At one point or another you’ve felt anxious. The same holds true for our pets, however they’re not as vocal about it. Sometimes managing your pet’s anxiety is a guessing game, since they cannot directly let you know how they are feeling. However, research has shown that CBD can help reduce a number of symptoms from various health issues; including anxiety. If you have rescued or adopted your pet, they may be more likely to suffer from anxiety than other animals. As abandonment, memories of ill-treatment, and general fear are all ways that anxiety can be triggered in your pet. But even animals who have been raised in the most loving families can struggle with anxiety. So read on, to see how CBD might be the best natural anxiety treatment for your pet!

Similar to their owners, pet anxiety can be triggered by many things. However, the most common reasons for pet anxiety are as follows:

• Fear-based:Loud noises such as vacuums, thunderstorms, and fireworks are a few of the most common stimuli that induce fear-related anxiety. Negative experiences and memories can also have a lasting effect.
• Separation Anxiety: Research suggests that 14 percent of canines experience separation anxiety. Separation anxiety can cause many dogs to bark excessively, go to the bathroom in the house, and even become destructive. Certain breeds, such as minis, toys, and terriers are, by nature, are more susceptible to separation anxiety than others.
• Age-related: Age-related anxiety can be traced from a decline in memory, learning, sight, awareness, and perception.

Again, it may not be easy to determine if your pet is suffering from anxiety, but if you notice a common theme in odd behavior, it may be reason for suspicion. A few common behaviors of anxiety in pets are: Aggression, urinating inside, drooling, panting, depression, restlessness, excessive barking, panting, and sleeplessness. If you are concerned, it’s always the best ideas to speak to a veterinarian.

CBD interacts with the endocannabinoid system (ECS) found in all mammals. This biological system is responsible for sleep, memory, immune systems and other bodily functions. It reacts with cannabinoids produced by the brain to trigger various functions and also responds beneficially with CBD – one of the non-psychoactive compounds found in marijuana and hemp, so it won’t produce a ‘high’ in the user.

CBD has been shown to reduce feelings of stress and anxiety in both humans and pets (although much of the data for pets is anecdotal) by temporarily increasing serotonin levels in the brain.

In addition to this, CBD has been shown to promote homeostasis, which is best explained as the normal functioning and balance of biological processes. This combined with the anxiety and stress lowering properties can help improve not only your pet’s mental health, but their physical health as well.

While there are few negative side effects of CBD use for pets, it’s still important to administer the proper dosage. Begin with a dose on the low end of the spectrum, based on the size and weight of your pet, and wait about 30-60 minutes to see results. If there is no change in behavior after an hour, slightly increase the dosage.

To make things easier, there are even CBD pet treatson the market if you want to avoid measuring out the oils.

Using CBD to help treat pet anxiety is a relatively new discovery, however there are several other methods that have proven to work as well.

First and foremost, if there is any medical concerns with your pet, take them to a vet that can best advise next steps or treatment. If your pet is suffering from anxiety, they may recommend medication to alleviate senses and symptoms.

Another way to alleviate symptoms of anxiety is with consistent exercise. Similar to their owners, exercise helps relieve any built-up stress and might be just want your pet needs to get rid of any anxious jitters.

Finally, if you have an anxious dog, allowing it to sleep with you at night has shown promising benefits for anxiety in both dogs and owners.

Image by Pitsch

Photo by Francesco Mazzone