CBD oil for fearful dogs

[Stacy]

My trainer mentioned that there are things like Prozac, CBD oil, lavender essential oil that might help Maggie. He didn't think she would need prozac, but thought the CBD oil might help her. I'm not really an essential oil/ flower essence believer, but you never know. 

I'm going to do some googling. I'm not sure it's an avenue we want to go down, but I was curious if anyone had personal experience with it.

Thanks!

[Lynda Kamrath]

I find that funny.  Yes, it may be a help, but are we really at the point of giving cannabis to our dogs?  It has come  a long way!

[Stacy]

I know, it sounds really weird. And I'm not at all sure it's a good idea. But supposedly there is no THC in the oil. So it's not like she's eating edibles. I didn't even know that was a thing people were doing with dogs. But someone told me that the CBD oil store sells dog treats. I didn't even know there was a CBD oil store. Sometimes I get education in the strangest ways.

[Lynda Kamrath]

Since you are in MO, I don't know about the rules there.  Here in Oregon, we can use medical or recreational cannabis, but it is a rather expensive treatment for dog anxiety.  There is no THC in CBD oil, and usually the CBD products are made of hemp.  Cannabis is just one of the many varieties of hemp.

[Kaitee and Orwell]

I recently spoke to a vet student at the shop I get Orwell's food from and we discussed this because I was curious and the lady in front of me was talking about how her dog has a nervousness issue. He said that CBD is a really expensive option because you have to give doses everyday to build the chemical up in their system in order to keep them calm. It's not an effective solution if your dog becomes nervous on specific occasions and then you give them one dose to try to ease the anxiety.

He recommended getting a prescription of trazadone from a vet instead.

[Stacy]

That's probably why it would be a good solution for Maggie, if it was something that was a good idea in general. She doesn't seem to have specific fears. It's the whole world that is just kind of big and scary. But then there are things I would expect her to be afraid of that she isn't, like the vacuum. But every time I move she jumps. 

Her trainer said, and I think it's very insightful, we are rewarding her for being brave. Luckily for me, she has a flight response and not a fight response. She's confident if I sit in one spot on the couch, but then it's scary if I move to a different spot on the floor. Or if I'm standing. So I'm moving all over the house and desensitizing her to movement. She goes into the crate to retrieve treats, but only with two feet, and she's poised to bolt if it gets scary. It's all I can do not to give her a little nudge to get her all the way inside. But we're building trust. She has to trust that she can go in there and I won't just lock her in and leave. 

It's really fascinating to watch her process. She moves so slowly, like am I doing this right? Is this okay? I really want this treat, but I'm not sure I want to turn my back on you. The trainer also said that the great thing about these fearful dogs is that once they trust, they trust forever. I want to be Maggie's person. I think she's starting to figure it out, but we're learning together. She's definitely helping me learn slow and patient. I wouldn't mind something that helped take the edge off and speed the process, but at the end of the day we're working on Maggie's time table, not mine. I just need to remember to step back and see the progress. I think sometimes I miss it because I'm too close. But she's really a remarkable girl, and she's going to figure it out. She has the whole rest of her life to enjoy everything and not have anything to be afraid of. 

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

I think that you desensitizing her gradually is the very best way to go.  When we were training Ned and Clancy we exposed them to possible scary things on a gradual basis.  Our 'scary' things included traffic, trains, stairs, grates in the street, bicycles, skateboards - you get the idea.  Not the degree or perhaps even the items that might ever scare Maggie.  We gradually go closer to the noise or item.

[Lindsey Holt]

Depending on the brand it has THC or not.  You can buy it here in AZ without a medical marijuana card at the dispensary.

I give it to my Autistic 9 year old and I have a friend who gives it to her dog with valley fever to promote eating.

[Debbie and Toby]

This is an interesting topic. We recently had a conversation with someone we have known about a year and is using Pet Releaf Hemp Oil for her epileptic dog, who also has high anxiety. She claims her dog hasn't had a seizure in over a year since starting this, and is much calmer. Our Toby has seizures and also has anxiety issues. Despite the recommendation for us to try using this with Toby, I am still not comfortable using this as he is on many daily meds for seizures, and I am not sure yet that there has been enough research with this.  It may be safe, but I would not want to try this without consultation from the vet. I know people that use it with great success, but they are also working with their doctors on this.  It is something that I keep hearing more and more about, but I guess I am not ready to try it with Toby yet. I will stay tuned to see what others think. Hoping in time Maggie relaxes and becomes more comfortable in her forever home.

[Stacy]

I agree, if I was going to try it it would have to be under careful supervision of my vet. Especially when Toby is on seizure medications. Sometimes home remedies and western medicine don't mix. There are people who claim it cures everything, but I'm kind of a chicken. I think Maggie will do well without it. I think she enjoyed her trial run at daycare today. I think that will really help while we work through all the other stuff. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Hemp oil did absolutely nothing for Jack. No effect at all. 

[Stacy]

Another magic fix debunked? I'm starting to think there are no magic fixes for anything. But I can't help but look for them. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Over the years, we tried a few "holistic" treatments, including a couple of different oils. I never saw any effect at all, good or bad.