CBD for animals: what the law says in France (and why we don't sell it)

Reading time: ~9 min, Cloud Store CBD analysis — an honest article, with no products to sell you.

We are often asked: "Do you have CBD oil for my dog?" The answer is no, and it's not because we haven't thought about it. It's a deliberate choice: in France, in 2026, no CBD product intended for animals is legally authorized for sale. Neither as a supplement nor as a veterinary medicine. Selling you a "special dog" oil would be selling you a product that the law considers illegal — and making you believe it is regulated when it is not.

The subject deserves more than a sales pitch, because it touches on something sensitive: your pet's health. So we do the opposite of what most websites do. We calmly explain what the regulations say, why all these products are in a prohibited zone, the real risk that THC represents for a dog or a cat, and above all, who to turn to if your companion has a problem.

CBD for animals: Is it legal in France?

No. To date, selling or marketing a CBD product intended for animals is not authorized in France. The reason is simple: for a product to be legal, it must fall within a framework provided by law and have received authorization. However, CBD for animals fails at both possible doors — that of animal feed and that of veterinary medicine — due to lack of authorization in either.

This is not a homegrown interpretation. In 2024, the Ministry of Agriculture reiterated that food products containing unauthorized CBD are illegal products that must be removed from the market, and that control services are generalizing these removals. On the animal side, the DGCCRF (fraud repression) and DDPP (departmental veterinary services) have been carrying out these removals since the end of 2023. In short: it is not a vague legal loophole, it is an absence of authorization that the authorities are actively enforcing.

Two doors, twice closed

To understand, you need to know that a CBD product for animals can, in theory, be classified into two legal categories. Both are currently closed. It is this double lock that makes the situation so clear.

Path 1 — CBD as food: no authorized additives

If you present a CBD oil or treats as a supplement for your animal, the product falls under European Regulation (EC) No 1831/2003, which regulates animal feed additives. This regulation is strict: an additive can only be placed on the market if it has received prior authorization, granted at European level after assessment of its safety and efficacy. This assessment is carried out in France by ANSES and at European level by the EFSA.

However, to date, no hemp-derived or CBD-derived additive has obtained this authorization. The logical conclusion: it is not permitted to produce, place on the market, or use animal feed containing CBD. This is not a definitive condemnation of CBD — if a solid scientific dossier were one day validated, the door could open. But until that happens, selling this type of product remains illegal. This is the same logic that governs, for humans, food CBD in France.

Path 2 — CBD as veterinary medicine: no MA

Second possibility: as soon as a CBD product claims an effect on animal health — "calms anxiety", "relieves joints of old dogs" — it legally falls into the category of veterinary medicine, regulated by European Regulation (EU) 2019/6. And a veterinary medicine can only be sold with a marketing authorization (MA), issued after assessment of its quality, safety, and efficacy.

As early as 2019, the National Agency for Veterinary Medicine (ANMV, attached to ANSES) reiterated this rule: any CBD product claiming a therapeutic purpose for an animal is a veterinary medicine, and none has received an MA. In the absence of validated studies, no claims can be made and prescription is not authorized. Non-compliance exposes to sanctions and product withdrawal.

Whichever way you look at it, the product therefore falls into an unauthorized category. That's why we speak of two closed doors rather than a gray area: there is no third open path.

"But animals have an endocannabinoid system, don't they?"

That's true, and it's even the most common argument. Like us, mammals — including dogs and cats — have an endocannabinoid system, with receptors (CB1, CB2) distributed throughout the nervous system and the body. On paper, CBD therefore has "something" to act on. This is what fuels owners' interest: a study published in 2025 in the Journal of Veterinary Behavior shows that some French owners already use CBD on their animals, most often in the hope of calming stress or discomfort.

But having receptors does not mean that "it works", nor that "it is safe". Between a theoretical biological mechanism and a product whose useful dose, safety and interactions in a given species are known, there is a gap — and this gap is precisely filled by clinical studies and authorization. As long as no product has passed this stage, no one can seriously tell you a safe dose for your dog or cat. "Animals have receptors" is a starting point for research, not a disguised authorization.

The real risk: THC is toxic to dogs and cats

Here's the point that animal CBD sellers gloss over, and it's probably the most important. Cannabis — and especially THC — is toxic to dogs and cats, who are much more sensitive to it than humans. With the spread of cannabis products, veterinary poison control centers are seeing an increase in poisoning cases, with dogs being the most commonly affected animal because they easily ingest whatever is lying around.

The problem is that "CBD for animals" products sold online are by definition uncontrolled: without a legal framework, there is no guarantee of the actual CBD content, nor, more importantly, the absence of THC beyond trace amounts. Giving your animal a product whose exact composition or dosage adapted to its species and weight is unknown is taking an unnecessary risk. A dog weighing 6 kg does not react like a human weighing 70 kg.

Why Cloud Store CBD doesn't sell it

Let's be clear about our positioning. Cloud Store CBD is a brand of CBD for adults: flowers, resins, oils, cosmetics. We do not sell CBD for animals, and we will not sell it until the law allows it and a serious framework guarantees the safety of animals. Three reasons, which are the same as for the rest of our catalog.

• We do not sell illegal products. Stocking an "oil for dogs" today would be marketing a product that authorities are removing from the market. It's not a question of commercial courage, it's a question of respecting the law and you.
• We make no health claims. This is our rule across the board: we have never written that a product "treats" or "cures" anything. For an animal that cannot say what it feels, it would be even more dishonest.
• We play fair, as with synthetic molecules. Just as we reject HHC, H4CBD, and synthetic cannabinoids, we prefer to tell you "this product has no place here" rather than ride a trend. That's how trust is built.

Capturing traffic on "CBD for dogs" by selling you an oil would be easy. But it would go against everything we are trying to do: a transparent brand, which is not afraid to say no when it's no.

Your pet has a problem? The right address is the vet

If you are looking for CBD because your dog is anxious during thunderstorms, because your old cat seems to be in pain, or for any other health reason, the useful approach is not to buy an oil online: it is to talk to a veterinarian. They are the only person authorized to examine the animal, make a diagnosis, and prescribe a treatment that is actually authorized and adapted to its species, weight, and condition.

The good news is that there are already, for most common problems (pain, anxiety, joints), authorized and evaluated veterinary medicines. They have passed the safety and efficacy stage that CBD for animals has not yet crossed. Your companion deserves this level of seriousness, not a gamble on an uncontrolled bottle.

FAQ

Cloud Store CBD is a CBD brand based in Charente, intended for adults. This article is an informative analysis: it makes no health claims and does not replace the advice of a veterinarian. In case of your pet's health problem, consult a professional.