Is CBD oil safe for pets?

Dr. Eric Vance with Pearland Animal Hospital says he’s getting questions about CBD  oil for pets almost daily.

“They just want to know is it helpful for arthritis or upset stomach,” Vance recalled.

He’s seen pet stores selling CBD products and finds it disappointing.

“A lot of people are talking about CBD like it’s a medication, and if it’s medication then we should treat it like one and it should have regulation,” added Vance.

For now, it's a supplement and it’s not certain how effective it is in pets, much less the proper dosage.

"If we don’t know what level in the bloodstream is going to help, what levels are going to hurt. We just don’t know that yet," he told FOX 26.

So far, only one CBD oral solution has been FDA approved to treat two rare forms of epilepsy in people.

Vance says one of his major concerns stems from CBD being metabolized in the liver.

"Because of that, it can slow down or potentially increase metabolism of other medications and interfere with the medication that they’re already on," he explained.

Another concern he has is whether the products are manufactured consistently -- as in, does it actually have the amount of CBD it claims to have.

Brad Baker says he had to get a lot of questions answered before he decided to use CBD oil for his dogs severe separation anxiety. 

"When I leave town, I got a call from my dog walker saying they have a lot of anxiety, and they were whining like they were hurt or something," Vance remembered. 

He says he talked to friends and researched.

"I was concerned about the ingredients and the dosage, so I did a lot of research on that," Baker said.

He says he used a type of CBD oil that was labeled as safe for dogs and humans. He says his vet offered to prescribe the dogs a medication that he had a bad experience with in the past, so he decided to take the risk. 

"I’ve been out of town now four times since then and I’ve had no complaints," he added.

Vance says he would not recommend CBD oil for pets. However, if someone does decide to use it he suggests first, talking to the vet to see if it could interfere with any current medications the dog is  prescribed. Secondly, he says go with a supplement manufacturer that does internal testing and publishes their results.