October is Pet CBD Month. Pets are family to many of us and those that recognize the the benefits of cannabis for humans, can understand how cannabinoids can have similar effects for our four legged friends. The federally legal CBD market has growing exponentially over the last five or so years. Beauty products, health products, and now the pet market is expanding.

As the human to an aging and sometimes anxious Black Mouth Cur who is actually turning 9 years old this month, I want to give his the same relaxation and relief that I experience when partaking in CBD or other forms of cannabis. If there is an opportunity to share that with him, without him "feeling high" then of course I want to give that to him. My dog, Brody, has always had a bit of separation anxiety. He was known for barking for hours when I left him at home alone. But I discovered a great spray on option from MyJane, they have a PET CBD boxed set with two travel sprays with 100mg of bacon and chicken flavored CBD made by Mediprana. He doesn't like it so much sprayed directly into his mouth but I put it on his food and he gobbled it all up. While traveling I needed to leave him in our hotel room for a couple hours and normally he would be so anxious and whimpering at the door as I left but with a few extra sprays in his food, he was just chilling when I left and remained that way when I arrived back, and no complaints from the front desk.

Another reason I use CBD for my furbaby is for his sleep terrors. I noticed that he would convulse and shake in his sleep, like he was have a really bad or intense dream. I asked my friend Shaunie Haynes of LazyDaze Pfluegerville which treats she would recommend and she suggested Treatibles. Within the brand they have treats for "Ease", "Balance", and "Calm", which is used he calming one for Brody. From what I can tell it seems to be helping his sleep.

There are so many brands are coming out with pet lines, one being Snoops Dog's brand of CBD has something for our animals. According to the webinar hosted by Mario Rodriguez  of Bootleg Avocado and Julie Suntrup of Day Three Labs, last week,  Julie mentioned that in 2016 this was a nearly $0 industry, but it is now predicted to bring in about $40-60 million by the end of 2020. However, there is just so much we do not know about CBD as a medicinal treatment animals, however studies so far are promising, even in animals like horses and elephants as Jason Nelson of Bluebird Botanicals, a CBD industry pioneer.

Dr.Sarah Silcox, president and founder of Canadian Association of Veterinary Cannabinoid Medicine gave us some great information about CBD for pets. Just like humans, CBD can interfere with other medicines your animal may take so yes you should ask your vet. She also mentioned it is used to treat body aches, arthritis, cancer. and behavior disorders for animals. At the same time, it isn't necessarily a solution for every dog. Like humans, it works differently for each individual.

Hilal Tabsh, mentioned that even from just personal experience he can see that the anxiety of pet owners can be transferred to their animals. Especially this year, we are tense, so are our cats and dogs. I mean, they ARE acting as emotional support animals whether they are official or not. And again, like us they don't all necessarily need or want the same things. While some animals are given CBD for their anxiousness, some are needing it for pain. One dog might like treats, but another needs a tincture dropped directly onto soft food. Hilal says that he has found that CBD sellers want to go with a company that they trust and has a wide rage of options, "a one stop shop."  He also spoke about his experience building teams, branding and story telling of big companies like Mary's and Therabis. I really enjoyed information as it is so important in standing out in this fast growing market. He said things as marketers we know but it is something to always mention. Be transparent, earn trust by providing certifications publicly, but also tell the story of you, because you are not just selling this product but yourself and expertise  too.

As an obsessed dog mom, I found this webinar extremely helpful in realizing the wide benefits for our pets, but also how much this market is truly expanding. I am on board and Brody is on board for the ride too. You can watch the full webinar here on Youtube. Let us know what CBD you've tried for your pets or if you know anyone that is trying to get into the market.