CBD for pets: hype or healing?

The use of cannabidiol (CBD) in both humans and pets over the past decade or so has received much publicity and promotion, most of which has been consumer-driven. This in turn has led to increasing research on the benefits and safety of CBD oil.

How does CBD work?

Cannabinoids have reportedly been used for thousands of years in traditional medicine in the treatment of all manner of ailments. Cannabis plants contain many active compounds, including cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).

THC is the psychoactive component, responsible for the ‘high’ that attracts recreational drug users. Importantly, THC is toxic to pets.  In contrast, CBD does not possess psychoactive properties. The endocannabinoid system involves neurotransmitters that bind to cannabinoid receptors expressed in the brain and nervous system. Endocannabinoids play a homeostatic role in the body.

CBD is a plant-derived cannabinoid, which can act on the same receptors. CBD acts on the immune system, possibly causing immune-modulation and reducing both the sensation and perception of pain.

Potential uses for chronic pain

Many potential uses of CBD in pets have been hypothesized, including in the treatment of cancer, irritable bowel syndrome, atopy, epilepsy, immune-mediated conditions, anxiety and chronic gingivostomatitis in cats.

However, recent research in the veterinary world has focused on chronic pain.

Chronic pain is one of the main causes of reduced quality of life in pets, especially geriatrics. Veterinarians often reach for ‘multi-modal’ analgesia, and it is thought that CBD oil could play an important role in managing chronic pain, especially pain associated with osteoarthritis (OA), in the future.

A systematic review was published in 2024 in the scientific journal Pharmaceuticals, with the aim of updating and gathering clinical and preclinical evidence on CBD in the treatment of pain. The review analyzed 40 studies, which had to meet strict inclusion criteria. The review only included studies looking at CBD (without THC) as a monotherapy pain treatment, and covered both clinical and preclinical trials. This review concluded that CBD could be both effective and safe in reducing pain, via both pain relief and anti-inflammatory actions.

Consequently, CBD shows future potential in the treatment of OA and chronic pain in pets. However, while research so far seems promising, the authors note that clinical evidence is still limited, so more studies are needed.

Promising results

Further research has already been published, including a 2025 paper looking at a specific cannabis-based nutritional supplement. The study looked at the effects of a cannabinoid-based phytocomplex (Pain Relief™) on chronic pain in osteoarthritic dogs.

The supplement is an oil-based formulation containing cannabidiol (15%) and cannabigerol (15%), myrcene (0.3%) and devil’s claw (1%) alcoholic extract, diluted in fractionated coconut oil. 21 adult cross breed dogs suffering with chronic pain due to severe OA were split into placebo and treatment groups.

The treatment group received the nutritional supplement for 30 days. According to the study, the treatment group showed decreased scores on the Helsinki Chronic Pain Index, a reduction in reactive oxygen metabolites, reduced interleukin-6 levels and increased interleukin-10 levels. No side effects were noted.

Although limited conclusions can be drawn (since the study was very small scale, over a short time period, with several ingredients possibly working synergistically), the results are promising. The study concludes a potential pain relief and anti-inflammatory benefit of this supplement for OA in dogs, improving quality of life.

Safety considerations

To date, there has been limited data evaluating the safety of CBD when used alongside other chronic pain medications. A 2024 study evaluated the effect of CBD in dogs with mobility disorders, alongside and without non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).

The results suggested a potential benefit of CBD in improving mobility. There were, however, greater elevations of alkaline phosphatase (ALP, a liver enzyme used to assess liver health, among other things) when CBD was given alongside NSAIDs. While the authors report this likely did not correlate to liver damage, they note that further research is still needed to evaluate the safety of CBD products when given alongside long-term medications.

Recent studies show encouraging results as to the safety of CBD oil, especially in dogs. A 2024 study published in Frontiers looking at the safety of CBD products in healthy dogs concluded (from their study, other published studies and data from post-market surveillance) that the compound was well tolerated by healthy dogs (at a dose of 5 mg/kg/day).

This is promising in terms of the safety profile, but more research is needed both to support this and to determine the optimum dose and route of administration.

Obstacles to adoption

One obvious and quite significant hurdle to the global market is legality and red tape, which varies greatly across continents.

For example, in the UK, the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) issued a statement in 2018 that said: “We consider that veterinary products containing cannabidiol (CBD) are veterinary medicines and should be regulated as such. CBD products for use in animals, therefore, now require a marketing authorization before they can be sold or supplied in the UK.”

CBD is a lipophilic compound, with limited absorption into the bloodstream. The bioavailability of CBD oil is poor and variable, and oral bioavailability in dogs is thought to be less than 20%, likely due to first pass metabolism. So, despite CBD’s therapeutic potential, its pharmacokinetic profile needs further research before it can be safely and effectively used for pets. There is currently no known safe or optimal dose, nor route of administration.

A number of studies have looked at how we could increase the oral bioavailability in dogs. Current research suggests that water-soluble forms have greater bioavailability than oil-based forms. Co-consumption with food may also affect absorption (both rate and extent). Recent findings suggest that CBD in a nano-emulsion can achieve rapid absorption, but more research is needed here.

The cannabis plant also concentrates contaminants such as pesticides and heavy metals. Production of CBD products must therefore ensure these contaminants are removed. THC must also be removed, for both legal and safety reasons.

Strong area of growth

A 2023 survey of 1,238 pet owners (mainly in the US) reported that 28.8% of respondents either give or had given CBD to their pets. The majority of these were to dogs (75.8%), but some owners reported having given them to their cat.

Anxiety and stress were the main reason for giving CBD products (67.4%), followed by joint pain (23%). 51.4% of respondents reported that they would be interested in giving their pet a CBD product. CBD products are already growing on the global market, and this trend is only set to increase.