CBD For Pet Anxiety
How CBD Helps with Pet Anxiety
Anyone who loves their pets knows we hate seeing them suffer. They suffer from pain and anxiety the same way we humans do.
Pet anxiety includes noise sensitivity, abandonment, fear of traveling, being around strange people, children, or other pets. According to medicalnewstoday.com, more than 70% of dogs display some form of pet anxiety. Out of the 70%, 32% had noise sensitivity, 26% of this fear is associated with fireworks.
We recommend that if your dog suffers from arthritis, hip dysplasia, or other diseases including chronic pain and inflammation, that dog owners learn more about how CBD dog treats can be a good choice for their canine companion. If your dog suffers from arthritis, it may be time to discuss with your veterinarian the possibility of adding a CBD treat to your partner’s daily supplements to help safely relieve pain and inflammation.
Ways to Calm Your Pet Who Has Pet Anxiety Due to Noise Sensitivity
The first thing you will want to do is identify what’s making your pet anxious then find the appropriate method to deal with that particular anxiety. Fourth of July is a huge stressor for most pets who think Armageddon is raining down on them.
Did you know that more pets go missing and end up in shelters around the Fourth of July than any other time of year because of your pet’s fight or flight reaction in trying to escape these sounds?
Some animals have several anxiety triggers.
Exercise
This method is vital for pets with separation anxiety. Separation anxiety happens when your pet becomes upset that they are separated from their humans or guardians. They resort to destructive behavior, including howling, barking, destroying furniture, soiling the house, etc. Exercising a pet with any anxiety is key to bringing down the level of stress.
Ambient White Noise
The power of music or ambient noise is beneficial for both humans and animals. Music blocks out scary noises that give your pet anxiety from being noise sensitive. Soothing sounds like classical music, relaxing spa music for stress relief can act as a natural sedative.
Calming Jackets/ Pressure Wraps
These anxiety garments are designed to be worn like vests by applying the proper pressure to calm your pet, like swaddling a baby.
Give Them a Safe Place to Hide
A safe place to hide can be a soundproofed bathroom with a closed door playing soothing music to drown out the loud noises; under the bed or desk, or in his crate, can offer a safe refuge from fireworks and thunderstorms.
Keep Them Mentally Engaged
Give them toys that can keep them entertained for hours, like a frozen peanut butter stuffed toy. A tired, swaddled pet with a mentally engaging task with calming music in the background should be less anxiety-ridden.
Desensitizing Method
If your pet is afraid of fireworks, you can slowly introduce a recording of fireworks starting on a low volume and gradually increasing the volume up until the decibel level he will be experiencing on the Fourth of July. While the tape is playing, you can reward your pet with treats and affection. This way, he will associate this with treats and love.
Can CBD Help with Pet Anxiety Associated with Noise Sensitivity?
The short answer is—yes. It is an all-natural, drug-free solution for calming anxious dogs. It works the same way, helping humans feel calmly relaxed, fall asleep and decrease inflammation.
CBD is not medical marijuana. Medical marijuana is grown and harvested for its high THC content since people want to get “high.” CBD oil is extracted from the hemp plant, which is grown and harvested in a very different manner than compared to the medical marijuana plant. CBD is low in THC and high in CBD, so your pet does not get “high.”
It is beneficial to use CBD to treat pet anxiety because it is non-habit forming and has no harsh medical side effects. CBD typically doesn’t have any medical complications when given with other medication and doesn’t alter your pet’s personality, unlike Alprazolam (Xanax), Diazepam (Valium), or Fluoxetine (Prozac).
Like any responsible pet parent, you will want to consult your vet that you are treating your pet with CBD.
On a personal note: My dog has the worst noise sensitivity in any pet I have ever owned, and I have held a stable of 21 dogs at one given time in my life. My noise-sensitive dog even barks at me for making noise in the kitchen.
We currently live in an apartment with neighbors on all sides with walls as thin as paper. She jumps on my face every time she hears the neighbor’s corner unit above us who thinks he lives on his private island.
When I sense her fear, shaking and trying to squeeze into every crevice in my neck and head, I immediately give her two CBD dog treats, and within about 20-30 minutes, she is cool as a cucumber. I also try to preempt the neighbor when I know he should be up soon by giving her two treats, and by the time he is up to making a ruckus, she hardly bats an eye.
How CBD Works
Our body naturally produces endocannabinoids within an endocannabinoid system. This endocannabinoid system is a complex cell-signaling system identified in the early 1990s and is still not fully understood today.
They know this endocannabinoid system is in charge of regulating pain, memory, mood, immunity, and stress. It comprises endocannabinoids, enzymes, and receptors that function like docking stations.
Research has found that CBD manages anxiety by changing the brain’s receptor response to serotonin through these docking stations. And serotonin in the brain regulates anxiety, happiness, and mood.
Conclusion
Watching a beloved furry family member suffer from anxiety is painful and gut-wrenching. Learn to identify your pet’s anxiety triggers to formulate the best roadmap to combat them.
Luckily, there are several ways to ease noise sensitivity, making up roughly one-third of all pet anxieties. Solutions include exercise, ambient white noise or music, pressure wraps, giving them safe places to hide, CBD and other therapeutics, desensitization methods, and keeping them mentally busy so they don’t focus on their anxieties.
Lastly, since most pets go missing during the Fourth of July, ensure your pet is microchipped. 22% of lost dogs are reunited with their families; if they are chipped, that jumps to more than 52%.
