Dog CBD Overdose Symptoms: How To Know If Your Pet Is In Trouble

CBD products are seemingly sold everywhere these days, not only on thousands of websites and in dedicated shops, but in outlets ranging from convenience stores to gas stations. The widespread legalisation of CBD has led to an explosion in its popularity.

It’s not only humans using the products, either. A large number of people are giving CBD (short for cannabidiol) to their dogs and other pets, primarily to relieve arthritis pain or reduce the stress and anxiety they experience.

There’s not enough definitive research for governmental authorities to approve CBD as a medical treatment. But CBD products are easy and legal to purchase, and in most Western nations — with one notable exception — CBD products for pets are available, too.

It’s not just dogs with arthritis and anxiety that may benefit from CBD. Studies have shown that cannabidiol may help ease canine epileptic seizures and the allergy known as atopy that causes uncontrollable chewing and scratching in dogs. Anecdotal reports from veterinarians also praise CBD’s ability to help with poor appetites, sleep problems, inflammation, and nausea.

That leads to two important questions: can dogs suffer from CBD overdoses, and if so, how can you tell if your pet’s in trouble?

The first question depends on your definition of overdose. Cannabidiol is non-toxic, and the World Health Organization (WHO) says that CBD products have no significant negative effects on humans or animals, except perhaps at extremely high doses. Your dog won’t die from being given CBD, as long as it’s been sourced from hemp (a requirement for CBD sold legally).

However, it’s possible to give your dog too much. It could result in excessive thirst, drowsiness or lethargy, difficulty walking, diarrhoea and vomiting, and low blood pressure. In most cases, the pet will recover on their own, although alarming issues like bloody diarrhoea or vomiting should be brought to a vet’s attention immediately.

Oh, that nation where you can’t buy CBD dog products? It’s Britain. It’s technically illegal to give CBD to pets in the UK, although there is a way to get around the law.

To learn more about that, and CBD’s effects on dogs, read on.

CBD and Its Apparent Benefits

Cannabidiol is one of two major cannabinoids (a class of plant compounds) found in hemp and cannabis. The other is psychoactive THC (tetrahydrocannabinol). The two are very similar in their chemical compositions, and both seem to provide users with numerous health benefits.

CBD and THC interact with different elements of the endocannabinoid system (ECS) in the bodies of humans and other mammals, though, so the effects they provide are different. Most importantly, THC makes users high, while CBD is non-intoxicating.

Users ingest THC by using marijuana or cannabis products, which contain lots of the psychoactive cannabinoid but very little CBD. The CBD products available for human and pet use are manufactured with cannabidiol sourced from hemp plants, which contain high levels of CBD but very little THC.

Important side note: unlike CBD, THC is toxic for dogs. Even a small amount can cause serious side effects and medical problems for dogs; canine deaths have been reported after ingestion of cannabis. Always keep marijuana, weed edibles, cannabis plants, and even second-hand marijuana smoke away from your dog. Shortly, we’ll have tips about CBD that contain THC.

CBD isn’t prescribed to treat any disease or condition, except for a few rare types of childhood epilepsy. That’s because there hasn’t been enough definitive evidence to convince governments or medical authorities to place cannabidiol in the same category as common prescription medications.

However, preliminary research has shown that CBD provides people using it with a large number of apparent benefits. They include:

• Easing depression, anxiety, stress, and other serious mental health disorders
• Relieving chronic pain caused by inflammatory and anti-immune diseases, including arthritis and gut diseases
• Slowing the progress of neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases
• Reducing the number or severity of seizures in patients with epilepsy
• Easing insomnia and sleep disorders
• Lowering heart health risk factors like high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels
• Fighting outbreaks of acne and other skin diseases
• Helping to battle some types of cancer

That’s just some of what CBD may be able to do for people. What about pets?

CBD and Dogs

The study of CBD’s effects on canines and other animals is less advanced than research into its benefits for humans. Even so, some of the initial findings are compelling:

• Cornell University researchers have found that more than four-fifths of dogs administered cannabidiol before a stressful incident demonstrated fewer behaviors linked to anxiety and stress than canines not receiving CBD.
• A different Cornell study administered cannabidiol to dogs with painful osteoarthritis. More than 80% became more active than they had been and were observed to be in less pain.
• Preliminary results of ongoing research at Colorado State University show that epileptic seizures in dogs have been reduced significantly when CBD has been added to their more traditional medication regime.
• Research conducted by a company in Australia found that dogs with atopy, an allergic condition that causes them to scratch and chew their skin uncontrollably, responded impressively when given CBD. 65% showed marked improvement in their atopy, and half of those dogs recovered fully.

There’s no research available to date on the use of cannabidiol for other canine health issues, but veterinarians (and many pet owners) report that CBD has significantly helped dogs suffering from conditions triggered by inflammation, and those with poor appetites, nausea, and sleep difficulties.

What’s more, the head of the influential American Kennel Club has said that CBD may provide cardiovascular support and help prevent cancer in dogs.

All of those possible benefits aren’t surprising. They essentially mirror the preliminary findings we’ve listed for cannabidiol’s apparent human health benefits, including the possible relief of stress, pain, seizures, insomnia, heart health risks, skin diseases, and cancer.

And even the World Health Organization says that CBD is non-toxic and doesn’t cause serious negative effects — seemingly making cannabidiol a smart approach to many canine health issues, even though research is still underway. It would be smart to check with your veterinarian before administering CBD to your pet, though.

An assortment of CBD products for dogs is available. The most popular are CBD-infused chews created in a wide variety of flavors, and CBD oil that can be added to pet food (although the better way to administer it is to drop the oil under your dog’s tongue if your pet will accommodate you).

Things aren’t so easy if you live in a country like the UK, however, where it’s technically illegal to administer CBD to your dog unless you (not the dog) jump through some hoops first. We’ll get to that situation at the end of this article.

First, though, two important questions must be answered.

How Much CBD Should You Give Your Dog?

Dosing CBD can be baffling, even for people trying to figure out the amount of CBD they should use. Since cannabidiol hasn’t been approved as a prescription treatment, there are no government standards or authoritative recommendations for appropriate dosages.

Two other factors make things exponentially more difficult. All people’s (and dogs’) bodies process CBD differently, and the amount of cannabidiol that appears to help one condition isn’t necessarily appropriate for another condition. Bottom line: the “right” dose for one user might be too little or too much for another.

When choosing a dosage for your dog, your first move should be to consult your vet for a recommendation. If that’s not possible, here are a few basic guidelines.

Canine CBD doses are usually calculated according to the dog’s weight, and holistic practitioners are more likely to suggest high doses than veterinarians or even CBD manufacturers. A key mantra, however, is to “start low and increase slow,”

With that in mind, a common and sensible recommendation is to start with 1-2 milligrams of CBD for every 10 kilograms of a dog’s weight (that’s equivalent to 0.45 to 0.9 milligrams per pound). It’s best to begin with the lower number and increase it if you don’t see results.

With low doses like that, you shouldn’t have to worry about giving your pup a little too much cannabidiol. Even if you mistakenly administer a full dropper of CBD oil instead of half a dropper, the worst that will probably happen is that your dog will settle in for a nice long rest.

What about giving them way too much, though?

CBD Side Effects and “Overdoses” in Dogs

First things first: CBD is not toxic and can’t kill your dog. A dose would have to be extraordinarily high to cause what’s called CBD toxicity — and even that should be avoidable if you make sure to use products that contain what’s called CBD isolate.

Full-spectrum CBD products contain the very small amounts of THC that are found in hemp; at unusually high CBD doses, that THC could build up over time and cause toxicity. Broad-spectrum products contain traces of THC at most and are safer for pets.

CBD isolate, however, contains no THC or other plant compounds. It’s the least-effective option, but also the safest if you’re worried about the effects cannabidiol might have on your dog.

Now, about overdoses. Experts say that the word implies life-threatening effects, so they claim it’s not possible for dogs to suffer “CBD overdoses.” Nevertheless, negative reactions to cannabidiol are possible.

What are the signs that your pet is having a bad reaction to the CBD you’ve given them?

• Possible canine CBD side effects include lethargy or sleepiness, increased thirst (due to dry mouth), loss of appetite, and low blood pressure. None of these effects are considered serious and they should all quickly abate. These reactions are a sign to try a lower dose or stop administering CBD.
• Signs of excessive CBD doses include diarhhoea, vomiting, rapid breathing, dilated pupils, and excessive sleep or restlessness (both are possible). These issues should also resolve without medical intervention, but your dog should be closely monitored for signs of toxicity.
• Signs of canine CBD/THC toxicity include more serious incidences of the above symptoms, particularly if there’s blood in the dog’s diarrhoea or vomit, as well as lack of coordination and difficulty walking, and urinary incontinence. These symptoms will appear within about an hour and can last for several days. If they persist longer than a few hours, if they seem to be worsening, or if there are signs of blood or incontinence, you should call your vet or bring your pet in immediately.

The best way to avoid any of these issues is, as discussed in the last section, to start with low doses of CBD and to be sure the cannabidiol is CBD isolate, not full-spectrum or broad-spectrum. Remember that any problems your dog experiences after consuming CBD won’t be fatal, but it’s crucial to notify your vet if you see any signs of toxicity.

Finally, we’ll repeat the important side note we mentioned at the start: THC is toxic for dogs. Always ensure that cannabis and all cannabis products are out of the reach of your pets.

CBD for Dogs in Britain

We don’t have to tell readers in the UK that British laws can be peculiar at best, and maddening at worst. Laws governing the administration of cannabidiol products to dogs can be more maddening than peculiar.

In a nutshell, the government says that since there’s no evidence proving that CBD is safe for pets, the sensible approach is to simply ban their consumption of cannabidiol and CBD products. In fact, if you purchase a CBD product intended for human use and give it to your dog, you’re breaking the law, too.

Without going into all of the specifics, there’s a loophole that lets you dodge the restrictions. All you have to do is ask your vet to prescribe human CBD for your dog. With that prescription in hand, you (and the vet) are in the clear; you can purchase CBD oil at any shop, administer it to your dog, and still be in full compliance with the law.

The strangest part of this whole bizarre scenario is that no clerk, chemist, or officer will ever ask to see your prescription or ask who will be using the CBD. The piece of paper simply covers everyone involved in the process legally — and you’re free to give CBD to your pet with no worries.

God Save the King!

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