Can giving CBD to your dog help them recover after a day of exercise?
We spend a lot of time talking about the many ways CBD might help our pups when they’re under the weather or suffering from things like arthritis or anxiety. But what about when they’re feeling a-ok? Are there any potential reasons to give CBD to perfectly healthy dogs?
It all has to do with muscles.
When dogs work (or play!) hard, their muscles often suffer little microscopic tears as they expand and contract under pressure. No worries—this is totally natural, but it can lead to inflammation that creates the kind of soreness we humans sometimes feel after a workout.
How Can CBD Help with Muscle Recovery?
Reduces Inflammation
Science says CBD may be just the thing to reduce inflammation, which is a key part of helping our furballs recover from exercise and activity faster so they’re ready to go again. It’s also important because when inflammation makes muscles sore or stiff, they restrict their contractions in order to protect themselves. And that limits our dogs’ abilities and performance in the moment and afterward, too.
Reduces Cortisol
There’s also the issue of cortisol, which in high amounts can actually eat away muscles and cause weakness and fatigue—the last thing an active dog needs! When we exercise, the physical strain boosts production of this damaging stress hormone. But the research we’ve seen suggests that CBD puts a lid on cortisol levels, which would help our four-legged friends not only recover from exercise but do more every day.
Reduces Pain
Add in CBD’s apparent ability to reduce everyday pain, and we think the possibilities for healthy dogs are nearly endless. Just like the other things we put inside Austin’s Wellness Biscuits, CBD is there not so much to treat illness but to support wellness so that our pups can live their very best lives. And that may be its biggest gift of all.
How do I use CBD for Exercise Recovery?
Serving size
1-2mg CBD per 10 pounds of weight to start. So if your pup is 50 pounds, 5-10mg of CBD per serving is a great starting point. Use more for extra action-packed days and less for day to day.
When to Give
Give your pup a serving of CBD right after having fun. So for those beach trips and hiking adventures, give it to them right when you get back to the car. CBD takes 30-60 min to start to work. The CBD will start to work right when their adrenaline wears off and soreness starts to kick in. That way they are feeling good for the next adventure.
What to Look for In CBD Products for Exercise Recovery
Make sure the product you buy is of high quality and from a reputable brand. Your best friend deserves the best and there's nothing worse than spending your money on products that don't work.
Broad/Full Spectrum CBD from Hemp Oil
Full spectrum means the oil has the added benefit of the entourage effect, meaning the CBD works in tandem with the other cannabinoids, terpenes, and lipids to make the CBD more effective. Broad-spectrum is the same as full-spectrum, except all traces of psychoactive THC have been removed.
3rd Party Lab Tested
3rd party just means a laboratory that isn't associated with the company tested the CBD to ensures the amount of CBD on the label matches what's in the product. To guarantee the efficacy of the CBD that you buy, check the 3rd party test results. All reputable companies have it listed online or will happily give it to you if you ask.
Organically Grown Hemp
Hemp is a natural bioaccumulator, meaning it absorbs nutrients as well as contaminants from the soil as it grows. Make sure the CBD you buy is from a farm that uses organic practices to ensure there are no pesticides or metals in your CBD.
What's the Best CBD for Exercise Recovery in Dogs?
Austin’s Active Formula Wellness Biscuits are made with our own happy-go-lucky namesake dog-o in mind. These treats are perfect for high-energy puppers who get tons of exercise just like he does. They’ve got lots of good stuff like salmon, blueberries, nutritional yeast, and eggs that all work together to support everything from skin to immune systems so that our enthusiastic dogs can stay that way. They also contain 10mg of CBD, the perfect amount to ease achy muscles.
