Hemp Oil and Dogs: What Is It? Does It Work
Are you one of the dog owners who are confused and curious about hemp oil for dogs? Do not worry, as you are not alone. As there are a lot of dog owners who are not yet aware of the features and benefits of hemp oil or in what ways it may help your dog.
Let us first understand what hemp oil is. Hemp oil is a component that is extracted directly from the seeds of hemp plants. Hemp oil comes straight from the source that is the seeds of hemp plants. Hence it is the source of various essential nutrients like omega-6, omega-3 fatty acids, omega-9, gamma-linolenic acid, or GLA along with several healthy proteins and amino acids. The hemp oil can be a great help in reducing joint pain, boosting your dog’s immune system, skin improvement, and other health benefits. Unlike CBD, the benefits of hemp oil are mostly nutritional. CBD or cannabidiol, which is made from the different parts of the hemp plant like flowers, leaves, stalks, etc. contains cannabinoids and is also free from THC. Hence it may help reduce chronic pain, anxiety, seizure episodes, reduce inflammation according to certain evidence.
Although humans have used hemp oil for medical purposes for thousands of years, yet the different extracts that can be made from its components may be quite confusing. Hence to ensure that you get the best result from the hemp oil for helping your dogs, try choosing its full spectrum form.
The dissimilarity between full-spectrum hemp oil and hemp seed oil
Before using hemp oil for your dogs, let's first understand the difference between full-spectrum hemp oil and hemp seed oil. Understanding the difference between the two is quite necessary to help you determine which one you should use for your dog and how the extracts can improve your dog’s life.
Full-spectrum hemp oil for dogs
When the oil is extracted from stalks, leaves, and flowers of the plant rather than the seeds only, it contains in it several beneficial substances that may not be found in hemp seed oil. One among such compounds is known as cannabinoids. This helps in combating nausea, stimulating appetite, reducing inflammation, and also provides an overall calming effect on your dog. Hence when you go purchasing a hemp extract for your dog, just make sure that the full spectrum, broad-spectrum, or PCR oil.
Hemp seed oil
Hemp seed oil is packed with protein and is an excellent source of omega-3, omega-6, and essential fatty acids. This can help your dog in digestion, heart health, and improvement of skin quality. The hemp seed oil is often considered a superfood due to the presence of high levels of antioxidants, omega, vitamins, and minerals. Although the hemp seed oil adds nutrition to your dog’s diet, it doesn’t offer a similar benefit as that of full-spectrum hemp oil.
Does hemp oil work?
there is uncertainty among the veterinarians about recommending the hemp oil for pets with medical issues,
There is very little research-based data to answer the basic questions about its efficacy and safety. Besides, the laws about hemp oil and cannabis appear to be changing rapidly.
Is hemp oil safe for dogs?
Although various studies have shown the benefits of hemp oil, the most encouraging point that proves the effectiveness of hemp oil is, it doesn’t cause any harm to your dog’s health even when administered in huge amounts for an extended period.
On the other hand, you must also be careful before giving hemp oil to your dog and necessarily seek the advice of your vet. This is because the hemp oil may reduce the activity of the liver enzymes of your dog which helps your dog to metabolize other prescription drugs. If your dog is on any of the below-mentioned medications, it is advised that you ask your vet before giving him hemp oil.
- NSAIDs
- Allergy medicines
- Steroids
- Heart meds
- Anxiety meds
- Liver and kidney meds
If your dog is on any of the above-mentioned medicine, it doesn’t necessarily mean that he cannot be given hemp oil. But it is safe to take the suggestion of the vet before doing so.
Hemp oil is a healthy and life-saving herb for your dog. With time, more and more pet owners as well as vets are getting drawn to the hemp oil for treating various health conditions of dogs. Besides, both the dog owner as well the vet administer the hemp oil to the animals knowing the oil has minor or no side effects.
How to find the hemp oil for dogs
Hemp oil and CBD are quite easily available in the market and as the industry of CBD and hemp is quite unregulated, you may end up buying low-quality hemp oil for your dogs. Hence just get a look at the below-mentioned points to ensure the quality of the hemp oil that you are purchasing for your pets.
- Look for co2 extraction in the product
- Check for a certificate of analysis
- Here are the points that you must go through in the COA
- The amount of CBD in the COA must be the same as in the label.
- Check on whether the hemp oil is a full spectrum
- Check for contaminants
