Is CBD safe for dogs and cats?

A 13-year-old Norwich Terrier who previously had a stiff limp is now able to enjoy walks again. She is a toy poodle who suffers from epilepsy and is finally free from seizures. Case reports show that these and other dogs were able to find relief from symptoms with CBD (cannabidiol) after traditional treatments had little effect.

There is growing evidence that CBD, the non-psychoactive component of cannabis, is potentially effective in treating a variety of pet ailments, including aches and pains. itch to seizuresays Chief Veterinarian Chie Mogi. Animal CBD Research Group Japan has reported such cases in veterinary publications.

Positive reports also extend to more rigorous trials using placebos. “This was an exciting result for me because, to be honest, despite the hype, I was worried that a more objective study wouldn’t show a difference,” said Colorado State University’s says veterinary neurologist Stephanie McGrath. McGrath is co-author of a review of trials using placebos. CBD for dogs and cats in 2023 Annual Review of Animal Biosciences.

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While evidence on effectiveness is still mixed and pet owners and researchers must contend with inconsistent ingredients, many scientists are hopeful that CBD could expand treatment options for furry patients.

The CBD boom has opened the door for both hemp and hemp in the wake of relaxed cannabis regulations over the past decade. cannabis industry and research. In 2018, US Farm Bill Legalized hemp containing less than 0.3 percent THC (tetrahydrocannabinol, the cannabinoid that is primarily responsible for marijuana’s high). Companies can now sell products that comply with the guidelines, including supplements containing CBD. Since then, hemp pet products have exploded, with the global market expected to reach $3.05 billion by 2025.

Although CBD does not cause a high, it interacts with numerous receptors in the brain, providing the rationale for its therapeutic effects. What’s more, dogs and cats process CBD more slowly than humans, and its effects last longer, says Cornell University veterinarian Joseph Wakschlag. He is also the chief medical officer of Elvet Sciences, a pet CBD company.According to research Many owners have tried treating their pets with CBDmainly related to the following issues: painsleep, anxiety, seizures.

More recently, several states have passed laws explicitly allowing veterinarians to recommend CBD products, and in other parts of the country, prescribing hemp products remains a legal gray area. Masu. And many veterans remain skeptical. However, recent studies have shown benefits under certain conditions.

Two 12-week clinical trials involving a total of 30 dogs showed that CBD Epilepsy symptoms alleviated, to pick up the slack when other medications have not been effective enough. In both trials, CBD was administered twice daily to dogs who were already taking antiepileptic drugs. One study gave 2 milligrams per kilogram of body weight, the other 2.5 milligrams per kilogram of body weight. Compared to a placebo treatment in which dogs were given only their regular medication, dogs given CBD had an average reduction in seizures of about 30 percent over the study period.

Some dogs and cats are very itch, they seem to be allergic to the world, and sometimes even veterinary diet and medications don’t have much of an effect. In a 2021 study, 24 shelter dogs housed in kennels were given up to 4.5 milligrams (per kilogram of body weight) of CBD daily for three weeks. Activity trackers were attached to the canines’ collars, which recorded the amount of time they spent walking, running, shaking their heads, scratching, and resting.of study Dogs given CBD reportedly scratched up to 50% less, although some of the results did not reach statistically significant levels.

In another report, Reduced skin redness and hair loss in 8 dogs People with atopic dermatitis or chronic dermatitis. Other research suggests that cannabinoids may be able to prevent the skin’s inflammatory response, or itchiness.

Several studies have reported benefits for dogs with arthritis, but results are mixed.in 1 piece of paper, 16 dogs with osteoarthritis were given CBD oil twice a day for four weeks. At 2 and 4 weeks, owners completed questionnaires about their dogs’ pain and activity levels.Owners reported better efficacy compared to placebo treatment Pet pain reliefActivity increases while taking CBD. In one measurement, pain ratings decreased from an average of 21 to an average of 14 on a subjective rating scale with a maximum score of 40. All of these things are things that owners are aware of,” says Wakshlag, a co-author of the paper.

However, another pain study found that Arthritis did not improve in 23 dogs given CBD. In the report, researchers based their findings on veterinarian assessments of locomotor ability, including walking dogs on a treadmill-like device that measures leg strength, which can lead to lower lameness and more. It is now possible to detect subtle differences in gait.

Tests of CBD’s effectiveness in calming pets have yielded mixed results. In a 2020 study in which 16 dogs listened to audio tracks of fireworks, CBD turns out to have no effect on symptoms of stress such as blood cortisol levels and tail curling. However, a more recent study showed that dogs that took CBD: Traveling by car shows fewer signs of stresslower cortisol, less lip licking and whining frequency.

Conflicting results do not necessarily mean that CBD is ineffective. First, any measurement method or protocol has its limitations, says Pernille Horst, a veterinary oncologist at the University of Copenhagen. The doses used in studies also vary widely. For example, in the car travel study, dogs were given a dose that was almost three times higher than the dose dogs received in the fireworks noise study.

The chemistry of the hemp product used can also make a difference, Wakschlag says. Full-spectrum hemp extracts, which contain cannabinoids in acid form, may work differently than CBD isolate.

More research could help answer these questions and fill in the picture of CBD in cats, which is particularly lacking in research. But large-scale clinical trials aren’t cheap, and pet CBD companies don’t have the same resources as human drug companies, said David Harmon, an animal science researcher at the University of Kentucky who co-authored the fireworks noise study. says. “There’s no conglomerate with big capital that can accomplish these things,” he says.

Further complicating matters for pet owners is the fact that pet cannabis companies have little oversight and sometimes produce questionable products.in 1 study on 29 hemp products, more than half were outside the advertised CBD range by more than 10 percentage points. Researchers detected heavy metal contamination in four of his products. “I wish there was more oversight and regulation to make sure the label matched the product, but there isn’t now,” McGrath says.

A good option for pet owners is National Animal Supplement Councilsays Wakslag.

Chris Page, a retired veterinary technician, enrolled his dog Purdy in a clinical trial at Colorado State University to treat him with CBD after his Anatolian shepherd started having grand mal seizures about every three weeks. Over the course of the six-month trial, Page observed that Purdy’s seizure frequency decreased to an average of once every four weeks, although it was not as frequent as he had hoped. These days, I no longer give Purdy hemp oil every day, but only after he has a seizure. This seems to make the dog less confused and anxious.

Page is pleased that Purdy is participating in the study. “The results weren’t what she expected, but her knowledge increased,” she says.

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