The lifestyle benefits of CBD oil and related CBD products are well known in humans, but did you know those benefits extend to pets?
That’s right: Dogs, cats and other mammalian pets have an endocannabinoid system, or ECS, just as humans do. This is the part of their anatomy that CBD activates when consumed, just like with people.
This is intuitive to those who see the benefits of CBD use. People use CBD for their anxiety, for pain relief, and for epileptic seizures, all of which occur commonly enough in dogs and cats as well.
Studies show the promise of CBD as a possible treatment for inflammation, anxiety and epilepsy. [1] [2] [3]
Many users of CBD know about the many forms the non-psychoactive hemp product comes in, from straightforward oil extract tinctures to edible gummies. What they don’t often realize is that these oils can be administered to their pets, and that specialized pet treats made with CBD are being purpose-made by more and more companies all the time. [4]
According to Forbes, Dr. Cornelia Wagner of the Hawthorne Veterinary Clinic in Portland is one professional who is open to CBD oil doses for pets. Wagner said that pets should have all the same benefits from CBD as humans, but that it may be best to start them off with much lower dosages than a human would take. [5]
Still, it’s recommended that you seek your veterinarian’s opinion on your specific pet’s body and needs before starting in with CBD doses for your cat or dog. But once you do this, you could join the growing contingency of folks using CBD for their pets anxiety – for instance, around fireworks – pain, and epileptic fits that strike particular breeds more than others.
Since 2014, veterinary studies into CBD’s positive effects on animals have proceeded in the limited legal space offered for research purposes. These included two studies by Dr. Stephanie McGrath into CBD as a treatment for dogs’ osteoarthritis and epilepsy. [6]
While results from those studies have yet to be published, many veterinarians are excited to enter this area of science, and their way has been made even easier with the recent redefinition of hemp as an agricultural product starting last month.
Another roadblock exists, however. In many states where medical and recreational marijuana were made legal, the same bills that allowed for this expansion of consumer freedom also explicitly prohibited the administration of marijuana to pets.
This leaves a brand new legislative challenge to the people of those places, but for others the newest farm bill gives a clear indication that hemp and hemp products, like CBD, are indeed regulated like agricultural products and are legal for use.
Veterinarians recommend that you stay near your pet for a couple of hours after administering the CBD oil, monitoring the effects as the compound is digested.
With these considerations in mind, many pet owners across the U.S. have decided CBD oil is right for their pets’ needs, as well as their own.
Sources
[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4604191/
[2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4604171/
[3] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2828614/
[4] https://cbdoilreview.org/cbd-cannabidiol/cbd-for-pets/
[5] https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurenterry/2018/09/27/the-right-way-to-introduce-cbd-to-your-pets/#5fdaf35a30c5
[6] https://www.avma.org/News/JAVMANews/Pages/180801a.aspx
