Even though his small specialty pet food store sold CBD, or cannabidiol, products, Frank Shaw wasn’t convinced of their effectiveness.
He changed his tune when his dog, a young Shar Pei named Gracie, became sick and stopped eating a couple of years ago. Out of desperation, Shaw, co-owner of Three Dog Bakery franchise in northwest Las Vegas, started smearing a ginger honey CBD product in Gracie’s mouth.
Almost immediately, she started to eat again. Shaw even tried some of the honey himself one night when he had an upset stomach. It also worked for him, he said.
“Once people put their pets on this stuff, they tend to stay on it,” Shaw said. “In that sense, demand for these products has definitely been increasing.”
According to Forbes, the pet CBD market is expected to generate close to $630 million in sales this year, which would be nearly $200 million more than last year. Research firm Packaged Facts, in a survey from 2019, reported that 11% of dog owners and 8% of cat owners had used cannabis supplements or treats for their pets.
Just like the overall cannabis market, however, the pet CBD market is still maturing, said Meghan Joachin, owner of the House of Paws pet store in Las Vegas.
“There are a lot of CBD products out there that I’m just not sure about; there’s a lot of malarkey in the market,” Joachin said. “But CBD works. CBD gave my dog an extra five years before she passed away.”
Joachin said she’s selective about which CBD products she carries, but she is a believer in a local hemp company, This Stuff Is Good for You. The company got its start through local farmers markets. It now has its own hemp grow operation in Pahrump.
Other than CBD oils, which are used orally, the company markets organic dog treats featuring flavors such as pumpkin and peanut butter. Business is going so well, the company plans to open a new headquarters soon near the intersection of Buffalo Drive and Sahara Avenue. Its products are sold in several Western states.
“The pet industry is a big part of our business,” said Michael Cabarus of This Stuff Is Good for You. “We’re in over 30 pet stores, a lot of them mom-and-pop stores in the Las Vegas Valley. The science behind CBD is simple: Pets have CBD receptors, just like we do. CBD is good for the nervous system and helps a lot with inflammation and sleep.”
Pet CBD products are mostly used for dogs or cats, but Cabarus said some of his customers own horses.
“People are becoming more aware of these products and what they can do,” Cabarus said. “This is a very large, disruptive industry. It’s not going to stop.”
Jeff Dunn, a pharmacist co-founder of the Utah-based Farmer & Chemist, said CBD works well to alleviate anxiety in dogs.
He said June and July are typically popular months for pet CBD product sales, because dog owners worry that Fourth of July fireworks will trigger stress and anxiety.
“We’re big on education about CBD, which basically just offers the benefits that the plant offers, but without the hallucinogenic properties of THC,” Dunn said. “To some degree, it is still the Wild West in this industry. I would say the pet product portion of our business is still a small part of it, but it’s definitely growing.”
Guidelines and laws regarding CBD use—as with the broader cannabis market as a whole—can vary from state to state. Federal law still recognizes cannabis as a Schedule I drug, on par with drugs like heroin and cocaine.
In Nevada, a law took effect October 1 that allows veterinarians to recommend and administer hemp and CBD products that contain no more than 0.3% tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) without any sanctions from the state’s Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners.
The bill was introduced in part because it was unclear whether veterinarians were permitted to recommend—or even talk about—CBD products and treatments.
A representative of the Nevada Veterinary Medical Association—a trade group for the profession—said veterinarians are still wary of talking publicly about the new law. Many didn’t return phone calls seeking comment for this story.
“There’s plenty of research out there; this stuff works,” Joachin said. “I’ve been helping people with CBD for about six years now. It’s a natural supplement, and it’s only going to become more popular.”