As the 21st century has rolled on, cannabis has lost a lot of the stigma that surrounded it previously. What was once looked at by the general public as a menace to society is now used by 48 million Americans for various purposes.
A lot of that positive shift in the image has come from the popularity of CBD-based products. CBD is the component in cannabis that promotes muscle relaxation, pain reduction, and the soothing of anxiety. It causes no psychoactive effects, or “high”, making it an effective medicine.
But what about CBD and dogs? Is it possible to treat the various ailments dogs face with CBD? Keep reading for more information.
Easing Pain
Dogs can suffer from chronic and acute pain the same way that humans can. As they age, many dogs suffer from arthritis.
Many people don’t realize that arthritis isn’t a single affliction, but a blanket term encompassing any sort of joint pain. Types of arthritis, such as rheumatoid arthritis, work like diseases that one develops. However, osteoarthritis is essentially just the name for pain caused by the breakdown of tissue between joints; in many ways, it’s a natural part of aging.
Arthritis can make it tougher for your dog to get around, which can greatly hinder their quality of life. You don’t want to give your dog any sort of synthetic painkillers, as this can cause more harm than good.
This is where CBD for dogs comes in.
After starting CBD, many people have noticed their dogs becoming more active, wanting to play more, and even climbing stairs again. If you’ve noticed mobility issues with your dog, you might want to consider buying them a CBD product.
It’s not just for arthritis, however. No matter what sort of pain your dog is suffering, it’s worth it to try CBD to help them out. Experiment with different doses, and see what your dog responds best to.
Soothing Anxiety
The topic of dog anxiety is a unique and difficult topic. While dogs can feel anxiety and fear just as much as humans, they feel it in different ways. Their sources of anxiety are also vastly different from ours.
Dogs are domesticated animals. That doesn’t mean they’re completely adapted to human life, however. There are certain pieces of society — and especially technology — that they will never understand; these can cause them extreme anxiety.
A famous example of this is the vacuum cleaner. A dog has no concept of how clean a room is, let alone complicated technologies that humans use to clean rooms. To them, a vacuum is nothing but a large thing that makes loud noises; for all they know, it might be living.
Another example is an alarm. Dogs have no concept of setting up a precaution now to help you in the future, and so if the smoke alarm goes off, they’re not going to be happy that they’re being alerted to stay safe from a fire, they’re going to flee from the piercing noise. Dogs are regularly found hiding under the bed when alarms go off.
Because dogs can’t talk to you so that you can explain these phenomena to them, and can’t see a therapist, they’re going to need some sort of chemical intervention. The anxiety-soothing properties of CBD are some of the most important for this reason. You can also rest assured knowing that CBD is naturally occurring.
No THC
While it’s generally considered safe to give CBD to your dog in proper doses, you need to make sure that you never give them a product that has THC in it.
THC is the psychoactive component of cannabis. It’s the other major cannabinoid — besides CBD — and it’s what causes marijuana’s famous “high”.
While CBD is the chemical that acts on the body’s cannabinoid receptors to reduce pain, inflammation, and anxiety, THC is included in many CBD products. This is because of a phenomenon known as the “entourage effect“, where the effects of CBD are enhanced due to the presence of other cannabinoids.
However, THC is toxic to dogs. It can cause vomiting, incontinence, and a loss of appetite. With small dogs, this can be particularly damaging and even cause internal damage.
Even if THC was found to not be toxic to dogs, however, you wouldn’t want to give it to your pet. The idea of getting your dog high might sound funny or novel, but it won’t be fun for your dog. They won’t understand what’s happening to them or why they’re feeling differently, and will likely become very scared.
Because of this, you’re going to want to make sure you get your dog a CBD product that contains just CBD, or CBDa isolate, such as these CBDa edibles.
CBD and Vets: Where Do They Stand?
Vets are not currently allowed to prescribe CBD for treatment. They most likely have done some research on the topic, and would probably be open to talking about it, but at the end of the day, they can’t steer you in the direction of CBD.
Because of this, you’re going to need to do your own research on CBD for your dog. Make sure you only shop on trustworthy sites, otherwise you might get yourself into legal trouble/ buy something that’s not safe for your dog.
CBD has different laws depending on which state you’re in, so make sure that you conduct legal research before you order CBD.
Understand the Relationship Between CBD and Dogs
As you can see, the relationship between CBD and dogs isn’t finished developing. Dogs can’t take all CBD products and have to be careful about how much they take. They also can’t get prescribed CBD by vets.
However, if used correctly, CBD can be wonderful to treat the various ailments dogs face. If your dog is caused anxiety by various human appliances, you should consider treating them with CBD.
For more articles like this, check out our “personal care” section of our blog.