Should You Try CBD for Your Pet?

[douglas9]

People are using this cannabis compound to ease animal ailments with or without guidance from veterinarians



Ella, a 10-year-old Saint Bernard, doesn’t like loud noises. At the first rumble of thunder or pop of fireworks, the dog starts panting and pacing, says Jeffrey Powers, D.V.M., Ella’s owner and a veterinarian who practices in northern Michigan. “The minute fireworks go off, she’s running to hide,” he says.

At least, that’s what used to happen. But recently, Powers says he has found a way to control his dog’s noise anxiety: cannabidiol—aka CBD, a compound that can be extracted from cannabis, which includes marijuana and hemp.

CBD is thought to have many therapeutic properties, but unlike cannabis’s other main compound THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), it doesn't get users high. And Powers, who is also vice chairman of the American Veterinary Medical Association’s Council on Biologic and Therapeutic Agents, credits CBD for easing his dog’s distress.

But Powers is not legally allowed to prescribe or even recommend CBD to his veterinary clients because on the federal level, CBD remains categorized by the Drug Enforcement Administration as a Schedule 1 controlled substance, the same as heroin.

As of July 2018, 47 states have gotten around this federal restriction by legalizing CBD for human use within their own states, according to the National Organization for Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML). Physicians there can now recommend CBD to their patients, and consumers can often buy the compound on their own—for themselves or their pets—without any interaction with a healthcare professional.

MORE ON CBD

https://www.consumerreports.org/marijuana/should-you-try-cbd-for-your-pet/

[True Dough]

1. I'm going down that road at some point

My wife and I have a wonderful German shepherd/English mastiff cross that the SPCA rescued and we adopted. Best dog we've ever had.

He's six (part of our family for two years) and he has mild hip dysplasia and severe arthritis in both front legs. We know these things because of X-rays and because the front leg joints are chronically swollen. But you would never have any idea about his condition based on his demeanor. He LOVES going for walks and he is a happy fella. When the SPCA's veterinarian examined him, it was only his disposition that saved him because the vet would have recommended euthanasia based on the severity of the arthritis. That's how amazing stoic this dog is!

So what we watch for are signs of discomfort. Some nights, he can't seem to find a position to lie down and relax. Those are the times we give him an anti-inflammatory/pain killer. That's usually once every week or so, for now. As he ages, we all know it's highly likely to get worse. But the more you give those prescription drugs, the harder will be on his liver. We keep his weight down, BTW. He's 105-108 pounds and the vet says that's ideal (every added pound is extra weight on those joints). And we buy him vet-recommended joint-formulated dog food with vitamin E, glucosamine and chondroitin mixed in.

A friend has a dog with severe arthritis and she's got him on CBD oil. She swears by it. Says it makes a huge difference. But, the CBD is supposed to be administered daily. Our guy doesn't need daily treatment yet. I've asked a couple of vets about CBD oil and they both gave similar answers: "We don't know enough about it yet to give dosing advice." While there may be truth in that, I think they're also worried about it cutting into their pharmaceutical profits.

Because CBD has few known side effects, we're going to experiment with it on our boy when the time comes.

[ghostsinthemachine]

2. Its a huge market, pets

My friend is a total expert in cannabis, and especially in regards to pets and CBD, as well as THC medicine. She has websites, FB pages etc. I never visit, Ill look her up...
I live in CA, in a county that just passed 5 pot growing and manufacturing propositions. Ive grown and done about everything in the industry. Its all changed. Leaps and bounds.

I also have cancer, terminal so they say, and take FECO oil and CBD. Don't be fooled about the CBD hype. It dies nothing to tumors. THC, in oils, do that. FECO oils. (Full extract cannabis oil), high in THC.
CBD HELPS with pain, but there is NO either or (opiates) as we've been led to believe. I still take opiates and couldn't live without them. Not just cancer pain, but even when I had chronic pain ,(still have).