Veterinarians in the Ozarks warn pet owners of CBD products

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3) - The popularity of CBD products is growing and is expected to be a multi-billion dollar industry by 2028.

Some of the most popular CBD products are for pets. The growing popularity of these products has pet owners looking at ways it can help their furry friends, but vets want you to know a few warnings before you give your pet a CBD treat.

CBD products are not regulated by the FDA, which means a vet can not prescribe them. It also means there are no guidelines on how much to give your pet based on species or weight. Before you start giving your pet CBD talk to your vet and ask questions about how the product could affect your animal.

“I would still try to look at the information,” says Veterinarian Philip Brown with Animal Care Center. “You could ask your veterinarian what their feeling is about the product, and does my pet have any medical concerns that you would be worried about? That you would not want me to use or that we don’t know whether it’s going to affect it? I think those are important questions to take directly to your veterinarian or your animal health technician.”

If you are thinking about taking your pet off of prescribed medicine and replacing it with CBD, it could do more harm than good.

“I’ve had that happen to me several times where people have stopped medications we’ve prescribed for kidney problems and heart problems, put them on CBD,” said Brown. “We’ve had diabetics go into comas, we’ve had kidney failure advanced, and we’ve had dogs die from congestive heart failure because one guy stopped the medicine.”

CBD products also have other ingredients like preservatives and fillers that could be dangerous and lead to a costly vet visit.

“You have CBD, but you have extenders, expanders, preservatives, and all of these things,” said Brown. “It’s not just the oil that could create the problem. It may be a problem for one animal and not another animal. So you could have something in there that causes an allergy and causes a gastrointestinal problem. We don’t know that because it’s all on an individual basis.”

CBD products can help pets with anxiety or pain management. Vets say it’s essential to look at scientific information from credible sources like the American Veterinary Medical Association and the Food and Drug Administration.

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