Natural Pain Relief For Dogs - CBD
Posted by RJewel on May 27, 2018
Doesn’t it just seem to be in our inner nature to be more concerned about our fur baby’s health care than we are concerned about our own health at times?
I don’t know about you but I can’t handle it when I see my dog’s suffer any kind of pain, fear or anxiety or god forbid to ever have seizures.
But what to do in times of pain? Which is so scary for all of us.....drugging our pets with any kind of big pharma painkillers, antidepressants or even antibiotics? Ugh! … Never would I want to resort to that if there is another, more natural way. There is way to have natural pain relief for dogs.
We know those type of big pharma meds are bad for them in the long run or even toxic for our fur kids, but what is the alternative to pain medication to help when they are really suffering from debilitating pain, or from anxiety or need end of life care?
Why use CBD?
Because CBD is 100% organic, natural and plant based medicine that is actually good for our pets in many ways. CBD works with the dog or cats body offering a multitude of helpful health benefits- it is as if their bodily system is meant to utilize this medicine naturally because they actually have built in receptor sites already in their body.
CBD can help with many health concerns, number one being pain- good for anxiety, joint issues, end of life care, inflammation and more.
What is CBD?
CBD stands for Cannabidiol. It is just one of the many different endocannabinoids that is part of the cannabis or hemp plant.
Most of what is on the market for pets comes from hemp plants which contains very minor amounts (0-0.3%) of THC. Which around 0.3% is fine. Hemp is the legal, male and female version which are allowed to go to seed and sativa cousin of the female plant sold at legal dispensaries known as Cannabis or marijuana, which is never allowed to produce seeds. However, both hemp and cannabis or marijuana are variables of the Cannabis Sativa L. plant.
All animals, human and pets have, naturally what is called an Endocannabinoid System. ECS we will call this built in system from here on out.
So what does this mean that we have a built in ECS? What is fascinating to me is our pets ECS actually benefits from CBD supplements in many more ways then for just pain relief. It is like an all around fix all in many ways.
The purpose of the ECS in the animals body is amazedly varied. We still do not know the complete extent of its function for pet care, but there are studies going on all the time to bring us more information on this wonder plant. However, we do know at this point is that it is extremely helpful for many types of chronic pain and inflammation. It really helps with anxiety & bringing back appetite, and much more.
Our dog or cats bodies naturally support this system with endocannabinoids, which are cannabinoids produced within their own body- when we add plant based CBD it seems to actually kick in the ECS in their own body as well ...so adding these CBD cannabinoids we can help our pets heal naturally because it is working together with the bodies own inner support system.
This is because when an animals system is not functioning optimally they don’t always make enough in their own naturally occurring ECS —this is actually considered a cannabinoid deficiency. Although testing for the ECS deficiency is not yet a thing with most veterinarians we can still treat them effectively with CBD without concern, in other words even if they are or are not deficient- it won’t hurt them. If they have any of the symptoms of needing support from cannabinoid deficiency we can give them Cannabidiol (CBD) extract without concern of any side effects except maybe relaxing too much, sleeping it off & eating more!
Is it Marijuana?
You definitely DO NOT want to give your pets the female version of the cannabis plant which we think of as the marijuana bud. Which typically contains higher amounts of THC, which is the cannabinoid that makes you high. If the cannabis has THC or more then .05% then don’t administer it pets- as they do not do well at all with THC. Even small amounts can make them very sick.
Dogs and cats have more CB1 endocannabiniod receptors in the cerebellum region of their brain- the area the regulates balance, posture, and other motor functions. This is believed to be the reason that animals can become catatonic after ingesting THC.
In the cannabis plant it is the THC, which is only one of 100+ known cannabinoids –and it is the only one known to have this getting high effect. It is also part of the entire spectrum of healing aspects of the plant and is helpful in healing cancer for people. However, is not at all useful for pet medicine due to those side effects. ( although I do know people that have given it to their dogs successful in healing severe cancer cases)
What Kind of CBD is Best?
While cannabidiol (CBD) is experiencing huge popularity amongst the pet community, it can be confusing to know if what you are getting is the right medicine for your dog or cat.
First of all you need to find what is called ‘Full Spectrum CBD’ This means it is made with the entire plant and not an isolate.
With all the CBD products for pets available online these days it’s hard to know which ones are the full spectrum version, which ones are isolates and which of them are made from CBD cannabis or CBD hemp. Confusing right?
This is the important part to understand when you are purchasing for dogs and cats.
Full spectrum CBD hemp oil, which comes from the stalks, flowers, and leaves of the male and seeded female hemp plants, is full of right type of cannabinoids for pets. CBD coming from hemp plants (and not the female only cannabis cousins, called marijuana) are very rich in CBD and quite low in THC.
Is Female seedless Cannabis CBD Better Than Male/ (seedy;) Female Hemp CBD?
Yes. actually for people the female CDB from cannabis seems to be better for potency for certain uses than hemp CBD for some medicinal purposes for sure- but for pets no because there are typically more trace amounts of THC in the female cannabis CBD plants.
However, with that being said there are some cannabis strains- such as Charlottes Web that are the female plant grown for dispensaries that are as low on THC as is the hemp plant. They are considered more potent than hemp and can be used on pets if they are 0.3% THC or less. ( You have to see the testing results) However, You can only get this form of the plant in states where it is legal. If you were in a legal state and you have dispensaries where you can purchase these forms of CBD that come from the female sticky bud that has little to no THC in testing. Then you could indeed use this medicine for pets. Typically it is grown in the USA and organic growing practices are used. Many hemp products sold today are not grown in the USA - which does concern me about safety when giving to my pets.
If CBD is CBD, regardless of which plant it is extracted from, why is there so much controversy and confusion about which one is better, especially when talking about pets?
CBD on its own in the isolated form, isn’t that “potent” all by itself. No single concentrated isolate of any type of cannabinoid is all that powerful or effective, safe or useful when it is by itself.
“The Father of Cannabis Research, Dr. Raphael Mechoulam, was the first to isolate the cannabinoids CBD and THC from the cannabis plant. He discovered an interesting phenomenon called the entourage effect. Very briefly, the entourage effect says that ALL the cannabinoid molecules need each other to work properly, as nature designed/evolved to be.”
The cannabinoids from the hemp plant (the male/female ones that have seeds and are field grown) They are the variety that have the CBD with the ability to turn on your pet’s ECS, and the one that pet medicine is made from. When your dog or cats has its ECS turned on, that is when their body is able to function at optimal levels of health.
The reason for that is that wild or field grown hemp in comparison to female cannabis bud, we’re able be sure that the benefits of CBD are abundant, without the effects of the THC. At 0.3% or less THC, your pet could be given large amounts of hemp extract all day long and never get high. When using cannabis grown CBD it has be used with more caution to to the potency of the bud.
With hemp grown CBD with such a small amount of THC in it the CBD acts as an anti-psychotic. CBD actually combats the stony properties of the THC- so no worries for Fluffy wobbling around all stoned!
So it is definitely the hemp-derived CBD you want to use help treat pets.
This again shows the world the wide range of uses cannabis could potentially have. You can find some really great CBD pet products online, however I’d recommend making sure they are full spectrum and grown in the USA preferably. Also it should be derived from organically grown and CO2 extracted.
Even though there are many CDB pet products available that are manufactured overseas, to me it is important to find them that are sourced from USA-grown and organic hemp.
CBD for pets can be helpful in:
- Boosting Immune Function
- Pain Relieve
- Protecting joints
- Reducing Anxiety
- Prolonging Lifespan
- Reducing Inflammation
- Helps with detoxification
- Reduces oxidative stress
- Scavenges free radicals and supports antioxidant function
- Healthy and normal heart function, heart muscle & heart rhythm
- Helps with good blood circulation
Helps re-establish the essence and vitality of a healthy, high-vibe dog or cat whose immune system has been compromised by illness.
Dosing is one of the most important things once you have decided to start giving your dog cannabidiol. Unfortunately, there is very little information on the web of how much CBD/cannabidiol you should give your dog or cat.
Start with a low dosage and slowly increase up to the regular daily dosage
Dosing needs to be based on the weight of your pet (0.05 mg CBD/ per 2.5 lbs dog’s weight)
Three smaller doses per day instead of than 1 big dose
Dogs up to 75 lbs - regular daily dosage of 9 mg
Dogs over 75 lbs)regular daily dosage of 15 mg
Based on a bottle of 200mg CBD- per ounce dropper bottle:
For dogs under 25lbs, blend 5 drops of their food or directly into their mouth. The suggested serving size increases by pet weight, as listed below.
Dogs 26-50lbs: 10 drops Dogs over 50lbs: 15 drops
If your pet is taking 5 drops per serving, you’ll get 120 servings per bottle. That’s 60 servings total at 10 drops per serving, and 40 servings at 15 drops.
For a Cat:
Mix 5 drops of CBD Oil into your cat’s food once or twice per day. This is something you may need to experiment with to figure out what works best for your cat.
Notice how your pet acts after being on the CBD oil for a while, especially after CBD has built up in their system after taking it a few times.You can give your pet “too much,” it can make them very lethargic and sleepy, so do be careful with overdoing it.
Check out our Social brand CBD for pets here: SOCIAL CBD
Hemp products are still not 100% legal in all states so if you would like to purchase CBD call us to add to your order!
