CBD For Pets
What is CBD?
CBD is a natural compound extracted from the flowers, leaves, and stalks of the hemp plant. It contains a variety of mental and physical health benefits for humans and animals alike.
CBD is non-psychoactive, meaning, it won’t have euphoric effects or make you “high.” It can, however, help with feeling calm, relaxed, and focused, as well as with discomfort, sleep, and overall wellbeing.
How Can CBD Help My Pet?
CBD (cannabidol) and other cannabinoids work within the Endocannabinoid System (ECS) to help keep the body in a balanced state of homeostasis. Cannabinoids use your ECS to oversee the body’s most important internal processes, turning them on, up, or down when needed, and turning them off when they’ve done their job.
Your Endocannabinoid System watches over essential functions like your mood, appetite, and sleep cycle. It also regulates your body’s response to intruders like pain, stress, and inflammation.
Let’s look at what published research shows on how pets respond to CBD and what health and behavior problems CBD has shown to help animals with. We’ll also talk about how much CBD you should give them, and whether or not there are any side effects to worry about.
THE ENDOCANNABINOID SYSTEM
The fascinating thing about the Endocannabinoid System is that it isn’t exclusive to humans. Most life forms on earth have this system, including your dog, cat, and even your pet canary.
All mammals and some invertebrates have an ECS. It’s also found in birds, fish, reptiles, and even leeches and sea squirts. Insects are one of the few types of animals that don’t have an ECS. (If your best friend is a praying mantis, you might have to pray for a different remedy.)
The almost universal presence of the Endocannabinoid System means that your pet will respond to CBD nearly the same as you.
Just like you, your dog has cannabinoid receptors all over their organs and systems, including their brain, central nervous system, immune system, and gastrointestinal tract. Just like in your body, these receptors help regulate your dog’s sleep quality, digestive system, immune response, pain management, and mood.
When your dog’s ECS is deficient, or lacking nutrients, they may feel irritable, anxious, and out of sorts, just like us. Their joints may hurt and become weak, or they may have behavioral imbalances.
And just like with your ECS, you can help bring your dog’s Endocannabinoid System back into balance using CBD.
Chronic Pain and Inflammation
Chronic joint pain is a common problem, especially in older pets. It can make them less active, which can lead to even bigger health problems
When inflammation in your dog’s joint tissues causes pain and mobility issues, you can manage it using CBD. CBD does more than just quiet the pain signal or symptom. It helps take care of the root cause of the problem by desensitizing the nerve endings in the inflamed area, bringing the inflammation under control.
Your dog has similar systems that can turn dysfunctional and cause inflammation and chronic pain. Their ECS is also in charge of managing the dysfunction using cannabinoids. There is no reason to believe this universal mechanism works any differently in your pet.
Mood and Behavior
Stress, anxiety, and PTSD aren’t limited to humans. Your dog can also suffer from internal imbalances that cause crankiness, lack of energy, or panic.
CBD helps your dog’s inner processes bring the uneasiness back into harmony.
Healing and Recovery
When your dog is recovering from an injury, surviving allergy season, or fighting off sickness or disease, CBD can help your pet achieve and maintain their best health!
Prevention
CBD has protective properties that help our body’s defenses prevent disease, viruses, inflammation, and bacteria from spreading and thriving.
RESEARCH: THE EFFECTS OF CBD ON DOGS
Although much remains to be studied on the effects of CBD on dogs and animals, the studies that have been published show a lot of promise!
- A study published in 2018 studied the effect of CBD oil vs placebo for pain management in dogs with osteoarthritis. The results showed the dogs who took CBD had much less pain, more mobility, and no side effects.
- A study on the effects of CBD on dogs with epilepsy showed fewer seizures in the dogs given CBD. Even more important, it showed that up to a point, the amount of CBD given to the dogs was linked to the reduction in seizure frequency.
- Another study showed CBD benefited immune-mediated and inflammatory disorders such as allergic skin diseases in dogs.
- There is even a study indicating CBD may be able to help dogs with chemotherapy-resistant strains of cancer.
- Here are over 20 published studies on the effects of CBD (cannabidiol) on dogs.
HOW MUCH CBD SHOULD I GIVE MY PET?
A good rule for any new regime, diet, or habit is to start slow. That’s a great way to think about introducing CBD to your pets.
Our Nano-Amplified CBD Dog Treats are a great way to introduce your dog to CBD!
Although research has found no toxic side effects or long-term problems from CBD use, different bodies may respond to it in slightly different ways. Giving your dog too much CBD at the wrong time, for instance, might make them sleepy when you want to go for a walk.
Start with a low dose at a casual time of day (evenings work well). The amount of CBD to give your dog depends on the size of your pet. If you don’t already know how much your pet weighs, now is a good time to find out.
A safe rule of thumb is to start with 1mg of CBD if your dog weighs 10 pounds or less, and add an extra half milligram for every 10 pounds after that. If your dog shows signs of dry mouth or drowsiness, try a little less next time. If not, you can gradually increase their dose until you get the desired results.
Remember, this dosage tip applies to the actual amount of CBD. If you’re using CBD dog treats or chewables, make sure to check the amount of CBD in each treat and start with 1 serving.
WILL MY DOG HAVE SIDE EFFECTS FROM CBD?
Researchers have not found any toxic, harmful side effects from CBD. This is significant because most anti-inflammatory and pain medications have harmful side effects, so CBD can be an amazing inflammation modulating solution for dogs with pain and inflammation.
It’s important to note that not all CBD is created equal, and the growing practices, extraction, and manufacturing can make or break the quality and effectiveness. Make sure to choose only organically grown, Certified THC-Free, 3rd-party lab tested CBD products for your pet from a company that provides the 3rd Party Lab Results for each of their CBD products.
SUMMARY:
Like us, our pets have an Endocannabinoid System and cannabinoid receptors on all their organs and systems. CBD helps keep bones and joints strong and healthy, soothe pain and inflammation, and maintain a balanced mood.
CBD can help your dog with everything from their vision, sleep, and digestive health to their chronic pain, immune system, behavior, and anxiety.
