The benefits of CBD for our pets
Many vets tend to be cautious about using CBD, but recent studies carried out at Colorado State University and Cornell University showed that these products were generally safe and effective for treating some specific conditions.
Dr Pendergrass, author of an article published in the journal American Veterinarian in January 2019, cites the talk given by Stephen Cital at the 2018 ChicagoLand Veterinary Conference.
In that talk, S. Cital said that the most common use of CBD in veterinary medicine was pain relief, although he also discussed other applications in which CBD could be useful for our pets:
- Autoimmune diseases: One condition in which CBD may be effective is idiopathic tremor syndrome, which is fairly common in white-coated dogs and causes generalised trembling throughout the body. S. Cital said that dogs with this syndrome that had been treated with CBD had been able to stop taking prednisone, a corticosteroid commonly used to treat this condition.
- Neurological diseases: CBD is proving effective in treating refractory epilepsy, that is, epilepsy that does not respond to conventional treatments, especially in children.
- Cancer: In vitro research is showing that CBD can stop the growth of several types of cancer cells, including gliomas and prostate cancer. In animal studies, cannabinoids can enhance the therapeutic benefits of chemotherapy and even improve the effectiveness of radiotherapy.
- Intestinal inflammation: The abundance of cannabinoid receptors in the gut suggests that cannabis phytocannabinoids may reduce inflammation in diseases such as Crohn’s disease. At Silicon Valley Veterinary Specialists (SVVS) in San José, California, where Stephen Cital works, they have found that CBD is also effective in animals with inflammatory bowel disease.
- Kidney disease: Anandamide, a CB1 agonist, is present in the kidneys of dogs, cats and humans. Research has shown that increasing levels of anandamide and other cannabinoids in the kidney may help improve kidney function after acute injury.
A study supports the safety of cannabis derivatives in cats
According to an article published by Animal’s Health, a study has concluded that oils containing cannabis derivatives such as CBD and THC are safe.
The authors state that this is the first feline study to explore the safety and tolerability of CBD and THC, separately and combined, in a controlled research setting. It provides information on the safety profile of cannabinoids, both when considering their potential therapeutic use, in the case of CBD, and when recognising the clinical signs associated with accidental exposure to products containing THC.