(Originally published in: Nouable Magazine – By Ulla Krobak
Though research results are still mixed and products are inconsistent, many scientists are hopeful that cannabidiol could help dogs and other furry patients who suffer from arthritis, allergies and even anxiety.
A 13-year-old Norwich terrier who was once limping and stiff is now able to enjoy walks again. An epileptic toy poodle is finally seizure-free. Case reports show these and other dogs who had little success with conventional treatments found relief with CBD.
There’s growing evidence that CBD, a non-psychoactive component of cannabis, may be effective in treating a variety of ailments in pets, from pain to illness. itch To Seizures” says Chie Mogi, head veterinarian at the center. Animal CBD Research Association Similar cases have been reported in Japanese veterinary publications.
The positive reports extend to more rigorous trials that used placebos. “This was exciting to me because, frankly, I was worried that, despite all the hype, more objective studies wouldn’t show a difference,” says Stephanie McGrath, a veterinary neurologist at Colorado State University and co-author of a review of placebo trials. CBD for dogs and cats In 2023 Annual Review of Animal Biosciences.
Though evidence on effectiveness is still mixed, leaving pet owners and researchers to contend with inconsistent ingredients, many scientists are hopeful that CBD could expand treatment options for furry patients.
The CBD boom came on the back of the deregulation of cannabis over the past decade. Cannabis Industry and research. In 2018, US Farm Bill It legalized hemp containing less than 0.3% THC (tetrahydrocannabinol, the cannabinoid that’s the main cause of marijuana’s high). Companies could now sell products that adhere to this guideline, such as supplements containing CBD. Since then, hemp pet products have boomed, with the global market expected to reach $3.05 billion by 2025.
CBD doesn’t get you high, but it does interact with numerous receptors in the brain, which explains its therapeutic effects. Plus, CBD is processed more slowly in dogs and cats than in humans, so the effects last longer, says Joseph Wachschlag, a veterinarian at Cornell University who also serves as chief medical officer for pet CBD company ElleVet Sciences. Research shows that: Many pet owners are trying CBD for their petsIt is primarily used for problems related to pain, sleep, anxiety, and seizures.
Only recently have several states passed laws explicitly allowing veterinarians to recommend CBD products, so prescribing hemp products remains in a legal grey area in other parts of the country. Many veterinarians remain skeptical, but recent studies have shown it can be effective for certain conditions.
In two 12-week clinical trials involving a total of 30 dogs, CBD Epilepsy symptoms are relievedIt fills in the gaps when other medications aren’t working properly. In both studies, dogs already taking anti-epileptic drugs were given CBD twice a day — 2 milligrams per kilogram of body weight in one study, 2.5 milligrams per kilogram in the other. Compared to placebo treatments, where the dogs only received their usual medications, the dogs given CBD had about 30 percent fewer seizures, on average, during the study period.
Some dogs and cats can be so itchy that they appear allergic to the outside world, and even veterinary diets and medications may not be very effective. In one 2021 study, 24 shelter dogs were given up to 4.5 milligrams of CBD (per kilogram of body weight) daily for three weeks. Activity monitors were attached to the dogs’ collars to record the amount of time they spent walking, running, shaking their heads, scratching, and resting. study Dogs given CBD reportedly experienced up to a 50% reduction in scratching, although some of the results did not reach statistical significance.
In another report, Reduced skin redness and hair loss in 8 dogs Other studies have suggested that cannabinoids may be able to prevent the skin’s inflammatory response and therefore the itching in people with atopic dermatitis, a skin condition that involves chronic skin inflammation.
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Some studies have shown it to be effective in dogs with arthritis, but results have been mixed. A piece of paperSixteen dogs with osteoarthritis were given CBD oil twice daily for four weeks. At weeks two and four, owners completed questionnaires about their dog’s pain and activity level. Compared to the placebo treatment, owners reported greater benefit. Relieving pain in petsCBD also increased activity and reduced pain: On one measure, pain ratings dropped from an average of 21 to an average of 14 on a subjective rating scale with a maximum score of 40. “Owners will notice when their dogs start jumping in the car again, climbing the stairs, jumping on the bed again,” says Wakschlag, a co-author of the study.
However, another study on pain found that Arthritis did not improve in 23 dogs given CBDIn the report, the researchers relied on veterinarians’ assessments of athletic performance, which included having dogs walk on a treadmill-like machine that measures the strength of their paws, making it possible to detect subtle differences in gait, such as a reduction in the amount of limping.
Testing the effectiveness of CBD in calming pets has yielded mixed results: One 2020 study exposed 16 dogs to audio tracks of fireworks. CBD found to have no effect on symptoms of stress These include blood cortisol levels and tail-wagging behavior. However, recent studies have shown that dogs who take CBD Reduce signs of stress while traveling in a carThese include lower cortisol levels and less lip licking and whining.
The conflicting results don’t necessarily mean CBD doesn’t work. For starters, all measurement methods and protocols have limitations, says Pernille Holst, a veterinary oncologist at the University of Copenhagen. The doses used in the studies also vary widely. For example, dogs in the car trip study received a dose nearly three times higher than those in the fireworks noise study.
Even the chemistry of the hemp product used can make a difference, Wakschlag said: A full-spectrum hemp extract, which contains cannabinoids in acid form, may act differently than a CBD isolate.
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Further research could answer those questions and help shed light on CBD for cats, where research is particularly scarce. But large-scale clinical trials aren’t cheap, and pet CBD companies don’t have the same resources as human pharmaceutical companies, says David Harmon, an animal science researcher at the University of Kentucky who co-authored the fireworks-sound study. “There’s no big-capitalized conglomerate that can get this done,” he says.
Further complicating the issue for pet owners is the fact that pet cannabis companies operate with little oversight and sometimes produce questionable products. One study of 29 hemp productsMore than half were 10 percent or more above the advertised CBD content range. Researchers found heavy metal contamination in four products. “It would be nice if there was more oversight and regulation to make sure the label matches the product, but that’s not the case right now,” McGrath says.
A good choice for pet owners is to buy from companies that participate in voluntary programs such as: National Animal Supplements CouncilWakshlag says. Sell on Amazon.
Chris Page, a retired veterinary technician, enrolled her Anatolian shepherd, Purdy, in a clinical trial of CBD treatment at Colorado State University after he began having grand mal seizures about every three weeks. Over the six-month trial, Page watched Purdy’s seizure frequency decrease, to an average of once every four weeks, though not as quickly as she had hoped. She now no longer gives Purdy hemp oil every day, but only after a seizure occurs, which seems to reduce the dog’s confusion and anxiety.
Page is pleased that Purdy took part in the study: “Although the results weren’t what we expected, we do learn more,” she said.
This article was originally published on Nouable MagazineIt is a non-profit publication dedicated to making scientific knowledge accessible to all. Subscribe to Knowable Magazine’s Newsletter.
