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Can you give CBD to your dog?

Only if a vet prescribes it. No CBD product is approved for animals in Australia, and human cannabis products can contain THC, which is toxic to dogs.

Facts checked 13 November 20263 min readHow we research

Only if a veterinarian prescribes it. In Australia, a vet may prescribe a CBD-only product for an animal, but no CBD product has been approved as a veterinary medicine, and you should never give a dog your own cannabis medicine.1

What does the law allow?

The Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) sets out the position in its policy:1

  • Vets “may legally prescribe medicinal cannabinoids for animals which satisfy the requirements for CBD”, meaning Schedule 4 products where CBD is 98 per cent or more of the cannabinoids.
  • “Schedule 8 and Schedule 3 cannabinoid products are not allowed for animals.” Schedule 8 covers products with more THC.
  • “To date the APVMA has not approved any medicinal cannabis products for use in animals.” The APVMA is the national regulator of veterinary medicines.

We did not check the APVMA register ourselves, so we cannot confirm that last point as of November 2026.

Buying CBD for a pet online without a prescription may be an offence under state medicines law.2

Why not use your own CBD oil?

Because of THC, the compound in cannabis that causes a high. Many human cannabis medicines contain it, and even a CBD-only medicine may contain up to 2 per cent other cannabinoids.3

THC is toxic to dogs. In a study of 223 poisoned dogs, 88 per cent were wobbly and uncoordinated, 75 per cent were over-sensitive to touch or sound, and 46 per cent leaked urine.4 The AVA says animals affected by THC “can suffer severe complications which may be fatal”.1

If your dog eats a cannabis product, contact your vet or an emergency vet straight away. See pet safety.

Does CBD help dogs?

The evidence is small and mixed.

  • Arthritis. In two small trials, owners and vets rated pain as lower with CBD. In a third, with 23 dogs, objective gait analysis and activity monitors showed no difference from placebo. A veterinary evidence review called the evidence “weak”.56
  • Epilepsy. In a trial of 51 dogs with drug-resistant epilepsy, adding CBD to their usual medicines reduced seizures compared with placebo.7 CBD was an add-on, not a replacement.

Is CBD safe for dogs?

Studies suggest dogs tolerate it, with one consistent finding. In a six-month study, just over half of the dogs given CBD showed a rise in ALP, an enzyme measured on blood tests.8 Researchers advise monitoring liver enzymes, particularly in dogs on anti-seizure medicines.7

Are pet store hemp oils the same thing?

No. Hemp seed oil is a food oil with only a trace of CBD. See is CBD the same as hemp oil?

What should you do?

Talk to your vet. The AVA says a registered veterinary medicine should be used where one can do the job.1 If CBD is prescribed, the vet chooses the product and sets the dose. This site does not give doses for animals.

Read the full guide: CBD for dogs and CBD for pets in Australia.

Footnotes

  1. Australian Veterinary Association. Use of medicinal cannabis in animals (policy, ratified 20 July 2023). https://www.ava.com.au/policy/use-of-medicinal-cannabis-in-animals ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  2. Veterinary Practice Board of Western Australia. Cannabis based products. https://vsbwa.org.au/_VSBWA/News/Articles/Cannabis_Based_Products.aspx ↩

  3. Australian Government. Therapeutic Goods (Poisons Standard, October 2026) Instrument 2026. https://www.legislation.gov.au/F2026L01327/asmade/2026-09-30/text/original/pdf ↩

  4. Study of 223 dogs with THC toxicosis. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 2024. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38608656/ ↩

  5. Gamble LJ and others. Pharmacokinetics, safety, and clinical efficacy of cannabidiol treatment in osteoarthritic dogs. Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 2018. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2018.00165/full ↩

  6. Veterinary Evidence. Knowledge summary on CBD oil for canine osteoarthritis pain, including Mejia and others, 2021. https://veterinaryevidence.org/index.php/ve/article/download/701/1080?inline=1 ↩

  7. Rozental AJ and others. The efficacy and safety of cannabidiol as adjunct treatment for drug-resistant idiopathic epilepsy in dogs. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1111/jvim.16912 ↩ ↩2

  8. Bradley S and others. Long-term daily feeding of cannabidiol is well-tolerated by healthy dogs. Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 2022. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9533147/ ↩

This page is general information, not medical or legal advice. Laws and evidence change; we show the date we last checked the facts at the top of every page. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping or changing any medicine.

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