Does CBD Really Work When Traveling with Your Pet?

If you're like most pet owners, you want to be with your beloved friend all the time. However, extended trips in planes, trains, or automobiles can cause physical discomfort and emotional anxiety in animals such as dogs and cats. Fortunately, the modern world offers a way to help pets feel more relaxed while traveling: non-pharmaceutical CBD oil. Let's examine how this CBD alleviates anxiety in pets, what other benefits it might provide, and what you should know before giving it to your pet.

Why Pets Don't Always Travel Well

A traveling pet isn't always a happy pet. While some animals love nothing more than to stick their head out the window and watch the scenery go by, others experience acute distress depending on the length and circumstances of the trip. This distress may take the following forms:

• Emotional stress - Some pets feel anxious when in an unfamiliar environment such as an airplane cabin or the back of a car, even with their favorite toys and treats in ready supply. Cats, in particular, can be extremely sensitive to unwelcome sounds, smells, or sights.
• Physical discomfort - Pets can get uncomfortable sitting in one position or in a confined space for significant periods of time. Injured pets or pets suffering from chronic pain may feel especially poorly during a long journey. Pets can also suffer from motion sickness and nausea just as traveling humans can.

What Is CBD for Pets?

CBD stands for cannabidiol, a naturally-occurring compound found in hemp plants and other members of the cannabis family. Scientists group it with other similar substances collectively known as cannabinoids. Like other cannabinoids, CBD affects the body's endocannabinoid system. The endocannabinoid system governs everything from sleep and mood to inflammatory responses, eating, and pain response.

CBD oils and other CBD products come in two principal categories. Full-spectrum CBD includes tiny amounts of THC, the substance responsible for marijuana's mind-altering properties. Broad-spectrum CBD, the type used for pet formulations, excludes THC while providing all the other benefits of the cannabidiol. You'll find CBD for dogs and cats in the forms of tinctures, capsules, chews, and hard treats.

Potential Benefits of Giving Your Pet CBD

When given in the correct dosage, CBD has a mild but significant calming effect on dogs and cats. For instance, research on dogs has shown that CBD can reduce levels of the stress hormone cortisol, normalize heart rate, and reduce outward signs of anxiety such as lip licking and whining. The result is a quieter, more tranquil animal.

Don't forget the pain-relieving benefits of CBD for pets. CBD interacts with specific endocannabinoid receptors responsible for pain and inflammation management. By helping to control pain and inflammation, CBD may permit a pet suffering from the chronic pain of arthritis or recovering from a painful injury to feel more comfortable sitting for long periods.

Last but not least, CBD can help maintain more normal digestive function and tame the queasiness some pets feel when traveling in a moving vehicle. This relief will naturally contribute to your pet's overall feeling of well-being -- while reducing the odds that you'll have to clean up after its motion sickness!

Is CBD Safe for Pets?

CBD appears to be quite safe for the vast majority of cats and dogs when given in appropriate dosages. However, the recommended dosage varies according to species and body size. One to five milligrams of CBD oil will give most cats the full benefits of the substance without creating any ill effects. Among dogs, manufacturers for pet CBD products typically recommend a starting dose of one to two milligrams for small breeds, five to 10 milligrams for medium-sized breeds, 15 to 20 milligrams for large breeds, and 20 to 20 milligrams for giant breeds.

As implied by the ranges listed above, the exact amount of beneficial CBD can vary from one individual pet to the next. If the starter dose you've administered doesn't seem to help your pet while traveling, you can increase the dosage carefully, one milligram at a time, until your pet can travel more easily.

Just as some humans should avoid certain nutritional supplements or medications, CBD isn't necessarily right for all dogs and cats. For example, CBD's potential to reduce seizures in animals may mean that if your pet currently takes anti-seizure medications, your veterinarian may need to reduce the dosages of those medications accordingly. CBD can also raise levels of liver enzymes in pets that take it on a continuous basis. If you want to give your pet CBD to help manage chronic pain or some other chronic condition, you may need to have your pet's liver enzyme levels checked periodically.

Ask Your Vet Before Giving Your Pet CBD

As you've seen, CBD oil and related CBD products can prove extremely beneficial to traveling pets. Even so, you should talk to your veterinarian before giving your pet CBD if the animal has a pre-existing condition or currently takes medication for said condition. If CBD doesn't make sense for your furry friend for whatever reason, your vet may be able to recommend other solutions for increasing comfort while traveling. One way or another, rest assured that you and your pet can enjoy happier adventures together!