Real Stories From 5 People Who Tried CBD for Dogs

Here are a few real-life stories from people who tried CBD for their dogs.
By CBD.CO Team

We’ve all seen CBD for dogs and considered trying it, but how many of us actually go for it? Many of us at the office have tried CBD for pets and love it, but we were curious as to how the general felt about their experience. So we reached out to the community, got a huge number of responses, and were more than delighted to read that so many people had found these products to be beneficial.

Our curiosity had been satisfied and we found ourselves so delighted by all of the great stories that we knew we needed to share them. We scoured through stories from countless pet CBD lovers. It was a hunt for the most entertaining stories, but it was misguided. We wanted something real, so we put blindfolds on, scrolled through dog CBD stories, and randomly selected five of them.

Veronica
Age:26
Location: Brooklyn
Occupation: High School Teacher
K9: Nugget

My job requires me to spend most of my day on campus and my sweet little Nugget is left home with my cat Jynx. Animals can be quite different. Jynx is the most relaxed cat I’ve ever met. She’s not very vocal, she loves to play but is fine when left on her own. Just an easy pet. Nugget, on the other hand, is insane. Nugget is a little ball of energy 24/7 This is fine most of the time but when I’m at work and Jynx doesn’t want to play, he goes into full-on destroy-your-apartment mode.

I spent years feeling like I was stuck with a crazy dog. There was never any doubt that I loved Nugget, but when he broke the urn with my mother’s ashes, I knew it was time to make a change. The damage was discovered when I came home from work. It sent me into a panic and I instinctively reached for some CBD lotion. Inspiration struck like a lightning bolt.

Nugget was an anxious little ball of nerves and cuteness and pet CBD might be just what I’d been looking for. I had heard of people trying CBD for dogs, but somehow I had never considered Nugget when I was stocking up. (I still feel a little guilty about being selfish like that.)

Shipping was fast and easy. Before I knew it, I was feeding Nugget his first serving. I was excited but hadn’t expected him to be as well. He loved the flavor and was trying to shake my hand for the next 20 minutes. About 30 minutes after his “treat time”, I started noticing things. He wasn’t bouncing off the walls or chasing Jynx. He was chilling out with me while I watched Netflix.

That might sound like a normal evening with your dog, but for me, it was something I had spent years longing for. Between the daily servings of his new favorite treat and a continued training regimen, Nugget is the dream dog I always knew he could be.

Enrique
Age:41
Location: Montana
Occupation: Restaurant Owner
K9: Cinnamon

I’ve had Cinnamon since she was a puppy. She was raised on a big open farm and has always been incredibly active. She has always been eager to play and go on runs, but a couple of years back we started to notice a change.

There is a reason they call these animals “man’s best friends”. Life isn’t always easy. Sometimes I’d come home from the restaurant exhausted and not knowing how we’d keep going if the farm didn’t start producing… Those were some of the hardest days of my life. But no matter how hard it got, Cinnamon was always there.

Cinnamon may look young, but she’s getting up there in age. I suppose that’s just her youthful spirit emanating from her aging body. A couple of years back she started moving slower. It took her longer to stand up and before long she developed a limp. We went to the vet and tried different medicines – some helped and some didn’t.

October of 2019 was a cold one out here in Montana. Cinnamon was stiffer than usual and nothing is worse than watching your best friend suffer. I did what Cinnamon couldn’t and started searching for solutions online. It wasn’t long before I came across an article about dog CBD.

Cannabis has never really been on my radar. I don’t judge people who use it and I’ve heard some pretty impressive stories, but I haven’t felt the need to try it myself. This wasn’t for me though, this was for Cinnamon. Here were all these stories talking about how CBD did this or that for people’s dogs. We had tried everything and although it was helping, she was still having a tough time. It was time to try something natural.

Cinnamon is a huge fan of anything that tastes like bacon and it wasn’t hard to find a CBD pet treat that fit the bill. This stuff was a win from day one. It’s been years now and we keep it up. Not a day goes by that Cinnamon gets her special treat. I’ll even admit to having a nibble myself on occasion. These things are safe enough for humans and taste like some pretty good bacon, so why not?

Well, I learned about pet CBD from an article I read online so I thought I’d pay it forward by writing in and telling my story. Keep up the good work over there.

Michelle
Age: 31
Location: Oregon
Occupation: Graphic Designer
K9: Snow Ball

Snowball has been my best friend since I moved to Oregon. My girlfriend and I had just broken up and I needed someone new to love. Someone that didn’t talk as much. Someone who just wanted to cuddle for hours and always lets me pick dinner.

I realized that what I wanted in a person was actually a dog. I wanted a dog companion, not a human companion. Much easier to find, much easier to acquire. You also get to name them, cuddle them, and spoil them with toys and treats like a grandma. I’m not a dog mom by the way, I’m a dog grandma. I only do the fun stuff and bring toys home and give treats at all hours. It’s a great way to be.

While this dog grandma approach has been wildly successful in developing a bond between myself and snowball, it has also come with a downside. Snowball can’t be anywhere without me. He is completely co-dependant and has full-blown mild doggie panic attacks. It doesn’t matter if he’s at home or at doggie daycare, SnowBall was a shaky wreck. Not a good look for either of us. I was suddenly getting training tips from everyone and felt super guilty for being a bad dog grandma. I was also annoyed at all the unsolicited advice, but there was one extremely valuable tip passed along to me- “try CBD for dogs’ ‘.

I have like 10 different CBD topicals at home and I love them. I didn’t even know that they made CBD for dogs. When that nosey stranger told me that there is CBD made specifically for dogs, I knew I had to try it. My cellphone was out in two seconds. I went to your site because he recommended it and I ordered SnowBall, the best Dog Grandma treat ever.

Snowball just needed a way to chill. Of course, she would freak out when she wasn’t with me. We’re soulmates so duh! But, she should be able to function and not stress out like she does. CBD works great for Snow Ball and that works great for me. We are definitely fans.

Henry
Age: 24
Location: Hawaii
Occupation: Fisherman
K9: Popcorn

Fishing and Popcorn are my two passions, but for a long time, they didn’t mix. I grew up on the Big Island and come from a long line of surf-loving fishermen. The ocean is in me and most of the time, I’m in it too. Or riding it, or fishing, or chasing Popcorn in the waves. Popcorn has always loved the ocean, but his relationship with boats wasn’t great.

I had always dreamed of having Popcorn there next to me while I was out there earning a living. There was nothing stopping me from having him there at my feet except his tummy. Every time I took that little puppy on the boat, he would throw up everywhere. He was worse than a group of tourists. 

Popcorn is still a puppy and I don’t want to give him any chemicals that I don’t absolutely need. This took motion-sickness tablets off the table. I’ve always been a big believer in the power of hemp so it didn’t take long for me to give it a try.

After my morning surf and chief session, I went online and ordered some dog CBD treats. I got some that were fish-flavored because Popcorn loves fish just as much as I do. We started small because he’s a puppy and worked our way up. 

On the first trip out, Popcorn still wasn’t feeling well. He threw up everywhere and I ended up calling it an early day so I could take him home. I had only given him about a quarter of the recommended dose for his weight, so it was probably my fault that it didn’t help.

I was determined to give it another try and pet CBD is non-toxic just like regular CBD, so there wasn’t any risk involved. I gave Popcorn the recommended dose about 40 minutes before we boarded and left the harbor. My fingers were crossed the whole time. I just kept waiting for him to get sick, but it never happened!

Finally, my little buddy can hang with me on the boat. It’s seriously amazing to watch him bounce around and play. He’s just as stoked as when he is on land. 

David
Age: 29
Location: California
Occupation: Accountant
K9: Biscuit

Biscuit and I bonded the moment we saw each other. She was just a scared puppy at the pound and I was completely new to being a dog owner. I always liked dogs but wasn’t raised with a family pet. This was going to be big for both of us. I signed the papers, paid the adoption fee, and Biscuit and I headed home.

Los Angeles is a busy city and it’s nearly impossible to take Biscuit on a walk without coming across another person. And every time we’d pass another human, Biscuit would defend me by barking incessantly. Not only was this embarrassing, but I dealt with the constant fear of Biscuit actually biting someone and being in serious trouble.

At home, Biscuit was the perfect dog. She was relaxed and cuddly. She wasn’t aggressive with food and she never barked at anything. Outside, she was a completely different dog. I knew that it was time to invest in training Biscuit. We started working with a private trainer and after a few months, I was able to take Biscuit on a walk without a single bark.

The training was serving her well and she wasn’t barking, but she was still clearly stressed out when people would pass. She wouldn’t bark, but she would shake. All of her instincts were telling her to go into defense mode but her training was telling her not to. The anxiety was hard to watch.

My friends and I are all CBD enthusiasts. I only use it a few times per week, but most of my friends use it daily. One day, my friend Christine offered me some CBD gummies from a brand she liked. We had been discussing the Biscuit situation previously and when she offered me some gummies, we simultaneously came to the same conclusion – We should help Biscuit relax with pet CBD.

There are a bunch of people who use CBD for their dogs. Plus, it’s non-toxic and non-intoxicating, so I figured I’d give it a try. I ordered a few different products to make sure that I found a good fit for Biscuit and found that she likes the flavorless products the best. Go figure! I was sure she’d love the cheeseburger treats, but she clearly prefers the natural taste of hemp.

After giving Biscuit her first serving, I waited about an hour before taking her on a walk. Her training was solid and now it was time to see if the hemp extract would help keep her calm when she was fighting her urge to defend. Of course, this was one of the rare days when the streets were fairly empty, but maybe that was a good thing. 

Eventually, we came across a group of teenagers. I could see Biscuit start to react, then her training kicked in and she stopped herself. But, this time something was different. She wasn’t shaking! She made the decision not to bark and then maintained her composure afterward. 

Biscuit has taken pet CBD every day for years now and it’s hard to remember a time when walks were unpleasant. She is an absolute angel and has gotten to the point where she’ll even let select strangers pet her. It all feels normal to me now. But, when I think about the changes I’ve seen from a combination of training and CBD, I still get a little emotional.

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