CBD for pets is more popular than ever, and a study from Canada found that most dog owners chose it for pain relief and anxiety management. However, it also showed that concerns about safety, standardization and regulation often hold people back from trying it. Hemp seems to help pets, but you need to take extra care over finding safe and effective products.
That’s where our Cannabinoid Product Quality Evaluation Framework comes in, with expert-backed criteria for finding safe, effective hemp and avoiding unsafe options. Here are the best CBD dog chews we found with it.
What makes a good CBD chew for dogs?
Avoid THC
While THC is generally beneficial in hemp products, things are a little different for animals. While low doses may be tolerated, higher doses can be unpleasant for dogs and in some cases may be actively dangerous. We stuck to broad spectrum CBD or isolate products for this list.
Broad Spectrum Benefits
Avoiding THC doesn’t mean avoiding all entourage effects. Broad spectrum products containing other cannabinoids and terpenes weren’t common, but we chose them where possible. However, isolates are also solid options.
Dog-Friendly Flavors
Humans may like the terpene-rich flavor of natural cannabis, but if you want your dog to eat it, you’ll probably need a meaty flavor. On top of this, we also prioritized any options with beneficial vitamins and proteins.
From a starting point of 42 CBD chews for dogs, we used our Product Quality Evaluation Framework to narrow down the possibilities. Here are the six best options out there.
R&R Multifunctional CBD Dog Chews
- CBD type: Broad spectrum
- Potency: 5 mg per chew
- CBD:THC ratio: THC-free
- Top terpenes: Guaiol
- Price: $48 / 60 chews ($0.16 per mg CBD)
- Coupon: “LEAF15” for 15% off
R&R consistently puts out some of the best hemp products in the industry. With USDA Certified Organic hemp, extensive lab testing performed on each batch, and a dedication to care and consistency in formulation, it’s no surprise that their CBD dog chews are the best ones we found.
The chews are broad spectrum, boasting smaller amounts of CBC, CBN and CBG in addition to 5 mg of CBD in each chew. This makes it great for the entourage effect, while still being completely non-intoxicating.
They come in chicken flavor, and they’re loaded with lean proteins from the chicken, fiber and antioxidants from the flax seed and vitamins from the sweet potato.
The solid price makes it even better.
- USDA Certified Organic Hemp
- True broad spectrum: CBD, CBC, CBN, CBG and CBDV
- Excellent manufacturing quality
- Chicken flavor, rich in protein, vitamins and minerals
- Lab-confirmed THC-free
- Useful for pain, stress and sleep
- Good price
- Only one terpene detected
Joy Organics THC-Free CBD Dog Treats
- CBD type: Isolate
- Potency: 2 mg CBD per chew
- CBD:THC ratio: THC-free
- Top terpenes: Not tested
- Price: $34.95 for 30 chews ($0.58 per mg CBD)
- Coupon: “CBDINSIDER20” for 20% off
Joy Organics’ THC-Free CBD Dog Treats may use CBD and CBG isolate, but the quality of the hemp and the manufacturing from the brand makes them one of the best options out there.
As the name suggests, the hemp is organic, and the dog treats are lab-confirmed to be THC-free. Despite using isolated cannabinoids, Joy Organics makes sure their chews are effective with the addition of CBG, which is renowned for its anti-inflammatory effects. This makes it especially good for joint pain and other issues, but the chews can definitely be beneficial to nervous pups too.
The chews are beef-flavored, and also loaded with additional nutrients from flax oil and sweet potato. They’re a little pricey, but top quality.
- USDA Certified Organic hemp
- Lab-confirmed THC-free
- Also contain CBG, great for inflammation
- Ideal for pain and anxiety
- Beef-flavored and nutrient rich
- High-quality manufacturing
- Isolate formulation misses out on entourage effects
- Low CBD dose per chew
- A little expensive per mg
Lazarus Naturals Calming Support Dog Chews
- CBD type: Isolate
- Potency: 10 mg per chew
- CBD:THC ratio: THC-free
- Top terpenes: Not tested
- Price: $22 / 30 chews ($0.07 per mg CBD)
- Coupon: “FEELGOOD25” for 25% off
Lazarus Naturals is a seed-to-sale hemp company. All of their extracts start out as crops on their USDA Certified Organic farm in Oregon, and the cannabinoids are extracted, formulated and made into products at their GMP-certified facility. More than most brands, Lazarus Naturals can guarantee that everything is high-quality and safe.
And that shows through in their products. Their Calming Support Dog Chews feature a substantial 10 mg of CBD per chew, so smaller dogs should take half a chew, but it’s ideal for larger dogs.
The price is also excellent, coming out to just 7 cents per mg of CBD.
Note that even though it says “full spectrum,” the lab report shows it’s CBD isolate and THC-free.
- 10 mg CBD per chew – great for bigger dogs
- USDA Certified Organic Hemp
- Excellent price – just 7 cents per mg
- Top-quality manufacturing
- Chews intended for anxiety
- Joint support and digestive health chews available
- Lab-confirmed THC-free
- CBD isolate – no entourage effects
- Not tested for terpenes
- Not the best for smaller dogs
Koi Omega CBD Soft Chews
- CBD type: Isolate
- Potency: 6 mg CBD per chew
- CBD:THC ratio: THC-free
- Top terpenes: Not tested
- Price: $29.99 for 30 chews ($0.17 per mg CBD)
- Coupon: “SLYNG20” for 20% off
Koi CBD is one of the most well-known brands out there, and their Omega CBD Soft Chews are intended for promoting calm and physical comfort in your dog. Each one contains 6 mg of CBD isolate – totally THC-free – and is loaded with omega 3, 6 and 9 fatty acids.
Koi’s CBD comes from USDA Certified Organic hemp, and each batch is lab tested for potency and purity. The chews are bacon-flavored, so dogs love them, and were formulated with the help of veterinarians to ensure safety and efficacy.
There are some downsides, though. They don’t contain other cannabinoids, so the benefit is limited to CBD without “entourage” effects. However, the quality is still excellent and they come strongly recommended.
- USDA Certified Organic Hemp
- Lab-confirmed THC-free
- Omega 3, 6 and 9 for overall wellness
- Bacon-flavored chews
- Vegan, grain-free and soy-free
- Good dosage per chew – works well for most dogs
- GMP-certified and FDA-registered manufacturing
- No other cannabinoids or terpenes
- Lower doses not ideal for big dogs
Medterra Calming Chews
- CBD type: Isolate
- Potency: 10 mg per chew
- CBD:THC ratio: THC-free
- Top terpenes: Not tested
- Price: $29.99 / 30 chews ($0.10 per mg CBD)
- Coupon: “FLASH50VIP” for 50% off
Medterra’s Calming Chews earned their spot thanks to Medterra’s consistent quality and their simple-but-substantial CBD dose. The bacon-flavored chews offer the CBD you’re looking for with no THC, as confirmed by independent lab testing.
A broad spectrum formulation would be better, but Medterra is really excellent when it comes to safety and manufacturing. They’re one of the only hemp brands to be Hemp Authority Certified, which means they meet a wide range of requirements that go above and beyond our framework. All of this also comes for a great price per mg of CBD.
It also contains supplements – including valerian root and L-tryptophan – which boosts the effects but also makes it difficult to know which treatment is the most useful.
- US Hemp Authority Certified – excellent manufacturing
- Lab-confirmed THC free
- Great value for money
- 10 mg CBD per chew – good for bigger dogs
- Bacon-flavor treats
- Good for anxiety
- Also contains multiple supplements
- Not broad spectrum
- Not USDA Certified Organic hemp
CBDfx Hip and Joint Chews
- CBD type: Isolate
- Potency: 20 mg per chew
- CBD:THC ratio: THC-free
- Top terpenes: Not tested
- Price: $39.99 for 30 chews ($0.07 per mg)
- Coupon: “ANDYSGIRLS” for 40% off
CBDfx is a big name in hemp, and their pet line-up shows their strong-points perfectly. We’ve included them here as the best choice for hip and joint chews, but they also have chews designed for anxious dogs.
The dosage is bigger than any other chew in this list, which makes them a great option for bigger dogs. It’s an isolate chew, but they also contain a small amount of CBG to help with inflammation. You can pick them up in hard or soft format, and the price is as good as you’ll find.
The chews come in sweet potato and coconut flavor, and they also pack in additional nutrients through ingredients like chia seeds, flax oil and garbanzo bean flour.
- Isolate chew, with CBD and a small CBG dose
- Designed for mobility and joint pain relief
- 20 mg CBD makes it great for bigger dogs
- Excellent price
- GMP-certified and FDA-registered facility
- Sweet potato flavor, rich in beneficial nutrients
- Not broad spectrum
- Not organic hemp
- Less convenient for small dogs
Other Products We Considered
Out of 42 different CBD chews for dogs we considered for this list, only six earned our final recommendation. While the final scoring was based on our Cannabinoid Product Quality Evaluation Framework, we used a few key criteria to come up with the shortlist:
- Lab test available before buying: 8 chews either didn’t have a lab test at all or required a batch/lot number (only available after you buy) to check it. This makes it impossible to confirm either safety or potency before you buy.
- Full panel lab testing: Most chews were lab-tested for potency, but 9 were discounted because they lacked full-panel safety tests. This includes testing for pesticides, residual solvents, heavy metals, microbial contamination and mycotoxins. Without these tests, we could not guarantee that the products are safe.
- Lab report from the past year: 6 options had lab reports, but they were from over a year ago. These reports are either for old batches, or the CBD content will have decreased in storage.
- Not true broad spectrum: 8 chews claimed to be either broad or full spectrum, but had fewer than 4 cannabinoids or were not tested for terpenes.
11 CBD chews for dogs made it through this process and to the final scoring. Chews from Canna River, Plus CBD, Treatibles and VetCBD scored too low to earn a recommendation, but they passed our initial checks. JustCBD’s chew would have been featured if it wasn’t such a competitive list. However, it’s still a fantastic chew if you’re looking for another option.
Methodology
- Expert Interviews: We used insights gathered from our expert interviews about hemp product safety to devise the shortlist criteria. In addition, they helped us choose specific products from a brand’s line-up.
- Market Research and Analysis: We used an automated web search (using Bing) to look at the top 250 results for “cbd chews for dogs” and any relevant internal links on the page. Our code scraped the website and stored the text alongside the URL in a spreadsheet. We used an LLM to choose two pages from each brand that matched our criteria, and manually selected the final entrant. Finally, we added any brands that were in our internal database but not yet included.
- Qualifying and Scoring: Oracle staff used the criteria outlined above to shortlist products from the initial list of 42 options. After this, each qualifying product was scored on our framework for their safety, efficacy and reliability. Only products scoring over 80% on this were eligible for the final list.
- Final Ranking: Oracle staff ranked the products based on their framework score, previous experience with the brands and products, and how well the chews met the needs of dogs.