or even lower-quality ingredients.

Here are three CBD brands worth placing an order from in 2020 to improve your dog’s quality of life.

Best CBD Brands for Dogs: 2020 Review

• Royal CBD – Award Winning, Best CBD Oil Overall
• Gold Bee – Runner Up, Quality Product at a Good Price
• Blessed CBD – Potent CBD, But Only Ships to the UK

1. Royal CBD For Pets — Editor’s Pick

Royal CBD is known for having a strong attention to detail when it comes to making CBD products. They make several award-winning products and recently decided to step into the CBD pet space.

Just a few months ago, Royal CBD launched two new CBD pet products — each with three separate formulas:

A. CBD Dog Treats — these treats come with 5 mg of CBD each and are available in three unique formulas — Active, Calm, and Hearty — for supporting joint health, anxiety, and cardiovascular function, respectively.

B. CBD Pet Oils — these CBD pet oils use the same high-quality full-spectrum hemp extract as the brands’ regular lineup, but in potencies more appropriate for use with dogs (125, 250, and 500 mg)

Both product lines are considered premium CBD products, complete with organically-grown hemp, extracted using supercritical CO2. All Royal CBD products are thoroughly tested for quality assurance and sold at competitive prices. Several websites, including VentureBeat, CityBeat, CL Tampa, SF Weekly, LA Weekly, Cleveland Scene, Metro Times, Orlando Weekly, and SA Current all list Royal CBD as their number one CBD brand in 2020.

Pros:

• Available as both a CBD pet treat or CBD pet oil
• Come in various dog-friendly flavors
• Made from organic hemp and backed by independent lab analysis

Cons:

• Not available in-store (online brand only)

2. Gold Bee CBD Oil — Runner-Up

Gold Bee is a much newer company than Royal CBD, but they’ve been getting a lot of attention lately for their CBD products. This brand has been mentioned as one of the best CBD companies for 2020 by publications, including CFAH, We Be High, SF Examiner, Riverfront Times, and Observer.

Unlike Royal CBD, Gold Bee doesn’t have a specific “CBD for pets” range.

However, this company’s regular CBD oils are already well-suited for use with both dogs and cats.

These oils come in three different potencies. The 300 mg, unflavored CBD oil is excellent for use with dogs up to 30 pounds.

Over 30 pounds, the better choice is the 600 mg CBD oil.

Owners of very large dogs or those with lots of experience using CBD oil with their pet may want to opt for the 1200 mg CBD oil instead. This high-potency CBD oil is still safe for dogs, but dosing should be done carefully. Each drop delivers roughly 1.3 milligrams of CBD, so an effective dose could be as low as one drop, or as high as 20 drops.

Pros:

• An impressive price point for this level of quality (much cheaper than most pet oils)
• Made from organically-grown, CO2-extracted hemp
• Available in dog-friendly potencies (300 and 600 mg per ounce)

Cons:

• No dog-friendly flavor options available
• High-demand and small production size means this oil may go out of stock (check back later)

3. Blessed CBD Oil — UK’s Best CBD Brand

Blessed CBD is a popular CBD oil brand in the United Kingdom. They make a variety of CBD products, including capsules, topicals, gummies, and a full-spectrum CBD oil.

We’ve included this brand on our list because neither Royal CBD nor Gold Bee ship to the UK. Another good option for people living in Europe is the London-based CBD brand, Crush CBD.

Blessed CBD’s 500 mg organic CBD oil is an excellent option for pet owners because it’s completely non-psychoactive, unflavored, and contains no added ingredients that could be harmful to your pet.

The company also makes a 1000 and 1800 mg version of this oil, but these are too strong to use with dogs.

Blessed CBD oils come in a small, 10 mL dropper bottle instead of the standard 30 mL (1 ounce) size. This means 500 mg from Blessed CBD delivers a dose roughly three times higher in each drop than other brands.

The company’s 500 mg CBD oil provides a dose of 1.5 mg of CBD in every drop, so you only need a few drops of this oil to reach the ideal dose for your dog.

Just like the other top-rated CBD brands on our list, Blessed CBD products are made from high-grade, organically-grown hemp, come all the necessary third-party testing, and come backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Pros:

• Made from organically-grown hemp plants
• Extracted using supercritical CO2
• Provides roughly 1.5 mg of CBD per drop

Cons:

• Higher-potency bottles may not be suitable for use with dogs
• Only available in the UK
• No dog-specific flavors offered in this range

The Benefits of CBD For Dogs

CBD has the same impact on dogs as it does on humans. It’s used to reduce anxiety, ease chronic pain, promote a healthy night’s sleep, and more.

The most common reasons dog owners use CBD are to help with joint and hip pain and alleviate anxiety.

Common Reasons Pet Owners Are Using CBD With Their Dogs

● To alleviate separation anxiety when leaving for work or school

● To alleviate fear and anxiety associated with loud noises out of your control (thunder, construction, or crowds, for example)

● To support post-traumatic stress caused by past traumatic experiences

● To ease chronic joint and hip pain in older dogs

● To help keep dogs calm and relaxed while traveling or visiting the groomers

● To alleviate inflammatory conditions in the digestive tract

● As a wellness supplement to protect the cardiovascular system of aging dogs

Is CBD Oil Safe For Dogs?

CBD is a very safe supplement. Toxicity studies on dogs have shown the toxic dose of CBD is hundreds of times larger than the recommended dosage range.

While CBD is a safe supplement, side effects are still possible — just like any health supplement or medication. When it comes to CBD products, these side effects are almost always minor. The most common side effect of CBD is fatigue or lethargy — meaning that your dog may feel more tired or sleep longer than usual after you give them a dose of CBD.

The higher the dose of CBD, the more likely it is your dog will experience side effects.

If you find your dog is sleeping too much after using CBD, it can help to reduce the dose slightly the next time you give it to them.

How to Find High-Quality CBD Oils

Shopping for CBD products can be challenging — especially if you’re not sure where to look.

The CBD industry remains unregulated, leaving plenty of room for low-quality or unethical companies to enter the market with overpriced and ineffective products.

Here’s how to shop for CBD pet products, so you don’t get ripped off.

A) Buy From Reputable Brands Only

The best way to avoid throwing money away at ineffective or scammy CBD products is to source your CBD products from well-known, reputable CBD brands.

Look for a company that has a solid track record, with plenty of loyal customers to back it up. The easiest place to start is to look for customer reviews, and brand mentions online. Check for brands recommended by expert-led websites or reputable media outlets to find the industry winners.

B) Avoid Companies That Don’t Post Third-Party Test Results

Third-party testing is the gold standard for transparency in the CBD industry. It’s a voluntary step done by CBD companies to prove the claims it makes about its products. These tests are used to prove the oil’s CBD content, check the terpene profiles, and search for potential contaminants like heavy metals, pesticides, and more.

Companies that have nothing to hide will post these official lab tests publicly on the website.

If you can’t find any evidence of this testing on a CBD companies website, it’s best to either reach out to the customer service team to see them or look for another brand to order from instead.

In most cases, the only companies that don’t list these results have something to hide.

C) Check the THC Content On the Label

All CBD oils made from hemp have to have a maximum of 0.3% THC or less. THC is the psychoactive relative of CBD that makes users high.

THC concentrations this low are in no way going to produce any psychoactive side effects.

When shopping for CBD oils for dogs, it’s important you double-check the THC levels. Always make sure it specifically states that the oil contains less than the legal limit of 0.3 percent.

Giving THC oils to dogs isn’t inherently dangerous — but it can give your dog severe anxiety and stress that may have a lasting impact on his or her mental health.

D) Find a Potency That Matches the Size of Your Dog

While it’s possible to use just about any potency of CBD oil with your dog, it’s recommended you find the potency that’s most appropriate for your dog based on their size.

Getting the potency right makes it much easier to measure out an effective dose for dogs of different sizes, and reduces the chances of giving them too much.

For example, you wouldn’t want to use an ultra-high potency CBD oil with a toy poodle because a single drop of this oil may be two or three times the ideal dosage for that dog.

Likewise, you won’t want to use a low-potency 100 mg CBD oil with a Great Dane because you’d need to administer nearly half the bottle for a single dose.

Here are some general guidelines on what potency range to choose for your dog based on their weight:

• Small Dogs (less than 20 pounds) — 100 – 200 mg CBD oil
• Medium Dogs (20 to 60 pounds) — 200 – 500 mg CBD oil
• Large Dogs (60 to 90 pounds) — 500 – 1000 mg CBD oil
• Extra Large Dogs (over 90 pounds) — 1000 to 1500 mg CBD oil

Key Takeaways: Best CBD Brands for Dogs

CBD does just as much for our four-legged friends as it does for us. It’s an excellent natural anti-inflammatory, anti-anxiety, mood supportive, and painkilling supplement.

Pet Owners are using CBD dog treats and CBD pet oils to help their dogs cope with chronic pain in the joints and hips as they age, alleviate separation anxiety or PTSD, and much more.

It’s important to source your CBD pet oil from reputable manufacturers to avoid wasting your money on ineffective or overpriced products.

Check out the CBD dog treats or CBD pet oils offered by Royal CBD. They provide the best value, come with the best pet-specific formulas, and come with plenty of high-profile recommendations to back them up.