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Can Pet Owners Use CBD For Dogs?

We get a lot of questions from pet caretakers along the lines of: can man’s best friend benefit from CBD? The answer is yes!

Here we’ll discuss how cannabidiol (CBD) can provide many of the same health benefits to dogs that the compound provides to humans, how dogs’ bodies respond to CBD supplementation, and which Sympleaf pet-friendly specialty CBD products work best for dogs. After reading, stop by our online CBD for pets online shop to stock up on all sorts of goodies for your dog, including CBD drops and pumpkin-flavored treats, delivered right to your doorstep.

How Do Dogs’ Bodies Respond to CBD Supplementation?

Dogs, like humans and other mammals, have what is called an endocannabiod system (ECS). Their version is called the canine ECS:

“One interspecies variation in the anatomical location of the CB1 receptors is found in dogs. As compared to humans, studies have determined the number of CB1 receptors in hind brain structures in the dog to far exceed those found in the human animal… Dogs have large numbers of cannabinoid receptors in the cerebellum, brain stem, and medulla oblongata.”

And dogs’ ECS receptors aren’t just limited to their brains, they can also be found throughout their bodies in their muscles, digestive systems, reproductive organs, bone marrow, pancreas, and liver.

When dogs consume CBD, just like humans, the medicinal cannabis compound attaches to and stimulates their ECS receptors across multiple organs, resulting in numerous proven health benefits:

“In particular, ECS seems to be involved in functions that underlie memory, learning, and coordination of motor functions, as well as to perform pain-relieving, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, immunosuppressive, hypotensive, antiemetic activity, and regulation of sleep, appetite, and reproductive functions.”

Given the accumulating documented health benefits of CBD for humans over the past several decades, researchers have also taken a more active interest in the potential similar benefits of CBD supplementation for dogs.

In the following section, we’ll get into what the latest research says.

What Health Benefits Does CBD Supplementation Offer For Dogs?

The research demonstrates that simply adding a drop of Sympleaf CBD oil for dogs to your pet’s food dish or handing him a tasty pumpkin-flavored CBD treat can produce potentially profound health transformation in your canine.

Interactions with the ECS, as we explored earlier, are the biological mechanisms responsible for the following benefits.

CBD For Arthritis in Dogs (and Other Conditions Associated With Chronic Pain)

Many owners who have cared for aging dogs have witnessed up close and personal the devastating long-term, progressive health impacts of canine arthritis on their beloved pets.

The signs and symptoms of arthritis in dogs include apathy (chronic fatigue), limping, limited movement, and muscle loss.

Bodyweight, neuter status, breed, sex, and, most importantly, age are all documented risk factors for dogs developing arthritis.

Researchers have recently taken a greater interest in CBD as an alternative canine arthritis treatment for the commonly prescribed current go-to therapeutic, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), due to their serious side effects: “NSAIDs are the primary treatment for OA and are associated with negative effects on the gastrointestinal tract and glomerular filtration.”

(NSAIDs are often prescribed in dogs to treat a number of conditions that cause chronic pain, not just arthritis.)

The research team found promising results:

“[CBD] was shown to be bioavailable across the… dogs examined… and dogs with OA receiving this industrial hemp extract high in CBD (2 mg/kg of CBD) were perceived to be more comfortable and active. There appear to be no observed side effects of the treatment.”

Other published veterinary literature has confirmed the “evidence that chronic osteoarthritic pain in dogs can be reduced by supplementation with CBD.”

CBD For Canine Epilepsy

 Let’s examine the following study on CBD as a breakthrough therapeutic for canine epilepsy:

“Dogs in the CBD group showed a significant reduction in seizure frequency compared with the placebo group… No adverse behavioral effects were reported by owners.”

90% of the dog trial participants receiving CBD experienced clinically significant seizure reductions.

The Anti-Inflammatory Benefits of CBD For Dogs

Inflammation is a primary driver of chronic disease in dogs just as it is in humans – for example, contributing to neurological canine disease and canine intestinal disease.

What that means is that, if your dog has bowel disease or seizure disorders, just to name a couple of common illnesses impacting our pets, inflammation likely plays a key role in your dog’s disease pathology.

Consequently, it follows that limiting inflammation can both treat existing inflammation-related medical conditions as well as potentially prevent chronic disease from ever developing in the first place.

Researchers specifically examining the anti-inflammatory effects of CBD in dogs concluded that:

“The anti-inflammatory and immuno-modulating properties of CBD directly in dogs’ immune cells, using a canine ex vivo inflammatory model… In particular, we found that CBD was able to modulate the cytokine production stimulated by LPS and thus reduced the inflammatory response, as confirmed by Nf-κB and COX-2 reduction in the group treated with CBD 50 and 100 μg/mL.”

Veterinarians Recommend Using CBD to Treat Several Canine Health Conditions

Since the US government legalized hemp in the 2018 farm bill, veterinarians, or animal doctors, increasingly utilize CBD in their clinical practices to treat their canine patients.

“Veterinarians in the current sample overwhelmingly support further research into both the therapeutic use and toxicity of CBD… The majority do not feel that CBD or marijuana should remain defined as Schedule I drugs by the DEA, nor feel that these substances should remain illegal for use in animals or humans… These responses suggest that the veterinary community is receptive to exploring the potential of cannabis products and hungers for scientific data and clinical trials.”

The most common reasons for which veterinarians prescribe CBD to dogs include:

  • Acute and chronic pain relief
  • Calming anxiety
  • Treating motion sickness
  • Reducing seizure intensity and frequency
  • Vomiting

For example, for chronic pain relief, 34.2% of the veterinarian respondents indicated that CBD was “very helpful” while more than half considered the compound “somewhat helpful.” Only 8%, on the other hand, believed CBD had “no effect” on their pet patients’ pain.

Keep in mind that these are clinical practitioners with firsthand, hands-on experience treating animals.

Contact Sympleaf to Learn More About CBD For Dogs (and Other Pets)

Sympleaf is the Southern US industry leader in high-quality, naturally-produced CBD and other hemp products.

Contact Sympleaf to learn more about CBD for dogs, and how your own pet might benefit from supplementation.

We’re proud to be part of your dog’s healthier, happier future.

 

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