Important Tips for Choosing the Best CBD Oil for Dogs

Cannabidiol (CBD) is a substance that occurs naturally in cannabis plants, both marijuana and hemp. It also delivers amazing therapeutic benefits to humans and pets. CBD oil is among the commonly used cannabidiol product on the market. Dog parents use it to reduce anxiety in their dogs, alleviate pain, and restore appetite, among other uses.

Despite the many benefits of CBD oil for dogs, the cannabidiol industry is still unregulated. You can typically find several brands of CBD oil online and on shelves, but they are not all the same. Therefore, we curated this guide to help you choose a good quality product for your pet.

Things to Consider When Choosing CBD Oil for Your Pet

Consider the following things when you want to get cannabidiol oil for your pet:

Choose Broad or Full Spectrum

When buying cannabidiol products, you need to check the labels thoroughly to ensure that they are either broad spectrum or full spectrum. This simply means that the product contains CBD as well as other essential cannabinoids like Cannabigerol (CBG) and Cannabichromene (CBC).

Researchers discovered that CBC could fight cancer, block inflammation and pains, and leave a good effect on the brain cells. Also, CBG was studied to find out its medicinal value. It can reduce digestive tract inflammation and protect the eyes and nerve cells. It also fights cancerous cells and improves bladder function.

Furthermore, a full spectrum product contains terpenes like beta-pinene, limonene, and alpha-pinene. When cannabinoids work with terpenes, they create an entourage effect, thereby, boosting the therapeutic properties in the cannabidiol oil. Now, you must know that the extraction of CBD using carbon dioxide will pulverize the terpenes.

As a result, they will be difficult to detect during testing and won’t be displayed on the COA (certificate of analysis). However, they are still present in the product and will add to the medicinal effect of the product. Still, we do not recommend products that are extracted using solvents.

Ensure You Choose CO2 Extracted CBD Oil

Generally, there are 2 methods of extracting oil from hemp plants:

Carbon dioxide Extraction

This method extracts the oil using carbon dioxide. The hemp is placed in a chamber that generates high pressure. Then the carbon dioxide is infused into the chamber to break down the plants and release the oil.

The oils produced here have a very high CBD concentration, which implies that your pet will gain more from using them. Without doubts, these oils are more expensive. However, they are better than other alternatives.

Extraction Using Solvents

This method is a cheap extraction method. It uses solvents like propane, butane, and other petroleum products. However, the residues from the solvent will get into the final product, which is toxic to dogs.

Some manufacturers use natural solvents like olive oil and ethanol. Although they are safer for dogs, they destroy the waxes in the hemp, leaving the oil empty. You can visit https://www.healtheuropa.eu/cannabis-extraction-2/91341/ to read more about CBD extraction.

Request a Certificate of Analysis

When you want to buy CBD oil and you can’t get a COA, just run away! This certificate shows the type and quantity of cannabinoids present in the oil, and it must come from an external laboratory. Accessing this document ensures that your pet is protected from contaminated products.

As a good practice, the manufacturer is expected to have one certificate for every hemp batch. The information should be available on the vendor’s website. But if it is unavailable, you can request it before making any purchase. There are some important things you should check when going through a COA.

The Product is the Same One You Saw in the Advert

This is a very common occurrence; what people order vs what they get. You may see 500 milligrams on the label, but you need to look at the COA to be sure that it is the same figure. Some test results express cannabidiol content in milligram/gram. To get the cannabidiol content, you have to calculate the grams in each bottle of oil.

For instance, say the certificate shows 15mg/g cannabidiol. To calculate the CBD content, multiply this figure by the weight of each bottle in grams. Typically, a one-ounce dropper container will weigh about 30 g. Therefore, the total milligram of cannabidiol inside the bottle will be 450 mg (30 g bottle x 15 mg/g).

There is a Moderate Amount of THC

If the CBD oil contains anything above 0.03 percent THC, it is not hemp, maybe marijuana. This is not even legal and the psychoactive (“high”) effects it will have on your dog could be disastrous. Also, you need to avoid oils that do not contain any THC because they will limit the therapeutic benefits your dog will enjoy.

There are No Contaminants

It is important to find out where the hemp plants were grown and how they were grown. The procedures play a significant role in the test results. Therefore, ensure that the hemp was organically grown to reduce the risks of environmental toxins.

Also, find out whether the water and soil used in growing the plants were clean since the plants can absorb pollutants. That’s why you need to look out for the presence of heavy metals in the COA. Also, check for solvent residues and pesticides in the document. You can click here to find out the best practices for growing hemp.

Conclusion

There are several CBD oils, but not all of them are equal. Some products are more equal than others because of the variation in quality. A lot of things go into the production of CBD, starting from the cultivation, harvesting, to the extraction and packaging of the final product. Thus, ensure you get the best for your pet.