CBD and Dogs After Surgery: Evidence-Based Post-Operative Recovery Guide
The hours after your dog comes home from surgery are among the most difficult in pet ownership — not because the procedure is over, but because the hardest part has just begun. The anesthesia is wearing off. The pain is arriving. The dog that left your house that morning is returning confused, uncomfortable, and unable to understand why it hurts or why it cannot move the way it wants to. What happens in the next 7 to 14 days — how well the pain is managed, how effectively the inflammation is controlled, how calmly the dog tolerates the confinement that healing requires — determines not just how quickly recovery proceeds, but whether it proceeds without complication at all.
CBD is not a replacement for the prescription pain management your veterinarian sends home after surgery. That needs to be stated clearly at the outset, because the most dangerous version of this conversation is one that leads an owner to substitute a supplement for a pharmaceutical analgesic in the acute post-operative period. What CBD is — and what the clinical evidence supports it as — is an adjunct: a compound that works through mechanisms complementary to conventional analgesics, that addresses dimensions of post-surgical recovery that NSAIDs and opioids do not fully cover, and that may, over the course of the recovery period, allow the doses of those pharmaceuticals to be reduced under veterinary supervision. That is a meaningful clinical role. It is also a specific and bounded one, and understanding the boundary is as important as understanding the benefit.
The Post-Surgical Pain Problem — Why One Drug Is Never Enough
Veterinary pain management has moved decisively toward multimodal protocols over the past two decades, and the reason is pharmacological rather than philosophical. Surgical pain is not a single phenomenon. It is the simultaneous activation of multiple pain pathways — nociceptive pain from tissue trauma, inflammatory pain from the cytokine cascade that follows any surgical incision, and neuropathic pain from nerve involvement at the surgical site — each of which responds to different classes of analgesic compounds through different mechanisms. A single drug that fully addresses all three pathways does not exist. The standard of care is therefore to combine drugs that address different pathways at lower individual doses, achieving better pain control with fewer side effects than any single agent at the dose required to work alone.
This is the clinical context in which CBD belongs in the post-surgical conversation. It is not a novel idea that a supplement might complement pharmaceutical pain management — it is the foundational principle of how veterinary post-operative analgesia is already practiced. The question is not whether multimodal pain management is appropriate. It is whether CBD's specific mechanisms address pathways that the standard pharmaceutical protocol leaves partially covered, and whether the evidence supports its use in that role. On both counts, the answer is yes — with the specificity and the caveats that honest clinical communication requires.
The surgical procedures where CBD's adjunct role is most clinically meaningful span a wide range of complexity and recovery duration. Routine soft tissue surgeries — spay, neuter, dental extractions, mass removals — involve acute inflammatory pain that resolves over 7 to 10 days and responds well to short-course NSAID therapy, with CBD providing complementary anti-inflammatory support and anxiety reduction during the confinement period. Major orthopedic surgeries — tibial plateau leveling osteotomy for cruciate ligament repair, femoral head and neck ostectomy for hip dysplasia, fracture repair — involve a recovery arc measured in weeks to months, with inflammatory pain that persists long after the acute phase and a rehabilitation requirement that demands the dog remain calm and compliant through an extended period of restricted activity. It is in this second category that CBD's long-term safety profile, its absence of tolerance development, and its specific anti-inflammatory mechanism become most clinically relevant — because the dog that needs pain management for six weeks cannot safely receive maximum-dose NSAIDs for six weeks without hepatic and renal monitoring, and CBD offers a mechanism that does not carry that risk profile.
A Note on Gastrointestinal Surgery
For dogs recovering from gastrointestinal surgery — intestinal resection, foreign body removal, gastropexy — the standard 24 to 48 hour post-operative window before starting oral supplements should be extended until your veterinarian confirms that GI motility has returned and oral medications are being tolerated without vomiting. CBD is an oral supplement that requires normal GI function for absorption, and introducing it before the GI tract has recovered from surgical manipulation risks both inadequate absorption and additional nausea in a dog whose stomach is already compromised. When in doubt, wait for veterinary clearance before starting any oral supplement after abdominal surgery.
How CBD Fits Into Post-Surgical Pain Management
CBD's pharmacological profile is unusually well-suited to the post-surgical context because it addresses three of the four dimensions of post-operative recovery — pain, inflammation, and anxiety — through mechanisms that are distinct from and complementary to the pharmaceutical agents typically prescribed after surgery. Understanding which mechanism addresses which dimension of recovery is what allows CBD to be used strategically rather than generically.
Pain Modulation
CBD modulates pain signaling through two primary pathways relevant to surgical pain. The first is CB1 and CB2 receptor modulation in the peripheral and central nervous system — CB1 receptors in the spinal cord and brain modulate the transmission of pain signals from the surgical site to conscious perception, while CB2 receptors in peripheral immune cells modulate the inflammatory component of pain at the tissue level.[1] The second is TRPV1 channel desensitization — CBD activates and then desensitizes the transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 channel, which is a primary mediator of heat and inflammatory pain at the site of tissue injury.[2] This TRPV1 mechanism is particularly relevant to the burning, hypersensitive pain that characterizes the area immediately surrounding a surgical incision in the days following surgery. NSAIDs do not act on TRPV1 channels. Gabapentin acts on calcium channels in a different part of the pain pathway. CBD's TRPV1 desensitization is genuinely additive to both rather than redundant with either.
Inflammation Control
The inflammatory response to surgical trauma is both necessary and potentially excessive. Necessary because inflammation initiates the healing cascade — the cytokines that cause swelling and pain also recruit the immune cells and growth factors that repair damaged tissue. Excessive because uncontrolled inflammation delays healing, increases pain, and in orthopedic surgery specifically, can contribute to joint damage that outlasts the original surgical indication. CBD's anti-inflammatory mechanism operates primarily through CB2 receptor activation in peripheral immune cells, reducing the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines including TNF-alpha, IL-1beta, and IL-6 while promoting anti-inflammatory signaling.[3] This is a different mechanism than NSAID-mediated COX enzyme inhibition, which is why the combination of CBD and an NSAID produces better anti-inflammatory control than either alone in the studies that have examined the combination — the Talsma et al 2024 study found that CBD combined with NSAIDs produced superior outcomes to either alone in dogs with mobility disorders, with implications for post-surgical orthopedic recovery that are directly relevant.[4]
Anxiety and Confinement Stress
The post-operative period imposes a form of stress on dogs that is pharmacologically distinct from the pain itself and that conventional analgesics do not address. A dog recovering from orthopedic surgery is in pain, yes — but it is also confined, disoriented, wearing an e-collar that restricts its sensory field, separated from its normal routine, and unable to understand why any of this is happening. The cortisol response to this combination of stressors is real and measurable, and it matters for recovery because chronic cortisol elevation impairs immune function, delays wound healing, and increases the dog's sensitivity to pain through central sensitization mechanisms. CBD's 5-HT1A serotonergic modulation and HPA axis regulation — the same mechanisms documented in the Flint et al 2024 cortisol study — address this dimension of post-surgical stress directly.[5] A dog that is calmer during confinement heals faster, licks its incision less, and requires less intervention to maintain the restricted activity that surgical recovery demands. These are not soft benefits. They are clinically meaningful outcomes with direct consequences for recovery quality.
Talsma et al, 2024 — CBD + NSAIDs: Superior to Either Alone[4]
Prospective, double-blind, crossover, placebo-controlled study evaluating CBD with and without NSAIDs in dogs with mobility disorders — the closest available clinical analogue to post-surgical orthopedic pain management.
Finding: CBD combined with NSAIDs produced superior mobility and pain outcomes compared to either CBD alone or NSAIDs alone. The combination effect suggests that CBD's CB2-mediated anti-inflammatory mechanism and TRPV1 desensitization are genuinely additive to NSAID-mediated COX inhibition rather than redundant with it — which is the pharmacological argument for using both in post-surgical orthopedic recovery rather than choosing between them.
Gamble et al, 2018 — Safety of CBD + NSAIDs Confirmed[6]
Randomized controlled trial of CBD at 2 mg/kg twice daily in dogs with osteoarthritis, with concurrent NSAID use in a significant proportion of the study population.
Finding: No pharmacokinetic interaction between CBD and NSAIDs at 2 mg/kg twice daily. The combination was well-tolerated with no increase in adverse events compared to either compound alone at this dose. This is the primary safety reference for the CBD + NSAID combination that most post-surgical dogs will be using, and it establishes that the combination is safe at the starting dose — with monitoring warranted at higher CBD doses where CYP enzyme inhibition becomes more clinically significant.
When to Start and How to Dose
The timing and dosing of CBD in post-surgical recovery are not arbitrary — they reflect the pharmacokinetic reality of how CBD behaves in dogs and the clinical reality of what the post-operative period demands. Getting both right is the difference between a protocol that produces measurable benefit and one that produces the false conclusion that CBD does not work for surgical pain.
The standard recommendation is to begin CBD 24 to 48 hours after surgery, once the dog is home, eating, and tolerating oral medications without vomiting. This window serves two purposes: it allows residual anesthesia to clear the system — most veterinary anesthetic agents are fully metabolized within 12 to 24 hours, but the 24-hour buffer provides a margin — and it confirms that the dog's gastrointestinal tract is functioning normally before introducing a new oral supplement. Food co-administration is not optional in the post-surgical context. The Deabold et al 2019 pharmacokinetic study established that CBD absorption increases approximately 3-fold when given with food through fat-enhanced lymphatic absorption.[7] A dog that is not eating well in the first 24 hours after surgery — which is common — should have its CBD dose delayed until normal eating resumes, because a dose given without food delivers less than one-third of the intended blood level and produces no meaningful therapeutic effect.
The post-surgical dose sits at the higher end of the evidence-based therapeutic range — 2 mg/kg twice daily as a starting point, titrated to 4 mg/kg twice daily if pain control is inadequate after 48 to 72 hours at the starting dose. This is higher than the standard wellness dose and reflects the greater physiological demand of the post-surgical inflammatory state. As healing progresses and pain decreases — typically after day 7 for minor surgeries and after week 3 for major orthopedic procedures — the dose should be tapered gradually rather than stopped abruptly, stepping down to 2 mg/kg and then to 1 mg/kg over the course of a week before discontinuing or transitioning to a long-term maintenance dose for dogs with ongoing joint disease.
Post-Surgical Dosing Reference
Starting dose: 2 mg/kg twice daily with food. Titrate to 4 mg/kg twice daily if inadequate pain control after 48-72 hours. Always give with food — absorption is 3x higher with food co-administration. Taper gradually as healing progresses rather than stopping abruptly.
Calculate Your Dog's Exact Dose| Dog Weight | Starting Dose (2 mg/kg) | Maximum Dose (4 mg/kg) | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 lbs (4.5 kg) | 9mg per dose | 18mg per dose | Twice daily with food |
| 25 lbs (11.3 kg) | 23mg per dose | 45mg per dose | Twice daily with food |
| 50 lbs (22.7 kg) | 45mg per dose | 90mg per dose | Twice daily with food |
| 75 lbs (34 kg) | 68mg per dose | 136mg per dose | Twice daily with food |
| 100 lbs (45.4 kg) | 90mg per dose | 180mg per dose | Twice daily with food |
| Surgery Type | CBD Duration | Tapering Protocol |
|---|---|---|
| Spay / Neuter | 7-10 days | Reduce to 1 mg/kg on days 8-10, then discontinue or maintain |
| Dental Extractions | 7-10 days | Reduce to 1 mg/kg on days 8-10, then discontinue |
| Soft Tissue / Mass Removal | 10-14 days | Step down at day 10, discontinue or maintain at day 14 |
| TPLO / Cruciate Repair | 4-6 weeks | Taper at week 4, consider long-term maintenance for joint health |
| FHO / Hip Surgery | 4-6 weeks | Taper at week 4, long-term maintenance strongly recommended |
| Fracture Repair | 4-6 weeks | Taper as radiographic healing confirms bone union |
CBD and Post-Surgical Medications — What the Pharmacology Actually Says
The drug interaction question is the most clinically important conversation in this entire guide, and it deserves more than a bullet point warning. CBD is metabolized by the hepatic cytochrome P450 enzyme system — specifically CYP2C9, CYP2C19, and CYP3A4 — which is the same system responsible for metabolizing the majority of pharmaceutical drugs used in veterinary post-operative care.[8] CBD's inhibition of these enzymes can increase the blood levels of co-administered drugs by slowing their metabolism, which means the same prescribed dose produces higher plasma concentrations when CBD is present than when it is not. This is not inherently dangerous — in some cases it is clinically useful, allowing lower pharmaceutical doses to achieve the same therapeutic effect. But it requires awareness, monitoring, and veterinary communication, not assumption.
The practical consequence of CYP enzyme inhibition depends on which drug is being affected and how narrow its therapeutic index is. For NSAIDs including carprofen (Rimadyl) and meloxicam (Metacam) — the most commonly prescribed post-surgical analgesics in dogs — the Gamble 2018 study found no pharmacokinetic interaction at CBD doses of 2 mg/kg twice daily, establishing that the combination is safe at the starting dose.[6] At higher CBD doses, monitoring for signs of NSAID accumulation — GI upset, reduced appetite, increased thirst — is warranted. For gabapentin, which is frequently prescribed alongside NSAIDs for orthopedic post-surgical pain, no direct pharmacokinetic interaction has been documented in dogs, but additive sedation is possible and should be monitored in the first 48 to 72 hours of combined use. The Kogan 2020 arthritis study found that 91% of dogs on gabapentin reduced or eliminated it when CBD was added — a finding that suggests the combination may allow gabapentin dose reduction over time, which is a clinically meaningful benefit given gabapentin's sedating side effects.[9]
Tramadol, which is sometimes prescribed for post-surgical pain in dogs despite limited evidence for its efficacy as an oral analgesic in this species, is metabolized by CYP2D6 — an enzyme that CBD inhibits less potently than CYP2C9 and CYP3A4. The interaction risk with tramadol is therefore lower than with NSAIDs, but monitoring for increased sedation remains appropriate. Antibiotics, which virtually every post-surgical dog receives, present minimal interaction risk with CBD — the most commonly used veterinary antibiotics including amoxicillin-clavulanate, cephalexin, and metronidazole are not significantly metabolized by the CYP enzymes that CBD inhibits. Giving CBD and antibiotics two hours apart, as is sometimes recommended, is a reasonable precaution but is not supported by specific pharmacokinetic evidence of interaction at standard doses.
| Medication | Common Brand | Interaction Risk | Monitoring Recommendation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carprofen | Rimadyl | Low at 2 mg/kg CBD — confirmed safe in Gamble 2018 | Monitor GI signs at higher CBD doses; liver panel at 4-6 weeks |
| Meloxicam | Metacam | Low-moderate — CYP2C9 substrate, monitor at higher CBD doses | Watch for GI upset, reduced appetite, increased thirst |
| Gabapentin | Neurontin | Low pharmacokinetic — additive sedation possible | Monitor sedation level in first 48-72 hours; may allow dose reduction |
| Tramadol | Ultram | Low — CYP2D6 substrate, less affected by CBD inhibition | Monitor sedation; note limited evidence for oral tramadol efficacy in dogs |
| Amoxicillin-Clavulanate | Clavamox | Minimal — not significantly CYP-metabolized | No specific monitoring required; give 2 hours apart as precaution |
| Cephalexin | Keflex | Minimal — renal excretion, not CYP-metabolized | No specific monitoring required |
| Metronidazole | Flagyl | Low-moderate — some CYP3A4 metabolism; monitor neurological signs | Watch for ataxia or neurological signs at higher CBD doses |
| Ketoconazole | Nizoral | High — potent CYP3A4 inhibitor; may significantly increase CBD levels | Reduce CBD dose; monitor for increased CBD side effects |
The Non-Negotiable: Tell Your Veterinarian
Every drug interaction consideration above is manageable with veterinary awareness and appropriate monitoring. None of them are reasons to avoid CBD in the post-surgical period. But all of them require that your veterinarian knows your dog is receiving CBD before prescribing, adjusting, or discontinuing any medication. The interaction that causes harm is not the one that is monitored — it is the one that is unknown. Inform your veterinarian at the post-operative discharge appointment, not after you have already started CBD at home. This is the single most important piece of practical guidance in this guide.
Choosing the Right Product for Post-Surgical Recovery
Post-surgical CBD use demands the same product quality standards as any therapeutic application — and the George et al 2020 variability study's finding that CBD blood concentrations ranged from non-detectable to over 1,000 ng/mL across commercial products is particularly consequential in this context.[10] A dog recovering from surgery that receives a product delivering sub-therapeutic CBD blood levels is not receiving the anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and anxiolytic support the protocol is designed to provide. The Certificate of Analysis is not optional. It is the mechanism by which you verify that the product delivers what the label claims, at the concentration stated, without contaminants that could cause independent harm in a dog whose immune system is already managing surgical recovery.
For post-surgical use specifically, a tincture is the preferred format over treats because it allows the precise dose titration that the recovery protocol requires. The starting dose of 2 mg/kg and the maximum dose of 4 mg/kg represent a 2-fold range — for a 50-pound dog, the difference between 45mg and 90mg per dose. A tincture allows this adjustment in 0.1ml increments. A treat with fixed CBD content per piece does not. For orthopedic surgeries where the dose may need to be held at the higher end for four to six weeks and then tapered gradually, this precision is not a convenience — it is a clinical requirement.
Reading Your Dog's Pain — What to Watch For
Dogs do not communicate pain the way humans do, and the signs of inadequate post-surgical pain control are easy to miss or misattribute. Whining and whimpering are the most obvious signals, but many dogs in significant pain are quiet rather than vocal — the more reliable indicators are behavioral. A dog that is panting at rest when the ambient temperature does not warrant it is almost certainly in pain, because panting is a primary physiological response to pain in dogs. Reluctance to stand or change position, aggression or withdrawal when touched near the surgical site, restlessness that prevents settling despite apparent fatigue, and refusal of food or water that was previously accepted are all signs that pain control is inadequate and warrant immediate veterinary contact. Increasing the CBD dose is appropriate if the dog is at the starting dose and showing these signs — but it is not a substitute for veterinary evaluation if the signs are severe or if the dog was previously comfortable and has become acutely more painful, which can indicate a surgical complication rather than simply inadequate analgesia.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, CBD can be given to dogs after surgery as part of a multimodal pain management approach — as an adjunct to, not a replacement for, veterinary-prescribed analgesics. Most veterinarians recommend waiting 24 to 48 hours after surgery until the dog is home, stable, and eating before introducing CBD. This window allows residual anesthesia to clear and confirms that the GI tract is functioning normally before adding a new oral supplement. Always inform your veterinarian that you are using CBD, particularly if your dog is on tramadol, gabapentin, carprofen, or other prescription medications, as CBD is metabolized by the same hepatic enzyme system and can affect drug blood levels. For gastrointestinal surgery specifically, wait for explicit veterinary clearance before starting any oral supplement.
The evidence-based starting dose for post-surgical pain and inflammation is 2 mg/kg twice daily with food, which can be titrated to 4 mg/kg twice daily if pain control is inadequate after 48 to 72 hours at the starting dose. For a 50-pound dog (22.7 kg), this means 45mg twice daily at the starting dose and up to 90mg twice daily at the maximum. Food co-administration is non-negotiable — absorption increases approximately 3-fold when CBD is given with food through fat-enhanced lymphatic absorption. A dose given without food delivers less than one-third of the intended blood level. Use the dosing calculator for your dog's precise weight-based volume based on your product's concentration, and taper the dose gradually as healing progresses rather than stopping abruptly.
No — and this is the most important boundary to understand clearly. CBD should not replace prescription pain medications in the acute post-operative period. Surgical pain requires multimodal management, and CBD's role is as an adjunct that addresses dimensions of recovery — inflammatory pain through CB2-mediated cytokine reduction, incision hypersensitivity through TRPV1 desensitization, and confinement anxiety through serotonergic modulation — that conventional analgesics do not fully cover. What CBD may allow over the course of recovery is a reduction in the required doses of pharmaceutical analgesics, particularly gabapentin, as the Kogan 2020 study found that 91% of dogs on gabapentin reduced or eliminated it when CBD was added. But this reduction should happen under veterinary supervision, not unilaterally. Never discontinue prescribed medications without veterinary approval.
CBD can typically be started 24 to 48 hours after surgery, once the dog is home, eating, and tolerating oral medications without vomiting. The 24-hour minimum allows residual anesthesia to clear — most veterinary anesthetic agents are fully metabolized within 12 to 24 hours, but the buffer provides a margin and confirms GI function before introducing a new supplement. For gastrointestinal surgery, wait until your veterinarian explicitly confirms that oral medications and supplements are safe to give — typically 48 to 72 hours post-op, once GI motility has returned. If your dog is not eating well in the first 24 hours after surgery, delay CBD until normal eating resumes, because a dose given without food delivers sub-therapeutic blood levels and produces no meaningful benefit.
Yes, CBD can interact with common post-surgical medications through the hepatic CYP450 enzyme system. CBD inhibits CYP2C9 and CYP3A4, which metabolize NSAIDs including carprofen and meloxicam, potentially increasing their blood levels at higher CBD doses. The Gamble 2018 study confirmed no pharmacokinetic interaction between CBD and NSAIDs at 2 mg/kg twice daily — the starting dose — establishing safety at that level. Gabapentin carries additive sedation risk rather than a pharmacokinetic interaction, and monitoring in the first 48 to 72 hours of combined use is appropriate. Antibiotics including amoxicillin-clavulanate and cephalexin present minimal interaction risk. Ketoconazole, an antifungal sometimes used post-surgically, is a potent CYP3A4 inhibitor that can significantly increase CBD blood levels and warrants CBD dose reduction. The solution to all of these interactions is veterinary communication — inform your veterinarian before starting CBD so monitoring can be appropriately calibrated.
Duration depends on the surgery type and the individual dog's recovery trajectory. For minor surgeries including spay, neuter, and dental extractions, 7 to 10 days at the post-surgical dose followed by gradual tapering is typically sufficient. For major orthopedic surgeries including TPLO, FHO, and fracture repair, 4 to 6 weeks at therapeutic dosing reflects the longer inflammatory and healing timeline of bone and joint surgery. Dogs with pre-existing joint disease who undergo orthopedic surgery are candidates for indefinite CBD maintenance after recovery — the Corsato Alvarenga 2024 nine-month safety study confirmed no tolerance development and consistent therapeutic effect over 36 weeks of daily use, establishing that long-term maintenance is both safe and pharmacologically sustainable. Taper gradually rather than stopping abruptly in all cases.
CBD at evidence-based doses of 2 to 4 mg/kg does not cause significant sedation on its own. When combined with sedating post-surgical medications including tramadol and gabapentin, additive sedation is possible and should be monitored in the first 48 to 72 hours of combined use. Mild increased drowsiness is normal and therapeutically appropriate in the acute post-operative period — rest promotes healing, and a dog that sleeps more than usual in the first few days after surgery is not a cause for concern. If your dog is unable to stand, refuses food and water, or shows any respiratory changes, contact your veterinarian immediately as medication doses may require adjustment. These signs indicate excessive sedation rather than the therapeutic rest that the post-operative period requires.
Some veterinarians recommend CBD in the 24 to 48 hours before surgery to reduce pre-surgical anxiety, which is a legitimate application of CBD's serotonergic anxiolytic mechanism. However, CBD should be stopped at least 12 hours before anesthesia induction — ideally the evening before a morning surgery — to avoid any potential interaction with anesthetic agents during the procedure itself. The CYP enzyme inhibition that makes CBD relevant to post-surgical drug interactions is equally relevant to the anesthetic drugs used during surgery, and the conservative approach is to ensure CBD has cleared the active inhibition window before anesthesia begins. Always follow your veterinarian's specific pre-operative instructions, which take precedence over any general guidance.
References
Clinical studies and peer-reviewed sources cited in this guide. Primary source: American Veterinary Medical Association 2025 Cannabis Resource Guide.
- Freundt-Revilla J, Kegler K, Baumgärtner W, Tipold A. Spatial distribution of cannabinoid receptor type 1 (CB1) in normal canine central and peripheral nervous system. PLoS One. 2017;12(7):e0181064.
- Ligresti A, De Petrocellis L, Di Marzo V. From phytocannabinoids to cannabinoid receptors and endocannabinoids: pleiotropic physiological and pathological roles through complex pharmacology. Physiol Rev. 2016;96(4):1593-1659.
- Donvito G, Nass SR, Wilkerson JL, et al. The endogenous cannabinoid system: a budding source of targets for treating inflammatory and neuropathic pain. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2018;43(1):52-79.
- Talsma B, Elam LH, McGrath S, Zhou T, Webb CB, Duerr FM. Evaluation of the effect of cannabidiol administration with and without nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in dogs with mobility disorders: a prospective, double-blind, crossover, placebo-controlled study. Front Vet Sci. 2024;11:1449343.
- Flint HE, Hunt ABG, Logan DW, King T. Daily dosing of cannabidiol (CBD) demonstrates a positive effect on measures of stress in dogs during repeated exposure to car travel. J Anim Sci. 2024;102:skad414.
- Gamble LJ, Boesch JM, Frye CW, et al. Pharmacokinetics, safety, and clinical efficacy of cannabidiol treatment in osteoarthritic dogs. Front Vet Sci. 2018;5:165.
- Deabold KA, Schwark WS, Wolf L, Wakshlag JJ. Single-dose pharmacokinetics and preliminary safety assessment with use of CBD-rich hemp nutraceutical in healthy dogs and cats. Animals (Basel). 2019;9(10):832.
- Stout SM, Cimino NM. Exogenous cannabinoids as substrates, inhibitors, and inducers of human drug metabolizing enzymes: a systematic review. Drug Metabolism Reviews. 2013;46(1):86-95.
- Kogan L, Hellyer PW, Downing RD. The use of cannabidiol rich hemp oil extract to treat canine osteoarthritis related pain: A pilot study. J Amer Hol Vet Med Assoc. 2020;58:35-45.
- George JA, Driggers BJ, Cruz-Espindola C, Hargis CL, Harmon RR, Boothe DM. Variability in plasma cannabidiol concentrations in dogs receiving CBD-containing products. Presented at the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine Forum, 2020.
- Corsato Alvarenga I, Wilson KM, McGrath S. Tolerability of long-term cannabidiol supplementation to healthy adult dogs. J Vet Intern Med. 2024;38(1):326-335.
- American Veterinary Medical Association. Cannabis Resource Guide. 2025. https://www.avma.org/sites/default/files/2025-04/aph-cannabis-resources-report-v4-2025.pdf
Disclaimer: This guide is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace professional veterinary advice, diagnosis, or treatment. VetsGrade products are not FDA-approved drugs and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease or condition in animals. Always consult your veterinarian before starting CBD after surgery, particularly if your dog is on prescription medications. Never discontinue prescribed medications without veterinary supervision. Individual results vary. The clinical studies cited represent population-level findings and do not guarantee specific outcomes for any individual animal.
