When it comes to our pets, it’s important to be cautious when using alternatives to treat a disease or its’ symptoms. We all want what’s best for our pets, however, as of right now CBD oil can be highly beneficial to pets for a variety of reasons I will explain below.
First, I’ll start by clarifying that CBD or cannabidiol is derived from help and does not contain THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) which is what gives marijuana its’ psychoactive properties. In other words, there’s no need to worry about your dog or cat getting high off of CBD. With that in mind, the way CBD can affect our pets has not been studied in depth, so it’s still important to take caution and consult a vet, before administering CBD oil to your dog or cat.

What are the benefits?

CBD can be beneficial to your pet in a variety of ways, but first, let me explain how it works. To keep it simple, cannabinoids from the CBD interact with receptors that are located in your pets’ nervous system and it is through the nervous system that CBD can interact with your pets’ body in order to help their body stay healthy and balanced.

Many dog owners who have used CBD oil for their dogs have reported that it helps to reduce pain and inflammation, especially if the pain is neuropathic, since CBD directly influences the nervous system. In addition, it’s been helpful for pet owners whose pets suffer from nausea in the car, to reduce this, and for those of us who’s pets have a loss of appetite, CBD can stimulate this to improve their eating habits. Not to mention that CBD has helps a lot of dogs and cats with anxiety and cardiac health.

However, one of the main reasons why pet owners seek CBD is to treat seizures. There have been a lot of studies in which CBD has been proven to control and decrease seizures and considering that up to 5% of dogs suffer from seizures, it’s no wonder why pet owners started to turn to CBD for help. In addition, CBD is a more natural form of treating seizures, and it doesn’t have the same harmful impact to the liver and kidneys as traditional medicine prescribed to pets who suffer from seizures.

There are also studies that suggest that CBD can have anti-cancer benefits and not only treat some of the symptoms, but also help the immune system to destroy dangerous cancer cells. It can slow the cell growth o these cancer cells and is typically used alongside a traditional treatment recommended by a vet.

What are the side effects?

Lucky for us, there are no life-threatening side effects of using CBD, because it doesn’t do damage to the liver, kidneys or gastrointestinal tract. Not to mention that it doesn’t get pets high or sedated. A few side effects that have been recorded is a small drop in blood pressure and dry mouth, which means they will probably be drinking more water to make up for this.

The only thing to really be careful with is dosage. Because the use of CBD on pets hasn’t been investigated deeply, it is not clear how much CBD should be administered, which requires caution to avoid an overdose. Like with any medication, there is a risk at administering too much, which is why it’s recommended to start with small amounts and monitor your pet. Don’t forget to check with your vet before administering any CBD to your pet.

Finally, it’s recommended to administer CBD as a tincture orally for your pets, just like with other medications that are recommended by vets. Start small and see what benefits CBD can provide for your pet and with time you might even find that CBD changed the life of both you and your pet.