cbdMD CBD Oil for Dogs Product Review

The flavor of the oil, for a pet product, is surprisingly true to its peanut butter inspiration, with a pleasant nuttiness to balance out the oily flavors without being too heady.  Our test subject, a 10-year-old yellow Lab/Shepherd mix named Baxter, was way into it.  He adores peanut butter, and it’s a good thing — he has an animal protein allergy, so plant-based products are a must to keep him healthy.

Baxter liked this peanut butter CBD oil well enough to let us drop it directly into his mouth (he quickly learned to associate the bottle with tasty treats). He’s notorious for forcefully expelling his many medications, so we were pleasantly surprised at how well he responded to the CBD oil.  That said, you could also drop it onto food or treats for pups who aren’t quite as compliant.

The flavor of the oil, for a pet product, is surprisingly true to its peanut butter inspiration, with a pleasant nuttiness to balance out the oily flavors without being too heady.  Our test subject, a 10-year-old yellow Lab/Shepherd mix named Baxter, was way into it.  He adores peanut butter, and it’s a good thing — he has an animal protein allergy, so plant-based products are a must to keep him healthy.

Baxter liked this peanut butter CBD oil well enough to let us drop it directly into his mouth (he quickly learned to associate the bottle with tasty treats). He’s notorious for forcefully expelling his many medications, so we were pleasantly surprised at how well he responded to the CBD oil.  That said, you could also drop it onto food or treats for pups who aren’t quite as compliant.

First, we need to commend cbdMD for their decision to package this oil in a childproof bottle.  While it’s not possible to overdose on CBD, it is still a medication.  As such, we feel that it should be packaged responsibly. We applaud cbdMD’s packaging call, here, and we hope to see more providers follow suit in the near future.

Second, we love that the dropper included in the bottle is marked at .25 mL increments, making dividing and customizing doses straightforward and user-friendly.  Especially at this concentration (750 mg of organic CBD per ounce, or 25 mg per mL), this ability to accurately divide doses is valuable and we appreciate this attention to detail from companies.

Now, on to the oil itself:  the oil has a subtle warm tint to it and is clear in the dropper.  It flows easily and absorbs well into dry food and treats (though it also blends easily into soft foods and treats as well), but it can also be easily dosed directly into the mouth.

Our test subject, Baxter, is 10 years old, weighs about 65 lbs, and suffers from arthritis, hip dysplasia, a heart condition, and chronic pain.  He also has an allergy to many types of animal protein, so vegetarian products like this oil are a good option for him in particular.

Baxter takes a host of medications for his health problems, and he’s a pro at launching pills across the kitchen.  We expected dosing him to be a bit of a challenge, but he took to this oil very quickly.  Given his size and symptoms, we gave Baxter half a dropper in the morning and half in the evening before bed (12.5 mg of CBD per dose).

The first dose took effect within 25 minutes of dosing, and Baxter relaxed, his panting (caused by his heart condition) slowed, and we noticed that he seemed to have an easier time getting up and down off the floor (and up onto the couch, his favorite snuggle spot).  That night he slept peacefully, with minimal panting and no whimpering or groaning in pain during the night.

Over the following week, we noticed a marked change in Baxter:  he seemed more alert and energetic, he was more active and even resumed his favorite pastime of running (that may be a strong word for what Baxter does — perhaps jogging?  Loping?) along the fence to rile up the neighbor dogs. His panting reduced, and he seemed to be significantly more comfortable when walking; the limp caused by the pain of his hip dysplasia lessened considerably over time.

We should note that our primary goal with Baxter, because of his age and overall health, is pain management and improving quality of life.  We aren’t trying to stop time or Benjamin Button him back to puppyhood — that’s unrealistic, to put it mildly. Baxter could have weeks left with us, or he could have years; either way, we want him to enjoy our remaining time together without pain and mobility problems keeping him from being himself.

All that is to say, we saw a measurable difference in Baxter at the end of the first week on his CBD regimen.  We saw a notable change in his behavior after implementing a regular CBD regimen and, while he can’t tell us how he’s feeling with words, he seems to be in less pain and is able to move around more easily.  We found that, in Baxter’s case, two doses per day was sufficient for powerful symptom relief, but your pet’s needs may vary.

We used this pet CBD oil to successfully treat a variety of  symptoms related to inflammatory conditions, from arthritis to hip dysplasia to cardiovascular illness.  We noticed pronounced relief from physical symptoms of pain and inflammation, but we think this oil could also be used to treat symptoms of anxiety in pets stemming from separation, loud noises, and other causes.