CBD Dog treats for Anxiety: 5 products to calm your bestie

Whether your dog has anxiety or you just need him to chill out a bit while you’re working, you may be looking for products that can help calm your pup.

CBD can actually help your pet out with a bunch of different issues and conditions, like anxiety, trouble sleeping, pain, arthritis, mobility, and more — and it’s a great natural alternative to medications. 

So if you’re interested in trying out CBD for your dog, you’ve come to the right place. These are the best CBD dog treats you can buy. Plus, find out everything you need to know about giving CBD to your dog, from how to choose CBD treats; to potential benefits and side effects.​

Best Overall CBD Dog Treats: MediPets CBD Dog Treats Burger Beef Minis

MediPets is a subsidiary of Diamond CBD, a CBD industry leader that makes products for people. They get their CBD from high-grade U.S. hemp farms that are strictly regulated, and they use all-natural ingredients in their products. The company even donates part of the money from each sale to Saving Sage Animal Rescue Foundation to help rescue pets. 

MediPets Burger Beef Minis contain 6 mg of CBD in each treat and are flavored with real beef that your pup will love (plus, they look like tiny, cute hamburgers). They’re infused with all-natural CBD hemp oil that’s made in the USA.

Pros:

• High-quality: These treats are made with high-quality and all-natural CBD hemp oil.
• Made with CBD isolates: The burger beef minis are made with CBD isolates, which means they only contain CBD and no THC (more on this below). 
• Variety of benefits: Helps with different issues, including anxiety, pain relief, and seizure control.

Cons:

• Serving size: According to the label, the recommended serving size is for all dogs and not for the size of your individual pup. This isn’t a huge problem, as you can ask your vet, but it would be helpful to have recommendations based on dog size.

What customers say:

The reviews for this product on the Diamond CBD site are all five stars, so people clearly love these (and their dogs do, too). Reviewers say that their dogs love these treats, and they really help their pets with issues like pain and mobility. 

Best Natural CBD Dog Treats: HolistaPet CBD Dog Treats For Anxiety

HolistaPet formulates its CBD pet treats with all-natural, organic superfoods like blueberries. These superfoods help the CBD work on your pup and provide extra vitamins and nutrients to keep him healthy. HolistaPet products contain no additives or preservatives. 

There is 10 mg of CBD in each of these crunchy treats, and they’re made with 100% natural ingredients with no gluten, GMO, or dairy.

Pros:

• Organic and no preservatives: While many CBD pet treats are made with natural ingredients, HolistaPet uses organic foods, and their products also contain no preservatives.
• Superfoods: Since HolistaPet products are made with superfoods, these treats are a healthy snack for your dog.
• Veterinary advisory board: HolistaPet has a veterinary advisory board that helps ensure its products are safe for pets.
• No THC: All HolistaPet products are made with Broad Spectrum CBD with no trace amounts of THC.

Cons:

• No Meat Flavors: Since HolistaPet is a vegan brand and uses natural products, they do not offer meat-flavored CBD Dog Treats.

What customers say:

These HolistaPet CBD treats have five stars on their site. Reviewers say that they’ve noticed a huge difference in their pets after trying this product, and the treats have helped their dogs with mobility, seizures, anxiety, and more.

Best CBD Dog Treats For Beginners: MediPets CBD Dog Treats Beef Wraps

These delicious beef wraps contain a smaller amount of CBD, 3 mg per treat, than the burger beef minis, making them a good choice for first-time CBD dog treat users.

Pros:

• High-quality: These treats are made with industrial CBD hemp oil in the U.S.
• Other flavor options: If your pup isn’t into beef wraps, you can opt to get her one of their other flavors, like Chicken Meatballs or Kebabs.
• Variety of benefits: Helps with different issues, including anxiety, improving sleep, and seizure control.

Cons:

• Full spectrum CBD: These treats are made with full spectrum CBD, which means there could be trace amounts of THC. The testing results show that there was no THC detected, though. 

What customers say:

Pet parents love MediPets treats for their dogs. All of their products have 4.7 or more stars from reviewers.

Best CBD Dog Treats For Stress: Penelope’s Bloom Stress + Anxiety CBD Treats for Dogs

Penelope’s Bloom makes CBD pet treats using only human-grade ingredients, so you’ll know they’re good for your pup.

These CBD dog treats are formulated specifically for stress and anxiety, with calming ingredients like L-theanine and chamomile extract in addition to CBD. They have a yummy sweet potato flavor that your pup will love. 

Pros:

• Clear dosing instructions: These treats have very clear and easy-to-follow dosing instructions based on the weight on their site and on the product label. 
• Human-grade ingredients: Since these treats are made with human-grade ingredients, you’ll know they’re good for your dog.  
• Additional calming ingredients: Contains calming extracts like chamomile, passion flower, and valerian root

Cons:

• THC: These treats are made with full spectrum CBD, and they have trace amounts of THC (0.3% or less, which is the legal limit of THC allowed in hemp in most states).

What customers say:

According to Penelope’s Bloom site, 100% of reviewers would recommend this product, and it has almost entirely five-star reviews. Reviewers love these treats, with multiple saying that they were the only ones that helped calm their pups’ anxiety.

Best Tasting CBD Dog Treats: Honest Paws Calm CBD Bites

Honest Paws is a pet company that makes all kinds of dog products. Aside from CBD treats, they also have grooming supplies, probiotics, and immune supplements.

These Honest Paws Calm Bites dog treats have a delicious peanut butter flavor, so your pup will be excited to eat his calming soft chews. The treats are made with organic hemp, natural CBD, and non-GMO and all-natural ingredients. 

Pros:

• All-natural: Honest Paws products are made with 100% natural and non-toxic ingredients.
• Clear dosing instructions: These treats have very clear and easy-to-follow dosing instructions based on the weight on their site and on the product label.
• Yummy flavor: Pups everywhere love the peanut butter flavor of these chewy bites

Cons:

• Full spectrum CBD: These treats are made with full spectrum CBD, which means there could be trace amounts of THC, but the certificate of analysis shows that no THC was detected.

What customers say:

Reviewers say that their dogs love these Calm Bites, and there are over 515 five-star reviews. Pet parents say that the treats help prevent their dogs from getting overly excited or scared during storms, and they help with the pain.

How To Choose CBD For Dogs

When choosing CBD for your dog, you’ll have to research to ensure you’re getting a safe, high-quality product. 

These are some things to keep in mind while shopping for CBD pet treats:

• Form: There are a variety of CBD dog products on the market, like treats, CBD oils, and topical products, so think about what would work best for your dog’s individual needs. 
• Type of CBD: Decide whether you want a product that contains isolates or full spectrum CBD. Full spectrum may contain trace amounts of THC.
• Amount of CBD: A smaller amount of CBD in treats (3 mg/treat vs. 10 mg/treat, for example) might be better for dogs who have never had CBD before so they can ease into it. 
• Testing: Pet products that include CBD should be tested for safety, so make sure the company you’re buying from tests their products. Look for a lab report or certificate of analysis on their site, and read the product description to see if it says it’s been tested.
• Check for harmful ingredients: Check the lab report to see if the product contains anything that could be bad for your dog, like contaminants or pesticides. 
• Make sure the product actually contains CBD: There’s a difference between products that contain hemp and ones that have CBD, so if you’re looking for CBD soft chews, check the label.
• Read reviews: You should take a look at the company and product reviews to see what other pet parents have said and to check if there are any serious concerns. 
• CBD source: The best CBD comes from local farms in the U.S. Some companies might import cheap hemp, which leads to a lower-quality product.

How To Give Your Dog CBD

Before giving your dog CBD treats or any supplement, be sure to talk to your vet first. Since they’re familiar with your dog’s medical history, they’ll be able to tell you whether it’s safe to give your pup CBD (and how much you should give him).

The FDA hasn’t officially approved CBD for dogs, so there aren’t any set dosages, and not all products will contain the same amount of CBD. Because of this, it’s important to follow the directions for the product you choose. The product label or the company website should have CBD dosage instructions to give you an idea of how much your pup should have. 

And when thinking about CBD for your dog, you should know that it’s not a good idea to give him human CBD products since they can contain ingredients that are toxic to dogs (like xylitol or essential oils). They may have a greater amount of THC, which could also be dangerous for your pet. 

CBD Benefits For Your Dog

CBD pet products are a pretty new thing, so along with not being regulated by the FDA, there’s not a lot of info yet to say what the definitive benefits of CBD for dogs are. But research and pet parent anecdotal evidence has shown some positive effects of giving your pup CBD, such as:

• Reduced anxiety
• Fewer seizures
• Pain relief
• Better mobility for dogs with arthritis
• Reduced hyperactivity in hyper dogs
• Better sleep
• Better GI tract and immune system function

Potential Side Effects Of CBD

While CBD is generally safe for pets, research on CBD for dogs has found that it can cause mild diarrhea in some dogs, especially if they’ve been given too much CBD. Research has also shown that CBD causes an increase in a liver enzyme, alkaline phosphatase (ALP). High ALP can indicate liver problems, so dogs taking CBD for long periods may need to monitor their liver enzymes.

Other potential side effects are similar to those in humans, such as sleepiness, and CBD might have drug interactions with some medications, but there’s not a lot of evidence to show that it does. If your dog takes any medicines, your vet can tell you if they think CBD is safe to combine with them. 

THC can be dangerous for dogs, though. If a dog has too much of the substance, he can develop THC toxicity, which means he’s high. Signs your pup has THC toxicity include drowsiness, lethargy, difficulty walking or stumbling, slow heart rate, urine incontinence, vomiting, and dilated pupils. The main concern is the possibility of going into respiratory depression. 

Your pup is highly unlikely to develop THC toxicity from pet CBD products, though, because the amount of the substance is so low. Your dog could get high from accidentally ingesting a human CBD product, like an edible or marijuana.