There are five new studied health benefits as to why you should consider using CBD for managing your pet’s medical situation.
CBD cannabidiol is the non psychoactive portion of the cannabis plant. It’s got a bunch of specific health benefits for many many dog and cat parents. Currently, its usually being used for pets that have arthritis. You might be wondering, about CBD oil for dogs, or CBD oil for cats. Is it a good idea? Let’s dive into some of the medical issues that CBD can treat for your dogs, cats, and all mammalian pets.
How does it work?
Well, it turns out that dogs or cats, as mammals, have this thing called an ECS or endocannabinoid system. What that means is our bodies (or dogs or cat bodies) produce a type of cannabinoid and that moves throughout the body, attaching to the CB1 and CB2 receptors in the brain. The effect provides pain relief. Another way that you can boost cannabinoids in your dog or cat is via a supplement with cannabidiol (CBD).
So what are these five new benefits of CBD cannabidiol for dogs and cats?
Allergies
Well, let’s start with number one. Allergies in our dogs, itchiness, scratchiness, etc. There are a couple of different studies — one in the US one in Australia. In the US study, it follows dogs for over an eight week period where the dogs are taking CBD. In this one study, over 54% showed a decrease in some of the allergic signs you know, less itching, less scratching, decreased redness, and less skin lesions.
Bone healing
Bone healing, this is a super important one! In this case, you really don’t have very many conventional or holistic options. Let’s say you want to speed up bone healing because your dog or cat had a fracture. You’re wondering, what can you do? You’ve got a dog or a cat that’s got a bone injury, and you’re wanting to do something natural that can help. Well, one study on rats found CB1 and CB2 receptors in the bone. And when these rats were given cannabidiol, it actually sped the rate of fracture healing.
Antiviral
CBD works as an antiviral, which is huge. There’s a specific published paper which shows that CBD inhibits SARS and COVID, as well as stimulating the host immune response. In other words, people that were on CBD were less likely to get COVID. And if those people were infected with COVID, they actually recovered quicker. That’s huge! You’re talking about CBD as an antiviral! Say your poodle is coughing. She’s picked up a respiratory virus, something like kennel cough. CBD may actually decrease the replication of that virus and actually get her over it quicker. The cat flu is so common in our cats, especially amongst kittens. Once again, CBD cannabidiol may actually help decrease the likelihood of your cat getting infected. With the cat flu virus, if they are infected, CBD might actually speed up the rate at which they get over it.
Urinary tract disease
You have a cat that has problems with urinary tract disease, repeated urinary tract infections, perhaps peeing in different parts of the house that they shouldn’t. Maybe you have a dog that has incontinence. CBD is currently being studied for idiopathic cystitis. So in many of these cases, CBD cannabidiol is helpful
Inflammatory bowel disease
For the fifth new study benefit which CBD would be beneficial for our dogs and for our cats, we have inflammatory bowel disease. One study looked at ulcerative colitis and people, which is very similar to inflammatory bowel disease. When people are on the cannabidiol, they are actually seeing less gut inflammation, and less inflammation in general. All of a sudden, you have a decreased number of clinical signs. You’re not having the diarrhea, the urgency to go to the bathroom, or blood in the stool.
Valdez is really common and our cats; repeated bouts of vomiting, repeated bouts of diarrhea, and honestly, it’s super difficult to treat. Often, the only veterinary option is using a steroid. You’re at your wit’s end. What else can you try?
How much CBD should I give my pet?
The standard dose at about 3 milligrams per pound of body weight. So if you have a 20 pound dog, you need to give 60 mg of CBD supplement. For many of these diseases, aka the allergies, I suggest you start at a minimum of 3 milligrams per 10 pounds of body weight, twice daily. If your pet has serious anxiety when it involves being on the exam table, or just general anxiety, give them a couple of drops of CBD. Honestly, it does make a difference. Your pet will really is calmer. If you’ve yet to try it on your dog or cat, we encourage you to do so. Especially if they have one of those diseases that we discussed.
