It’s natural for your dog to lick, scratch or bite their skin to resolve minor itches. But, have you lately noticed your dog itching way too much? Or do you often find yourself complaining about how your dog itching itself keeps you up at night?
Sadly, this can be a relatively common issue that can lead to bloody scratches or bald spots on your dog’s coat. And in addition to destroying the lustrous and shiny coat, itchiness or allergies can also make your dog moody and aggressive.
But, CBD can help your dog find relief from irritation and skin allergies. Moreover, it can also keep your dog calm, improve appetite and help them get a good night’s sleep.
So, if you are considering switching to CBD for itchy skin, here’s how to pick the right product.
Contents
An Overview On CBD: Is It Safe For Pets?
CBD for itching skin, is a natural chemical extract found in the cannabis Sativa plant. And, unlike its sister cousin- marijuana, CBD is free from THC. In short, CBD is non-intoxicating and non-habit forming.
CBD reacts with the body’s endocannabinoid system (an intense cell-signaling network) to improve appetite, sleeping patterns and mood. It is available in a variety of forms like oils, tinctures, gummies, treats, chocolates, bath bombs, shampoo and even face wash.
And when it comes to its benefits, CBD can help with acne, redness, inflammation, allergies, joint pain, muscle stiffness, nerve pain, anxiety, depression, epilepsy, schizophrenia, insomnia and arthritis.
So, is CBD safe for your pup?
Absolutely! In fact, if you shop from an online, well-renowned brand, you can get an organic CBD product free from all chemicals. Besides this, CBD can be a great way to deal with your dog’s moodiness or skin allergies. It is 100% natural and comes with no side effects.
Which Product To Choose?
Here’s a fact: CBD products come in varying concentrations and types. Here’s what you need to know before choosing any product for your pet.
Concentrations
CBD for dogs comes in three concentrations: isolate, broad-spectrum and full-spectrum. And, before we get into this, let’s go back to the cannabis plant. The cannabis Sativa plant has over 100 compounds, including CBD, THC, CBC, CBN etc. And the most potent of all is THC, a compound present abundantly in marijuana that makes you high. In addition to this, the plant also contains terpenes and flavonoids, which don’t usually have any effect apart from increasing the product’s potency.
An isolate CBD product is 100% pure CBD. It does not contain any terpenes or THC, making it highly potent and fast-acting.
A broad-spectrum CBD product includes terpenes and flavonoids, in addition to CBD, but no THC. This allows you to reap more benefits like a slightly higher potency.
A full-spectrum product contains CBD, terpenes, flavonoids and 0.3% THC. Note that this 0.3% of THC is not enough to make you or your pet high. In fact, it works together with CBD and creates an entourage effect.
Product Type
If we talk about product type, you can find CBD in almost anything. But when it comes to managing itchiness and improving your dog’s coat, we say go for CBD topicals.
Available in all three concentrations, CBD topicals like creams or lotions are usually applied over the affected skin to find almost instant relief from itchiness or redness. You can even find CBD dog shampoos on the market if you want more therapeutic effects.
However, if topicals don’t seem right for your dog, you can go for CBD dog treats. They come in a huge variety of flavors, making it easier for you to feed them to your pup. However, because they enter the bloodstream after going through the digestive system, they lose half of their potency in this process. In short, CBD treats and other edibles might not be a good choice if you want instant relief.
Summing Up
You can also go for CBD oils or tinctures for your dogs. However, oils often come with a bitter aftertaste. Moreover, when shopping for CBD for your pets, always look for the Certificate of Analysis and ensure the THC content is less than 0.3%.