Hi everyone,
Almost every pet owner I know is somewhat familiar with the benefits that CBD provides to our family members. With the passage of the Farm Bill in 2018, the scientific community is increasingly stepping up to test the efficacy of CBD on our pets. I wanted to share the exciting research I am tracking in the use of CBD for pets suffering from osteoarthritis or epilepsy.
CBD plays a key role in our pet’s eicosanoid system. Eicosanoids are the chemical signals that cells use to communicate with each other. They regulate virtually everything including the immune system response, pain, mood and sleep.
Osteoarthritis
Aging hips and joints are a common problem for our older pets. The associated pain reduces your animal’s mobility and increases discomfort.
The results of a controlled study for dogs suffering from osteoarthritis were recently reported in the Journal of the International Association of the Study of Pain. [1] “ In the veterinary study, CBD significantly decreased pain and increased mobility in a dose-dependent fashion among animals with an affirmative diagnosis of osteoarthritis.”
Researchers at Cornell also found similar results. [2] In the Cornell study found “ canine brief pain inventory and Hudson activity scores showed a significant decrease in pain and increase activity with CBD oil. No side effects were reported by owners.” They also concluded that 2 mg/kg of CBD twice daily can help increase comfort and activity in dogs with osteoarthritis.
In a different CSU Study, Dr. Kogan reported “ 94% of the owners (n=30) inticated they felt their dog’s quality of life had improved after starting the CBD product.” [3]
Epilepsy
Dr. Stephanie McGrath reported results from her trial on seizure frequency in dogs suffering from epilepsy. [4] She reported that dogs in the CBD group experienced “a significant (median change, 33 percent) reduction in seizure frequency” and “no adverse behavioral effects were reported by owners.”
Similar results were shown by researchers at the Yamazacki University of Animal Health in Japan although the sample size was small, 2/3 of the dogs in the study showed reductions in seizure frequency. [5]
As a reminder, NEVER give full spectrum CBD products to an animal. Cats and dogs cannot easily process even trace amounts of THC found in these products. All of my pet products are formulated using hemp derived CBD isolates with no THC. We use tasty Alaskan salmon oil as the carrier. All of the products I carry are backed with certificate of analysis from third party providers.
We also encourage you to discuss all of your options including CBD with your veterinarian.
[1] Pain® 2020 Sep 1;161(9):2191-2202.
[2] Front. Vet. Sci., 23 July 2018 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2018.00165
[3] AHVMA Journal | Volume 38, Spring 2020
[4] Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, June 1, 2019, Vol. 254, No. 11, Pages 1301-1308 https://doi.org/10.2460/javma.254.11.1301
[5] Pet Behavioral Science|2019 Vol 7 11-16, DOI:10.21071/pbs.voi7.11800