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The Do’s and Dont’s of Using CBD for Your Beloved Pet

The Do’s and Dont’s of Using
CBD For Your Beloved Pet

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In our community, we are no longer strangers to the fact that cannabinoids, terpenes, and flavonoids, and the many molecules found in the sacred plant are genuinely beneficial to our health. 

But what about our other family members? Our pets!

Continued research is always the aim. However, the information we have so far has been greatly promising. Beyond that, real-life people are having success with their pet counterparts! 

Today, we’re taking the time to break down what the research has to say, and share some do’s and don’ts in using the sacred plant for our beloved pet family members.

What To DO

  • Choose the best administration option for your pet that allows for the greatest potential absorption. 

While in humans, we have a range of ways we can utilize the sacred plant for its benefits, a “CSU study showed orally administered CBD was absorbed better than CBD applied transdermally, although transdermal application does show significant absorption.”

Due to oral ingestion showing to be more absorbent than topicals, the commonly advocated way to share with your pet is through a treat form, such as kibble, or rather through an oil or similar application. 

  • Consider it as a tool for overall wellness!

With more and more patients wanting to include their family pet on a wellness protocol alongside their own, it is no wonder why many have turned their sites towards the sacred plant in hopes of what it may offer.

In a study sharing the impact of CBD, there was a noteworthy response showing “while the placebo group and the low CBD group showed no improvement, by the end of the one month period, the group of dogs who took higher doses of CBD or used CBD in a liposomal formulation saw significant improvement in their mobility and quality of life.”

This particular research observed canines that had osteoarthritis, yet was able to show that “almost every dog saw significant improvement in their conditions, in regards to reduced pain and increased ability to move around. And the dogs seemed happier and were able to do more.”

Additionally shared by another researcher, “for clinicians who have incorporated CBD into their treatment plans, it is proving to be a useful adjunct in managing many common pet ailments, especially in geriatric pets.”

  • Take into consideration your pet’s current health.

Research has shared that an animal’s weight, medical history, and current medical protocol will impact how much or how little is needed or how well CBD may work for their needs.

Most specifically, understanding any potential drug to drug interaction. Research and experts share “the list of affected drugs includes, but is not limited to, certain anti-seizure medications and several classes of antibiotics and cytotoxic chemotherapy drugs. 

So it is critically important for people to seek the advice of their human or pet health professional before using these substances on themselves or their animals. Anecdotally, dosing with cannabinoids has not been found to alter phenobarbital serum levels”.

What NOT to DO

  • Give too high of a dose!

Research looking at dogs, in this particular case, “reported to have a higher number of cannabinoid receptors in the brain compared with humans and it has been suggested that they may be more susceptible to the toxic effects than are humans.”

Due to this, keeping doses at a minimum will allow for potential benefits without putting your pet in harm’s way.

Another composite of a few studies indicated an average dosing scale that they have witnessed to be a good place to work up to (know as titrating up) or use as an average indicator:

      • Micro Dose (0.1 mg/kg): Anxiety, fear, stress, behavioral issues, mild pain, muscle tension
      • Medium Dose (0.2 – 0.5 mg/kg): Osteoarthritis, moderate pain, muscle spasms
      • High dose (0.5-1.0 mg/kg) — moderate to severe pain, neurogenic pain, degenerative myelopathy, tremors, idiopathic epilepsy, diabetes regulation, IBD
      • Ultra Dose (1.0-5.0 mg/kg) — refractory epilepsy, anti-neoplastic, refractory pain, hospice care
  • Use a dominant THC formulated or highly concentrated product.

Luckily this piece of information is becoming more commonly known. As we briefly mentioned above, there are a higher number of cannabinoid receptors in the brain of canines that cause a higher potential of intoxication.

Research further emphasizes that they have a “high number of CB1 receptors in their cerebellum, making them highly susceptible to THC effects — a big health risk for dogs that accidentally ingest their human’s medical or recreational marijuana “edibles” or bud.

While THC is not toxic to dogs, subsequent severe ataxia and dissociation make them susceptible to secondary dangers, such as falling or aspiration pneumonia.”

  • Give them your human product. 

While we have plenty of similarities to our animal friends, there are ultimately various ways we are also very different. 

One of these differences is the way our digestion process works compared to that of our pets. Many of the oils, additives, and more common human-based applications are not digestible or absorbent in their systems. 

For instance, the common carrier oil in many human-based oil applications is MCT oil. While MCT oil can benefit the overall energy and mental health of dogs, it can also cause digestive irritation, allergic reaction, and further cause digestion issues at higher doses.

Due to these potential adversities, most vets prefer creating products utilizing easily absorbed and more beneficial carrier oils, such as cod liver oil or salmon oil. 

  • Get an isolated/distillate CBD product. 

As with the thousands of research papers, articles, studies, and more, it is clear that the whole plant can offer a great deal more than that of any isolate.

It improves results overall through the entourage effect (the synergy that occurs between the molecules found in the sacred plant) and brings about side benefits while eliminating the potential for adverse side effects. 

Sources

I thought you would like to see the research on CBD and pets. With Angel, my cat, she is on 3.33 mg of CBD in organic hemp seed oil and it is doing amazing things for her kidneys and hyperthyroidism. I put one dropper full on her food twice a day and she eats. I have given all my cats the CBD and have no issues eating it. When we grew the plants last year in the house, we had to keep them from eating the plants while they were growing. I think there is something to be said about CBD and animals!

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