How We Put Our CBD Dog Treat List Together

When it comes to our dogs, we wanted to make sure we were choosing the best treats possible. In order to do that, we needed to take some time to thoroughly research some CBD dog treats brands. We took into account:

• How long the brand has been around for
• What ingredients were used to make the treats
• Verified customer reviews
• Whether or not the brand used an independent third-party lab to test its products
• Hemp sources
• Input from respected industry experts and CBD journalists
• Whether or not the brands made the third-party lab results easy for customers to find
• How effective the treats were at helping various issues in dogs
• The brands’ overall reputation
• Price
• Overall product effectiveness

Once we began looking at these criteria, we were able to whittle our once gigantic list down even further until we were eventually left with the brands that we’re presenting to you in our article.

Best CBD Dog Treat Brands:

#1 FAB CBD Dog Treats — Top Rated & Best Quality

Not only does the team at FAB CBD care about helping humans feel their best, they also want the best for our four-legged friends too. When you give your pup FAB’s CBD Dog Treats, you’ll be showing them extra love and affection.

All of FAB’s treats are free of corn, wheat, soy, or dairy, and are the perfect snack for your furry friend. Even though these treats are made from the best Colorado-grown organic hemp and contain CBD, they don’t have any THC in them. Instead, what you get are treats that are loaded with beneficial cannabinoids and terpenes that will help enhance your dog’s health.

The team at FAB seeks to help both humans and pets achieve optimal health through the natural healing powers of CBD. As such, FAB ensures that each step of the process — from growing hemp, to cultivation, harvesting, extracting, and product crafting — is done with the best of care and the most transparency.

FAB’s CBD Dog Treats come in three formulas and flavors:

• Calm & Cool (Peanut Butter Apple)

Some dogs struggle with stress and anxiety, which can cause the immune system to become weakened. Prolonged stress not only compromises the immune system, it also makes our dogs susceptible to other dangerous health conditions. FAB’s Calm & Cool CBD Dog Treats can keep your pup cool and collected.

These fun peanut butter apple-flavored treats contain:

• Passion flower to help the brain create a calming effect throughout the body
• Chamomile to lower stress levels and support the digestive system
• Coconut oil, which has antiviral, antimicrobial, and anti-fungal properties
• CBD to help your dog’s body systems to return to and maintain balance

• Skin & Coat (Salmon)

If your pup is suffering skin or coat issues, or if you simply want to uphold the overall health of your dog’s skin and fur, then select FAB’s Skin & Coat Crunchy CBD Dog Treats.

These salmon-flavored treats contain:

• Flaxseed to help support a healthy coat
• Salmon oil to maintain a healthy immune system
• Coconut oil to fight against microbes, fungi, and other bacteria
• CBD to help keep your pup’s body in a state of balance or homeostasis

• Active Immune (Chicken)

If your dog has been struggling with a weak immune system, or if you simply just want to strengthen your dog’s immune defenses, then look no further than FAB’s Active Immune CBD Dog Treats.

These chicken-flavored treats are made with:

• Turmeric for digestive system support
• Flaxseed to help keep your dog’s coat shiny and healthy
• Milk thistle to strengthen your dog’s immune system so that it can properly battle free radical damage
• CBD to help your dog’s body come back into balance

Selecting the Right FAB Treat for Your Dog

When it comes to picking the perfect CBD treat for your dog, think about what you want to accomplish for your furry friend through the health boosting benefits of CBD and other holistic ingredients. No matter which treat you choose, please know that FAB’s got your pup covered!

• Source of Hemp — FAB sources all of its organically grown hemp from Colorado. FAB uses the industry-preferred, clean CO2 extraction method to ensure that the hemp extracts are clean and free from pesticides, chemicals, and other potentially harmful things.
• Reputation — FAB CBD has a strong reputation of creating high-quality, top-shelf CBD products both for humans and for dogs. The brand, founded in 2017, is on a mission to make sure all of its products are easily accessible for everyone. The FAB team knows what it takes to create top-quality products because of their many collective years in the health and wellness industries. FAB uses ProVerde Labs to test all of its products and then makes those results readily available and easy for customers to find. That’s why they were listed as the best CBD dog treats by LA WEEKLY.
• Price — All of FAB’s products are created to be of the highest quality. Having said that, all of FAB’s products, whether you’re purchasing FAB’s CBD Dog Treats, full-spectrum CBD oils, CBD topical cream, Vapes, or CBD Gummies, are extremely affordable.
• Effectiveness — Each one of FAB’s treats contain 3mgs of CBD extract per treat. The hemp extract that FAB uses is what’s called broad spectrum hemp oil, which means that each treat has all the hemp’s beneficial cannabinoids and terpenes, but zero THC. So not only are the treats great for your dog, they’re also safe and effective.
• Our Thoughts and Conclusions — Not only are FAB’s treats affordable, they’re also safe, effective, and loaded with wonderful natural ingredients that will help keep your pup strong and healthy over time. We rate FAB as our number one pick for the best CBD dog treats of 2020 because they are high-quality, have a strong reputation among customers, are priced well, and come from a brand with a stellar reputation.

#2 Holistapet

Holistapet believes that your pet’s overall health and well-being comes first. As such, the brand is dedicated to giving pet owners natural remedies to help reduce their pet’s discomforts without any of the side effects that prescription medication has. Many of Holistapet’s products contain superfoods and supplements that help boost the efficiency of CBD while simultaneously supplying pets with extra vitamins and minerals.

The brand’s mission is to educate the world about the safety and effectiveness of the cannabinoids found in hemp. Holistapet seeks to help pets regain bodily balance that was lost through prescription medications. To that end, the brand seeks to also provide pet owners with education, research, and customer experiences through news articles, social media, and special forums.

Holistapet works with Colorado farms to produce quality CBD pet products. All of the brand’s products are plant-based, organic, vegan, cruelty-free, non-GMO, gluten-free, dairy-free, and free of artificial flavors and colors.

• Holistapet Organic Dog Treats

Holistapet Organic Dog Treats are 100 percent natural and non-GMO. The treats contain high-quality CBD, flaxseed, hemp seed powder, and other natural ingredients. The brand offers three different flavors that target three different needs including: Pumpkin Spice & Cinnamon for joint, flexibility, or mobility issues, Blueberry & Sweet Potato for allergies, heart and immune system issues, and general wellness, and Green Apple & Peanut Butter for stress and anxiety relief.

• Source of Hemp — Holistapet sources its organic hemp from Colorado. The industry-preferred CO2 extraction process is used to obtain clean hemp extracts for its products. The brand also has each of its products tested by an independent third-party lab and then makes those results easy for customers to find on its website.
• Reputation — The brand has a solid reputation among its customers. Holistapet also offers a variety of different CBD pet products for dogs, cats, and horses.
• Price — The price per bag depends on the size of the bags you choose. Customers can choose between 150mg, 300mg, and 600mg bags. Holistapet also offers a monthly subscription service. The prices seem to fall in range with our other two brands.
• Effectiveness — Every treat contains 5mg of full-spectrum CBD per treat along with other natural ingredients that help to target different health issues depending on which variety you select for your pet.
• Our Thoughts and Conclusions — Holistapet prides itself on creating a unique combination of superfoods and CBD to help boost both the health and nutrition of your pet. The brand uses organic, natural ingredients, its treats are non-GMO, gluten-free, and dairy-free, and the brand strives to use high quality CBD and superfoods in all of its products.

#3 Honest Paws

Honest Paws came about when the brand’s founder, Chelsea, was concerned over her dog’s debilitating seizure condition. After receiving disturbing news from the vet that her dog Baby Rose’s prescription medication would make her feel lethargic and was not guaranteed to work, Chelsea started researching CBD.

Chelsea then began giving Baby Rose human-grade CBD oil for a month and discovered that not only did the dog’s condition disappear, but Baby Rose’s mobility improved as well. Chelsea then created Honest Paws so that pet owners could have a dedicated CBD pet brand.

• Honest Paws Bites

Honest Paws Bites can be used as a reward or as a snack. The bites come in three flavors: Roasted Peanut Butter for calming, Tasty Turmeric for relief, and Creamy Coconut for wellness. During the fall, the brand also sells a limited edition Pumpkin Spice flavor. Honest Paws Bites contain eggs, organic coconut, organic oats, CBD, and organic barley, as well as the flavors mentioned above.

• Source of Hemp — Honest Paws’ CBD is organic, full-spectrum, non-GMO, soy-free, and third-party lab tested. The brand sources its organic hemp from Colorado.
• Reputation — Honest Paws has a strong reputation among pet owners because of its diverse range of CBD products specially designed with pets in mind.
• Price — Honest Paws’ treats are affordably priced when compared to some of the more expensive brands. There are 30 treats per bag. Customers are also able to sign up for a subscription service for their favorite products. As an added bonus, subscription orders also receive a discount, with some products eligible for up to 40 percent off.
• Effectiveness — Each bite contains 5mg of full-spectrum, organically grown CBD. Each treat is made with human-grade, non-GMO ingredients. These treats are both safe and effective.
• Our Thoughts and Conclusions — Honest Paws is committed to using the best human-grade ingredients in its bites. Moreover, the brand offers high-quality CBD pet treats in a well-rounded, healthy variety of natural flavors. The website is easy for customers to navigate and very informative. All products are 100 percent natural. The one drawback that we can see is that only those customers who live in the U.S. are able to purchase Honest Paws’ products. Finally, aside from Honest Paws Bites, the brand also offers other products such as oils and soft chews.

CBD Has Benefits for Your Four-Legged Friends

Cannabidiol, or CBD, is one of the many compounds found in both hemp and cannabis. Typically, CBD products that are created from hemp will not contain THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, the compound that causes a euphoric high feeling. CBD is extracted from the marijuana and hemp plants and will not cause a euphoric high.

Both hemp and marijuana derive from the cannabis plant, however both have very different levels of THC. While marijuana can have around 30 percent of THC, hemp will only contain a maximum amount of 0.3 percent of THC.

CBD oil is derived from the leaves, flowers, and stems of the cannabis plant. This important cannabinoid compound contains both medical as well as therapeutic benefits. Conversely, hemp oil is derived from cannabis seeds that naturally contain a small percentage to no CBD or THC. Even though hemp seeds do not contain the same benefits as CBD, hemp oil does have many nutritional benefits due to its vitamin and mineral-rich makeup.

To date, not that many scientific studies have been done on CBD and dogs. However, a promising study was performed back in July of 2018. This study found that in dogs suffering with arthritis, when given CBD, not only was the dogs’ pain significantly reduced, but there were also no negative side effects to report. During the study, researchers gave the dogs 2 or 8mg of CBD per kilogram of body weight. Researchers noted that 80 percent of the dogs showed vast improvement in both pain and mobility as measured by the canine brief pain inventory and the Hudson activity scale.

Likewise, another study that came out in 2019 found that, when given CBD in addition to seizure medication, dogs with epilepsy suffered significantly fewer seizures. The researchers did, however, recommend further testing.

How Can You Give Your Dog CBD?

There are many different ways to give your dog CBD. Many brands sell CBD for pets as creams, oils, treats, chews, and capsules. Even though there are many different ways to get CBD into your dog, a common question that arises is how much CBD should be given overall to your pup.

In general, that same 2018 study regarding dogs with arthritis found that an effective dose for dogs was 2mg of CBD per kilogram of body weight. Much like humans, every dog will respond differently to CBD. Therefore, as with humans, it’s best to start with a small dose, monitor your dog’s response, and gradually increase slowly from there. Just like with dosing CBD for humans, the same rule of thumb applies for dogs and other pets: start low and go slow.

Which Brand Should You Choose for Your Dog?

Just like with CBD brands for humans, there are quite a few CBD brands for dogs out on today’s market. Even though it’s exciting to see so much variety for your four-legged friend, please keep in mind that not all brands are created equal.

In general, it’s recommended to look on the brand’s website for a certificate of analysis or proof of third-party laboratory testing. Also, you should go one step further and read those third-party lab results that are posted on the brand’s website. If you don’t see any, don’t hesitate to call or email the brand’s customer service department to inquire about those results.

Furthermore, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, or ASPCA, THC is toxic for dogs and cats. Therefore, make sure that any product you select for your dog is THC-free. FAB, like most brands that create CBD products for your pet, cares deeply about the safety and health of your beloved fur baby. That’s why all of FAB’s treats do not contain any THC.

What Are the Benefits of CBD for Dogs?

Anytime your dog has a positive reaction to a CBD dog treat, then that should be considered a major benefit. For example, if your dog suffers from stress and anxiety and you notice that your pup is calm and cool during loud noises and stressful situations like Fourth of July fireworks or summer thunderstorms, then that is a benefit. Any type of stress your pup suffers through can not only potentially weaken their immune system, it also paves the way for other negative health conditions to possibly occur. Therefore, keeping your dog calm and stress-free is of utmost importance.

Likewise, if your dog has been struggling with mobility issues due to arthritis or other joint aches and pains, and you see that your pup has been moving, running, and jumping noticeably better since you’ve been giving them CBD dog treats for over a week or so, then this also is a major benefit. According to the American Kennel Club, or AKC, some signs of joint disease in dogs include:

• Stiffness, lameness, or difficulty getting up
• Lethargy
• Reluctance to jump, play, or run
• Weight gain
• Irritability or other behavior changes
• Pain when getting petted or touched
• Difficulty holding posture when going to the bathroom
• Frequent bowel or bladder accidents in the home
• Loss of muscle mass over the limbs and spine

The AKC also states that there is no known cure for osteoarthritis in dogs. The progressive disease can be prevented from developing, however, through proper diet, exercise, and protective joint supplements. Considering the results of the 2018 study listed above, CBD may be one of the many positive ways to help improve your dog’s arthritis or joint issues.

Much like humans, dogs also come equipped with an endocannabinoid system that works both with CBD oil and without it to help bring about a state of balance or homeostasis to the body. The endocannabinoid system regulates:

• Blood temperature
• Sugar levels
• Brain function
• Anxiety levels
• The body’s inflammatory response
• Digestion
• Energy consumption and metabolism
• Pain sensation
• Appetite
• Fat distribution

The endocannabinoid system contains cannabinoid receptors that are located in the brain, nervous system, and other bodily areas that help control the body’s performance and help it get back to a state of balance, or homeostasis. Just like in humans, when CBD is introduced into your dog’s body, it interacts with the CB1 and CB2 receptors in the endocannabinoid system to help the body’s natural processes to bring about feelings of calm, reduce inflammation, as well as block pain, relieve spasm, and regulate appetite, among other processes.

Some of the noted additional benefits of CBD for your dog include a reduction in:

• Anxiety and stress
• Pain
• Chronic inflammation
• Arthritis and joint pain
• Seizures
• Digestion issues
• Nausea
• Symptoms stemming from cancer

In light of these positive findings, it appears that pet owners are finding a great many more reasons to give their dogs CBD products.

Are There Any Negative Side Effects From Giving CBD to Dogs?

As with any natural supplement or prescription medication for your dog, there is the possibility of some side effects happening. Some of the most common side effects that dogs can have with CBD are:

• Excessive panting
• Vomiting
• Nausea
• Loss of balance
• Lethargy
• Mild urine dribbling

If you notice that your pet is experiencing any of these symptoms, then you may have given them too much CBD as these are signs of toxicity. If your dog is experiencing any of the symptoms listed above, it’s best to call your veterinarian right away.

Our Final Thoughts on the CBD Treats for Dogs

CBD is a great addition to your pet’s health regimen. As with any new food, holistic supplement, or new activity, it pays to do your research first. Even though there haven’t been too many studies performed regarding CBD and dogs, those studies did find that CBD may be beneficial in the treatment of certain health conditions in dogs and cats.

Always look deeply into whatever brands you are interested in for your pet. Any CBD product should not contain any THC. Along with looking into the ingredients listed in the dog treats, you should also thoroughly read through all of the third-party lab test results.

Brand reputation matters too. Be on the lookout for brands, like FAB CBD, that have a high reputation among customers, industry experts, as well as respected CBD journalists. If you’re stuck on where to begin when it comes to finding CBD brands geared toward your pet, you can start by exploring the brands we’ve listed for you here in our article. Even though FAB was our number one pick, it should be noted that Holistapet came in as a strong second place.

Finally, if you have any questions or concerns regarding CBD for your dog or whether or not it would be good to start your dog on a CBD regimen, then it’s most likely a good idea to consult with your pet’s veterinarian. But if you do decide to give your dog CBD dog treats, start with a small dose, carefully monitor your pet for both positive and negative effects, and then either stay where you’re at or slowly increase the dose from there.

CBD has many wonderful benefits to both dogs and humans. With the right amount of care and research, you can potentially boost your dog’s health and wellness with the simple addition of a healthy treat.