Dogs, Cats & CBD: Pet Owners Turning To Hemp-Based Products

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- More and more Minnesotans are turning to CBD products to help with things like anxiety and joint pain for themselves and for their pets.

CBD supporters promise benefits similar to medical marijuana despite the product, which is hemp-derived but lacks THC, being in a questionable gray area of legality.

RELATED: Are Hemp-Derived CBD Products Illegal In Minnesota?

Doctors and veterinarians can't prescribe CBD. They can't even recommend it. The federal Drug Enforcement Administration considers CBD products illegal. The Food and Drug Administration, which usually regulates supplements, has no oversight over hemp oils—meaning the labels aren't checked for accuracy.

Pet chiropractor Dr. Rebecca Amstutz knows the gray area well. Since she's not a veterinarian, she can't recommend any supplements, regulated or not.

However, she says a separate business next door to her practice sells CBD oils for pets, so she gets a lot of questions and a lot of pet owners who say the products work.

"We talk about definitely doing your research about the quality," said Amstutz. "There are different companies that will have the organic, industrial-grown hemp and manufactured here in the US, and manufactured in-house. They'll even put on their website that they're transparent and they have their quality results [listed] on their website. Those are the kind of ones you want to look for if you are going to use them."

While the claims on those bottles might be true, without regulation, they don't have to be. Amstutz estimates the pet massage business next door sells three to four vials a week.

Analysts predict CBD to grow to a $20 billion industry by 2022, and the state is urging caution against using these products and expects to bring them up during the next legislative session.