While they often scare owners far more than dogs themselves, canine seizures are an upsetting—and unfortunately common—condition.
So whether dogs are diagnosed with epilepsy or experience infrequent fits, it’s important for treatments to be effective, reliable, and as side-effect-free as possible.
A growing number of owners and clinical researchers now believe that CBD and other cannabis compounds meet these criteria.
Though CBD isn’t always a complete cure for seizures in dogs, it is becoming known as a legitimate treatment pathway.
Here are our top picks for the CBD oils most appropriate for dogs with seizures.
CBD Oils for Dogs with Seizures 2021
What makes a CBD oil right for seizures in dogs?
Canine seizures come in two main types: environmentally caused, and those caused by health and hereditary conditions.
Environmental causes of fits are things like poisonous substances, head injuries, and a poor diet that results in electrolyte deficiencies. Genetic and health causes include epilepsy, cancers, and issues with dogs’ kidneys or livers.
While medicinal cannabis isn’t considered a treatment for environmentally-caused seizures, it does have an impressive track record when it comes to dogs with recurring fits.
Of all cannabis compounds, CBD and its variant, CBD-V, have the strongest evidence for being anticonvulsant.
Both compounds are the subject of several clinical studies and are used successfully by a sizable number of dogs and humans—particularly in the treatment of focal seizures.
CBD is also known to significantly reduce nausea and inflammation often associated with seizure episodes.
Because of this evidence, we look for extracts that contain high amounts of both CBD and CBV when recommending products for dogs with seizures.
Read: What does each cannabis compound do?
Beyond cannabis compounds, we also consider a product’s value for money, as dogs using CBD for seizures are likely to need regular doses and long-term supplementation.
Finally, we look at our overall weighted scoring categories, which combine features like product label accuracy, THC safety, and owner reviews.
For the full details on scoring, here’s how we calculate our CBD scores.
Receptra
Label Accuracy
+4.8% CBD compared to labelCannabinoids
5/7 beneficial cannabinoidsSafe, balanced THC
Safe for dogsCarrier Oil
Organic MCT/Coconut oilOwner Reviews
4.8 / 5 stars from 206 reviews
Shopping experience
30-day money-back guarantee
Free shipping on all orders
Receptra doesn’t market their CBD oil specifically for pups with seizures, but we think they could.
Their extraction contains far more CBD-V than most other brands, and they balance quality ingredients with excellent value for money.
With an overall score of A- and a price of just 6 cents per mg of CBD, we gave Receptra the ‘Best Value’ spot in our full list of the best CBD oils for dogs. So for owners considering CBD as a long-term seizure treatment, this is definitely a product to consider.
Here’s our full review of Receptra.
Charlotte’s Web
Label Accuracy
100% accurateCannabinoids
7/7 beneficial cannabinoidsSafe, balanced THC
Safe for dogsCarrier Oil
MCT/Coconut oilOwner Reviews
Minimal independent reviewsShopping experience
Free shipping on orders over $74
Subscribe and save 10%
Charlotte’s Web immediately stands out amongst other CBD oils for a couple of reasons.
First, it’s one of a few oils that really lives up to the ‘full-spectrum’ label, with their extraction containing all seven main cannabinoids—including a higher than average amount of CBD-V.
Extracting and consuming a wide spectrum of cannabinoids together means dogs get to benefit from an enhanced level of effectiveness known in the cannabis industry as the entourage effect.
These great qualities are to be expected in a brand that was founded as part of a mission to fight seizures.
The ‘Charlotte’ of Charlotte’s Web is Charlotte Figi, a young girl who had a severe form of epilepsy called Dravet syndrome.
Charlotte was able to reduce her symptoms and improve her quality of life by supplementing with CBD, leading to a large increase in public awareness of cannabis’s anti-seizure potential.
Learn more about these factors in our full review of Charlotte’s Web.
Nuleaf Naturals
Like Charlotte’s Web, NuLeaf Naturals are a seed-to-shelf cannabis company, which means they keep close working relationships with their farmers—in this case, fully organic hemp farms in Colorado.
This focus on ingredients results in a slightly lopsided score that’s great in terms of NuLeaf’s CBD extract, but less impressive when it comes to things like accurate labeling and industry certification.
The extract used in NuLeaf products is true full-spectrum CBD, with one of the highest CBD-V levels available across pet products right now. The CBD is infused with an unusually high-quality organic virgin hemp seed oil carrier, which supports maximum absorption into the body thanks to a great ratio of Omega fats.
Somehow, NuLeaf manages to combine all these quality features into a product that costs just 1 cent per mg of CBD.
While we think Receptra offers slightly better value for money due to their industry-leading CBD-V levels, this is an extremely low price for a premium CBD oil, one that’s hard to beat.
Another factor separating NuLeaf from the pack is their number of available online reviews—now approaching 2000 on their site alone. Despite the high number, owner feedback is consistently positive, with an average product rating of 4.9 out of 5.
With so many reviews available online, it gives us a great opportunity to see how owners of dogs with seizures find NuLeaf Naturals over the long-term.
What are customers saying?
4.9 (1879 reviews)
Brooke M.
“My dog has been having seizures every day. He now has not had a seizure in 2weeks since we have got this. Highly recommended.”
Cynthia E.
“Amazing how well my dog is doing. seizures are limited to maybe 2 times a month. So thankful for your product.”
Mary F.
“Seems to be working This is my second month on CBD for seizures and there is a slight decrease.”
Here’s our full review of NuLeaf Naturals.
CBD and seizures
Unlike some areas of cannabis, CBD is receiving a lot of interest from the scientific community for its ability to combat seizures in both humans and dogs.
The science looks highly promising
The FDA recently made its first approval of a CBD drug Epidiolex for patients with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and Dravet syndrome–two types of severe epilepsy that often affect children. A second cannabis-based treatment is now being developed using CBD-V.
In dogs, a randomized study from Colorado State University has shown that a dose of 2.5mg of CBD per kg of body weight is able to reduce seizure frequency and intensity when compared to a placebo.
While many more studies are required to make firm conclusions, trials like this show a clear correlation between blood CBD levels and reductions in seizure frequency, with no adverse behavioral effects reported by owners.
Read: How do you stop a dog from having seizures?
Current options aren’t good enough for many dogs and owners
Part of the excitement about CBD is due to the inadequacy of many currently accepted seizure treatments.
Pharmaceutical drugs like phenobarbital and potassium bromide can have serious adverse side effects like liver toxicity and blood cell loss. Once courses of a medication begin, they’re also usually lifelong.
In addition, researchers estimate that as many as 40 percent of canine epilepsy cases are drug-resistant. When a condition is classed as drug-resistant, it means that at least two different drugs have been tried and failed.
Another issue with traditional anticonvulsant drugs is that they’ve been known to lose effectiveness without a clear reason.
CBD, on the other hand, is showing similar and reliable results in a significant number of dogs, with a preferable side effect profile.
CBD offers a new alternative
A large reason behind CBD’s ability to treat dogs without causing nasty side effects is the way it interacts with a part of the body called the endocannabinoid system (ECS).
Also found in humans and most other mammals, the ECS is part of the body’s regulating mechanism, capable of reducing inflammation across major organs.
It’s by stimulating the ECS that CBD is able to change brain activity, altering the signals between neurons and reducing the chance of a convulsion.
No one is currently viewing CBD oil as a complete cure for seizures. But used in combination with other types of professional care, like prescription medications and regular scans, it does open up new, less intrusive treatment pathways for dogs in need.
Read next: How CBD is helping seizure-prone pups
Canine epilepsy and other seizure-causing conditions can leave owners feeling helpless, with prescription drug courses often only working for limited periods… continue reading>
Or try: The best CBD oils for dogs 2021
The results of months of research: our full list of the CBD products we think are the best overall buys on the market right now… continue reading>
Disclaimer
CBDOilforDogs.com is an independently owned professional review site. All our product recommendations are based entirely on our experts’ opinions and thorough consumer research. When products are purchased through our site, we may receive a commission. Ingredients and production processes change regularly. Always check manufacturer websites for the most up-to-date information.