What to Know about CBD and Your Pet
A new trend of CBD use in a pet has started to take effect as more and more people discover the benefits of using this alternative medicine to help treat physical ailments.
Cannabidiol (CBD) has gained recent attention amongst many, due to its known therapeutic attributes and health benefits. CBD is a type of cannabinoid found within the cannabis plant that interacts with one’s body to produce therapeutic or medically beneficial effects. There are over 100 cannabinoids associated with cannabis but the most commonly known are THC and CBD – THC produces psychoactive effects associated with cannabis while CBD produces non-psychoactive, medicinal effects.
CBD oils have been most commonly used to treat symptoms of pain, severe anxiety, insomnia, and seizures – in humans, that is.
Here are a few things you should know about CBD use for your pet:
CBD oil can aid with several symptoms of chronic pain, anxiety, epilepsy, stress, inflammatory bowel disease, chronic inflammation and loss of appetite in animals. Although research is limited, dogs, cats, and many other animals have an endocannabinoid containing cannabinoid receptors, comparable to the same system of humans. Therefore, animal systems can metabolize CBD and other cannabinoids in a similar manner – tinctures have been shown to be the most effective method of delivery for animals. If you are delivering CBD to your animal, it is normally used in small doses – for example, recommended doses are about .05 mg/kg for dogs and .025 mg/kg for cats when being used for pain. The responses to the metabolization of CBD are normally positive and beneficial – decrease in symptoms of anxiety or pain, increase in general comfort and relaxation, and increase in appetite are just a few benefits your animal could experience from CBD use.
Since CBD is a non-psychoactive derivative of the cannabis plant, it will in no way, shape, or form inebriate your pet. Many people have reservations about using CBD oil on their animals because of the fear their pet will get high – fear not. Most CBD oil is derived from hemp, which typically contains less than .3% of THC, the active component of cannabis. Since CBD is linked with cannabis, legality issues associated with it in the United States cause large amounts of hemp product and their derivatives to come from overseas. Make sure to purchase CBD oil that is extracted from organic hemp farms, commonly found in Europe, to ensure you aren’t getting CBD that was extracted from polluted hemp material.
One should know before using CBD on a pet that there is very little published research on the usage of CBD oil on animals. Although there have been few reported adverse effects of CBD oil on animals, the foundation of research is still fragile. Colorado State University is in the beginning stages of conducting trials using CBD oil to help with epilepsy in canines, but the long term results are still in the distant future. Many people still choose to use CBD oil for their animals based on anecdotal advice and testimonials from others, including veterinarians.
Let it be known that we at Point7 are in no way suggesting CBD should be substituted for actual recommendations from a veterinarian, but, it is a safe option available to those who would like to try an alternative form of medicine with the potential to work effectively.
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The team of cannabis consultants and professionals at Point Seven Group have worked extensively in the U.S. and international cannabis markets and are familiar with the unique challenges of the cannabis industry. Follow us on social media to stay up to date with more cannabis industry updates!
