Many dogs experience heightened stress and anxiety during car travel, often expressed through vocalizations, physiological arousal, and anxious behaviors. While training and supplements are commonly used to address these reactions, outcomes are inconsistent.
In a 2024 study, researchers explored whether daily administration of a tetrahydrocannabinol-free (THC-free) CBD distillate could reduce car travel stress in dogs over a six-month period. Using a blinded, parallel design, the study assessed 19 dogs through repeated short vehicle journeys and evaluated both physiological and behavioral responses.
Measures included serum cortisol, heart rate, heart rate variability, whining, yawning, lip licking, and qualitative behavioral ratings. As expected, the car rides induced signs of stress across all dogs. However, dogs receiving CBD treatment showed significantly improved outcomes for several key indicators, especially at certain time points, compared to the placebo group.
Specifically, cortisol levels, whining, lip licking, and behavioral assessments all showed meaningful reductions in the CBD group. These findings suggest that CBD supplementation may offer an effective tool to help manage canine stress, particularly in scenarios involving repeated or predictable stressors like travel.
Still, the authors caution that CBD’s effectiveness varied by metric, and further research is needed to assess its broader applicability across different stress triggers and dog populations. Nonetheless, the results offer promising evidence for CBD as a stress-reducing intervention for dogs regularly exposed to anxiety-inducing events.
Source: Hannah E. Flint, A. B. G. Hunt, D. W. Logan, T. King, Journal of Animal Science, January 20, 2024.
