CBD for Dogs

CBD for dogs and benefits

CBD-based products, may help improve your dog’s quality of life. It can be a useful therapy for a number of conditions, including pain management, arthritis, anxiety, and seizures. Although the use of CBD oil in treating each of these conditions in dogs is under-researched, all mammals react the same way to CBD. Where CBD is beneficial to humans it can likewise give the same relief to animals. If your unsure consult your vet first.

Arthritis – CBD for dogs

Arthritis is a condition that CBD can be beneficial for.  CBD shares metabolic pathways with anti-inflammatory drugs; therefore, it makes sense that it would help with certain inflammatory conditions (anything that ends with -itis is an inflammatory condition). Osteoarthritis, often abbreviated to arthritis, is one of the most common inflammatory diseases in dogs, particularly as they age.  It is estimated that as many as 60% of dogs will show some degree of inflammatory condition in their lifetime. Studies show that 1 in 4 dogs will develop arthritis. Research has shown that CBD can provide substantial pain relief in dogs with arthritis when given twice daily at appropriate doses.

Pain relief

Intervertebral disc disease (IVVD) is another type of inflammatory disease and causes back pain, so the theory follows that CBD could be beneficial to this too.  However, so far studies have only been made into the benefits of giving CBD treatment for pain relief to people.

Seizures

Limited research has taken place in the application of CBD on animals for seizures, whilst it is probably one of the most studied areas for people.  In dogs, seizures can be caused by a vast amount of potentially underlying conditions and should always be fully investigated with a vet.  For example, with idiopathic epilepsy, there is some research that suggests that administering CBD to dogs may help to reduce the frequency of these specific seizures. However the benefits are only seen with dogs who are given traditional anti-seizure medication at the same time.

Cancer treatment

Like seizures, the term “cancer” is an umbrella term that refers to an extremely diverse set of specific diseases, each with their own set of beneficial treatments.  In people, CBD has been studied for possible use in cancer patients. Both to treat the tumor(s) directly, as well as to treat the secondary symptoms of cancer and chemotherapy. Very limited research has been done on the use of CBD for dogs with cancer.  However, the anti-nausea effects of CBD seen in chemotherapy patients have also been documented in rats and ferrets. Thus suggesting that dogs receiving chemotherapy may benefit from CBD treatment.

Anxiety

Many people believe that CBD is useful in managing a dog’s anxiety. It is possible that CBD, by reducing pain and inflammation, could indirectly reduce anxiety caused by pain or inflammation. Also CBD’s calming effect could also help with anxiety, but there is no definitive proof.