Any creature with a backbone (classified as a chordate) has an endocannabinoid system. The Kingdom of Chordata includes birds, fish, amphibians, reptiles, and mammals, including house pets. Many animal owners handle their dear pets like family members. When a dog or a cat gets ill and conventional alternatives don’t work, people seek choices. In the realm of natural treatment, cannabis for animals seems like a legitimate botanical pathway to explore.
Last Updated on May 3, 2022 by
Any creature with a backbone (classified as a chordate) has an endocannabinoid system. The Kingdom of Chordata includes birds, fish, amphibians, reptiles, and mammals, including house pets. Many animal owners handle their dear pets like family members. When a dog or a cat gets ill and conventional alternatives don’t work, people seek choices. In the realm of natural treatment, cannabis for animals seems like a legitimate botanical pathway to explore.
There is limited research on cats and dogs when it comes to CBD or cannabis in general. Are cannabis products safe for animals? Does marijuana and hemp affect pets similarly to humans? Many pet owners are searching for something to maintain their animal’s health. Still, there is minimal quality control concerning the numerous pet-focused CBD products obtainable in the medical marijuana industry and the hemp industry. Unfortunately there aren’t many esteemed, educated individuals who can give professional leadership on cannabinoid therapies for pets.
To encourage pet owners to become better informed about the use of cannabis for their four-legged friends, we spoke with an integrative medicine veterinarian. They consider cannabis to be part of a holistic approach to animal medicine. Due to marijuana’s illegal Schedule I status, veterinarians cannot sign letters of support for their clients or tell them where to purchase cannabis medicine. But they can speak about the benefits of hemp-derived CBD therapeutics for pets.
A: My profession applies western, complementary, and alternative methods. That could include Chinese and western herbs, nutritional supplementation, acupuncture, chiropractic, and more. Animals can profit from medical cannabis for many of the same reasons it benefits people—for pain, seizure control, gastrointestinal disorders, anxiety-related issues.
A: I think the cause for the lack of therapeutic-oriented study is because cannabis is federally illegal, and there’s no funding. Usually, it’s pharmaceutical companies that are putting most of the money into a medicinal investigation. Once there’s a legal route and money to be made in veterinary goods, that research will occur. I would like to see more extensive research on the use of cannabis in animals, focusing on some of the illnesses that it seems to be the most effective for—especially gastrointestinal issues, pain, and inflammation. Many veterinary patients see climactic effects with cannabis for these illnesses. Cancer research would be a much harder road and more difficult to put together.
A: In an ideal world, we would benefit from more scientific knowledge. However, the case studies and anecdotal evidence about the effectiveness of cannabis medicine are already remarkable. In veterinary medication, practitioners typically have no issue using off-label prescriptions—those not explicitly authorized for use in dogs or cats. But consider medical cannabis, which has a mountain of proof for effectiveness in people, and they suddenly say, “You cannot do that; there’s been no study on dogs!” It’s hypocritical.
A: In the big picture, they’re highly comparable. One striking exception is there appears to be a greater frequency of cannabinoid receptors in the dog’s brain than there are in any other animals. This knowledge is significant because it makes dogs more sensitive to THC overdose, possibly giving them a specific amount of neurologic impairment in the short term. This sensation is known as static ataxia. Otherwise, when cannabis medicine works properly, their endocannabinoid system will behave the same way it would for humans.
A: It depends on both the ailment as well as the individual animal. The ratio of THC to CBD is an essential part. Some diseases respond better to medicine with a certain quantity of THC in it. The proportions that I have used include hemp-based CBD with little THC and CBD-rich marijuana with a 20:1 CBD: THC ratio and THC-dominant medicine with little CBD. The study suggests that patients with cancer and chronic pain benefit from CBD and THC goods rather than CBD alone. It depends.
A: Whenever we’re talking about THC and pets, dosing becomes very significant. At no point is the purpose for the pet to get high. If that occurs, then it means they’ve taken too much. The purpose is to give them enough cannabis to be useful, but not so much that the products will negatively jeopardize them. It is highly unusual to see an animal show negative signs when properly dosed with cannabis as medicine. The worst outcome would be drowsiness. If that’s the case, the owner may have to lower the dose. It’s not surprising for a dog, or seldom a cat, to show up at a veterinary clinic having eaten a cannabis-infused edible that was to the owners. The great discovery is that cannabis toxicity is nonfatal and does not produce long-term effects. However, those animals that get into their owner’s stash may need urgent medical care.
A: I favor a liquid preparation, usually an oil. With liquids, it’s straightforward to alter the dosage. If you’re giving something like a pill or an edible, it can be tough to figure out how to find the right amount. Furthermore, there’s every intention to believe that CBD and THC will be partly absorbed directly into the bloodstream through the mouth’s tissues sublingually. If we put fluid in an animal’s mouth, some of the medication will be absorbed quickly and has a chance to be more effective.
A: There’s a dosing scale that you could start with. It’s best to start at the low end. Every few days, gradually raise the dose. If you’ve achieved the desired result for whatever ailment, then you’re presumably done. Just like humans, animals will develop a threshold for the psychoactive effects of THC. Over time they will be able to take more medicine without any ascertainable side effects. Medical cannabis is not the solution for all pets. Some animals do better on it than others, just like humans.
A: This is an enormous problem—the lack of knowledge. The California Veterinary Medical Board is very much against the value of medical cannabis for pets. They don’t want veterinarians talking with pet owners about it, except to say that it is not helpful.
A: Cannabis is federally forbidden across the board, including CBD from hemp. Even in California, a trailblazing medical marijuana region, I cannot accommodate people with medical marijuana advice for their pet as a veterinarian. Nor am I able to present them with cannabis products. But I can talk with owners about how medical cannabis might benefit their pets. Unless something dramatic develops on the legal front, there’s still going to be access obstacles for people looking to get medicinal cannabis for their animals.
A: If at all likely, speak to a veterinarian. Cannabis is medicine, and you should thoroughly assess its dosing. It’s essential to know the strength of THC and CBD in milligrams for one’s pet. Once you have that knowledge, you can search for a product that suits your pet’s needs. When in doubt, err on the side of under-dosing because you can continually increase the dose and watch the effect. And make sure the medicine is without mold, pesticides, and additional contaminants.
A: I don’t want to criticize hemp-based CBD products because I think they have a natural medical effect. Many people start with hemp products because of their comparative ease of accessibility. But in many cases, we don’t know the origin of the CBD in these products. I suggest that people do their due diligence as they should with any vitamin or supplement. Call the business and ask where the product is coming from and how to use it. There is no administrative oversight to make sure that these businesses are selling genuine and safe products. A pet owner’s only other alternative is getting a card and going to a medical marijuana dispensary if they want something that may be more effective than hemp-derived CBD. Ideally, you would look for an organic product and manufacture it locally. You want to know how the CBD came to be and the full spectrum of cannabinoids that are inside.
A: That isn’t easy. You won’t know the strength of cannabinoids in what you make at home unless you have it examined. If you use your product, start with exact dosing and slowly work your way upward. You’d much prefer under-dose than overdose.
A: That’s an outstanding question I have often asked myself. The goal of the endocannabinoid system is to sustain homeostasis within the body. It’s reasonable to consider using cannabis as preventative medication much in the same way that a human would take a multivitamin. If that’s the reason, I will contemplate keeping the dosage toward the very low end. We need to see more analysis on the use of cannabis as preventative medicine for animals and people.
A: Firstly, I would say talk to your usual veterinarian about cannabis. Even if they can’t give you the data, they may know someone in the area that can. Additionally, there is a national group called the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association (AHVMA). It isn’t a given that a member of the AHVMA includes medical cannabis into their practice, but most people who are open to it are also holistically minded. That would be a great place to find a veterinarian and to begin a discussion. For resources, a co-worker of mine and I taught an online class for Greenflower Media. The course provides a complete description of how medical cannabis works in pets, ways to dose, and how to find a good product.
Q: Thank you for your experience and knowledge.
If you elect to give your pet cannabis medicine, get familiarized. The approach you give your animal should have the same criteria for anything you would put in your own body. Guarantee the product is safe and examined for cannabinoid content, quality, and free from any contaminants or additives. Seek direction from a vet, if at all available. Start your furry companion off on a low dose of cannabis medicine. And measure the effects cannabis has on their activity because, as George Eliot composed, “Animals are such agreeable friends―they ask no questions, they pass no criticisms.”
The state of veterinary medicine has improved significantly in recent years. Thanks to adequate treatment, many pets are living longer than they would have years ago. With age, nevertheless, comes the onset of arthritis and other forms of injury and inflammation. Traditional pharmaceuticals commonly used to treat pain sometimes harm the immune system, GI tract, liver, and kidneys. They don’t always work as well as we would like them to – for humans and our pets.
Numerous surveys have asked doctors what they know about cannabis and how suitable they feel talking with patients about it. A related survey came out about CBD and dogs among over 2000 veterinarians in the United States. Less than half of vets were sufficient in talking to customers about CBD for pets. With this group, vets were most comfortable recommending CBD for pain management, anxiety, and seizures in dogs.
People aren’t the only species that know how to ingest medicinal plants for their well-being. Explore the botanical remedies that other animals take and why they have grown to do so.
The use of cannabis as medication for animals has been getting a lot of consideration in the medical, scientific, and pet-owning neighborhoods. One of the possible uses showing the most hope is in the treatment of seizures. Does it work as well for pets as it does for people?
In recent years, cannabis in veterinary medicine has gone from an unknown concept to a mainstream issue. This explosion of interest in the use of cannabis and CBD for animals has led to the development of a multi-million dollar industry generating cannabis-based products for pets. However, as so often happens, public demand is a few steps ahead of the medical and legal institution.
Last Updated on May 3, 2022 by
Any creature with a backbone (classified as a chordate) has an endocannabinoid system. The Kingdom of Chordata includes birds, fish, amphibians, reptiles, and mammals, including house pets. Many animal owners handle their dear pets like family members. When a dog or a cat gets ill and conventional alternatives don’t work, people seek choices. In the realm of natural treatment, cannabis for animals seems like a legitimate botanical pathway to explore.
There is limited research on cats and dogs when it comes to CBD or cannabis in general. Are cannabis products safe for animals? Does marijuana and hemp affect pets similarly to humans? Many pet owners are searching for something to maintain their animal’s health. Still, there is minimal quality control concerning the numerous pet-focused CBD products obtainable in the medical marijuana industry and the hemp industry. Unfortunately there aren’t many esteemed, educated individuals who can give professional leadership on cannabinoid therapies for pets.
To encourage pet owners to become better informed about the use of cannabis for their four-legged friends, we spoke with an integrative medicine veterinarian. They consider cannabis to be part of a holistic approach to animal medicine. Due to marijuana’s illegal Schedule I status, veterinarians cannot sign letters of support for their clients or tell them where to purchase cannabis medicine. But they can speak about the benefits of hemp-derived CBD therapeutics for pets.
A: My profession applies western, complementary, and alternative methods. That could include Chinese and western herbs, nutritional supplementation, acupuncture, chiropractic, and more. Animals can profit from medical cannabis for many of the same reasons it benefits people—for pain, seizure control, gastrointestinal disorders, anxiety-related issues.
A: I think the cause for the lack of therapeutic-oriented study is because cannabis is federally illegal, and there’s no funding. Usually, it’s pharmaceutical companies that are putting most of the money into a medicinal investigation. Once there’s a legal route and money to be made in veterinary goods, that research will occur. I would like to see more extensive research on the use of cannabis in animals, focusing on some of the illnesses that it seems to be the most effective for—especially gastrointestinal issues, pain, and inflammation. Many veterinary patients see climactic effects with cannabis for these illnesses. Cancer research would be a much harder road and more difficult to put together.
A: In an ideal world, we would benefit from more scientific knowledge. However, the case studies and anecdotal evidence about the effectiveness of cannabis medicine are already remarkable. In veterinary medication, practitioners typically have no issue using off-label prescriptions—those not explicitly authorized for use in dogs or cats. But consider medical cannabis, which has a mountain of proof for effectiveness in people, and they suddenly say, “You cannot do that; there’s been no study on dogs!” It’s hypocritical.
A: In the big picture, they’re highly comparable. One striking exception is there appears to be a greater frequency of cannabinoid receptors in the dog’s brain than there are in any other animals. This knowledge is significant because it makes dogs more sensitive to THC overdose, possibly giving them a specific amount of neurologic impairment in the short term. This sensation is known as static ataxia. Otherwise, when cannabis medicine works properly, their endocannabinoid system will behave the same way it would for humans.
A: It depends on both the ailment as well as the individual animal. The ratio of THC to CBD is an essential part. Some diseases respond better to medicine with a certain quantity of THC in it. The proportions that I have used include hemp-based CBD with little THC and CBD-rich marijuana with a 20:1 CBD: THC ratio and THC-dominant medicine with little CBD. The study suggests that patients with cancer and chronic pain benefit from CBD and THC goods rather than CBD alone. It depends.
A: Whenever we’re talking about THC and pets, dosing becomes very significant. At no point is the purpose for the pet to get high. If that occurs, then it means they’ve taken too much. The purpose is to give them enough cannabis to be useful, but not so much that the products will negatively jeopardize them. It is highly unusual to see an animal show negative signs when properly dosed with cannabis as medicine. The worst outcome would be drowsiness. If that’s the case, the owner may have to lower the dose. It’s not surprising for a dog, or seldom a cat, to show up at a veterinary clinic having eaten a cannabis-infused edible that was to the owners. The great discovery is that cannabis toxicity is nonfatal and does not produce long-term effects. However, those animals that get into their owner’s stash may need urgent medical care.
A: I favor a liquid preparation, usually an oil. With liquids, it’s straightforward to alter the dosage. If you’re giving something like a pill or an edible, it can be tough to figure out how to find the right amount. Furthermore, there’s every intention to believe that CBD and THC will be partly absorbed directly into the bloodstream through the mouth’s tissues sublingually. If we put fluid in an animal’s mouth, some of the medication will be absorbed quickly and has a chance to be more effective.
A: There’s a dosing scale that you could start with. It’s best to start at the low end. Every few days, gradually raise the dose. If you’ve achieved the desired result for whatever ailment, then you’re presumably done. Just like humans, animals will develop a threshold for the psychoactive effects of THC. Over time they will be able to take more medicine without any ascertainable side effects. Medical cannabis is not the solution for all pets. Some animals do better on it than others, just like humans.
A: This is an enormous problem—the lack of knowledge. The California Veterinary Medical Board is very much against the value of medical cannabis for pets. They don’t want veterinarians talking with pet owners about it, except to say that it is not helpful.
A: Cannabis is federally forbidden across the board, including CBD from hemp. Even in California, a trailblazing medical marijuana region, I cannot accommodate people with medical marijuana advice for their pet as a veterinarian. Nor am I able to present them with cannabis products. But I can talk with owners about how medical cannabis might benefit their pets. Unless something dramatic develops on the legal front, there’s still going to be access obstacles for people looking to get medicinal cannabis for their animals.
A: If at all likely, speak to a veterinarian. Cannabis is medicine, and you should thoroughly assess its dosing. It’s essential to know the strength of THC and CBD in milligrams for one’s pet. Once you have that knowledge, you can search for a product that suits your pet’s needs. When in doubt, err on the side of under-dosing because you can continually increase the dose and watch the effect. And make sure the medicine is without mold, pesticides, and additional contaminants.
A: I don’t want to criticize hemp-based CBD products because I think they have a natural medical effect. Many people start with hemp products because of their comparative ease of accessibility. But in many cases, we don’t know the origin of the CBD in these products. I suggest that people do their due diligence as they should with any vitamin or supplement. Call the business and ask where the product is coming from and how to use it. There is no administrative oversight to make sure that these businesses are selling genuine and safe products. A pet owner’s only other alternative is getting a card and going to a medical marijuana dispensary if they want something that may be more effective than hemp-derived CBD. Ideally, you would look for an organic product and manufacture it locally. You want to know how the CBD came to be and the full spectrum of cannabinoids that are inside.
A: That isn’t easy. You won’t know the strength of cannabinoids in what you make at home unless you have it examined. If you use your product, start with exact dosing and slowly work your way upward. You’d much prefer under-dose than overdose.
A: That’s an outstanding question I have often asked myself. The goal of the endocannabinoid system is to sustain homeostasis within the body. It’s reasonable to consider using cannabis as preventative medication much in the same way that a human would take a multivitamin. If that’s the reason, I will contemplate keeping the dosage toward the very low end. We need to see more analysis on the use of cannabis as preventative medicine for animals and people.
A: Firstly, I would say talk to your usual veterinarian about cannabis. Even if they can’t give you the data, they may know someone in the area that can. Additionally, there is a national group called the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association (AHVMA). It isn’t a given that a member of the AHVMA includes medical cannabis into their practice, but most people who are open to it are also holistically minded. That would be a great place to find a veterinarian and to begin a discussion. For resources, a co-worker of mine and I taught an online class for Greenflower Media. The course provides a complete description of how medical cannabis works in pets, ways to dose, and how to find a good product.
Q: Thank you for your experience and knowledge.
If you elect to give your pet cannabis medicine, get familiarized. The approach you give your animal should have the same criteria for anything you would put in your own body. Guarantee the product is safe and examined for cannabinoid content, quality, and free from any contaminants or additives. Seek direction from a vet, if at all available. Start your furry companion off on a low dose of cannabis medicine. And measure the effects cannabis has on their activity because, as George Eliot composed, “Animals are such agreeable friends―they ask no questions, they pass no criticisms.”
The state of veterinary medicine has improved significantly in recent years. Thanks to adequate treatment, many pets are living longer than they would have years ago. With age, nevertheless, comes the onset of arthritis and other forms of injury and inflammation. Traditional pharmaceuticals commonly used to treat pain sometimes harm the immune system, GI tract, liver, and kidneys. They don’t always work as well as we would like them to – for humans and our pets.
Numerous surveys have asked doctors what they know about cannabis and how suitable they feel talking with patients about it. A related survey came out about CBD and dogs among over 2000 veterinarians in the United States. Less than half of vets were sufficient in talking to customers about CBD for pets. With this group, vets were most comfortable recommending CBD for pain management, anxiety, and seizures in dogs.
People aren’t the only species that know how to ingest medicinal plants for their well-being. Explore the botanical remedies that other animals take and why they have grown to do so.
The use of cannabis as medication for animals has been getting a lot of consideration in the medical, scientific, and pet-owning neighborhoods. One of the possible uses showing the most hope is in the treatment of seizures. Does it work as well for pets as it does for people?
In recent years, cannabis in veterinary medicine has gone from an unknown concept to a mainstream issue. This explosion of interest in the use of cannabis and CBD for animals has led to the development of a multi-million dollar industry generating cannabis-based products for pets. However, as so often happens, public demand is a few steps ahead of the medical and legal institution.
That’s right! Simply share any of our website content with someone else and we’ll give you a percentage in either store credit or cash for anything they purchase over the next year.
An Affiliate Program is a referral program that pays you to refer customers through shared links and posts via email, social media, SMS, etc. When someone clicks on a link/post/image you’ve shared, our website logs them as your referral and over the next 12 months, you’ll receive up to a 50% commission.
Most Affiliate Marketing Referral programs are complicated and require extensive web, social media, and coding knowledge. NOT AT HEMP LIVELY! We’ve made it easy for everyone to make money. It’s as easy as Log In, Point, Click, Post and Share.
Use our Affiliate Registration Form or Create a Hemp Lively Customer Account (My Account) and you’ll automatically be registered as an Hemp Lively Affiliate in our Affiliate Program. Once Logged In, we’ll add your referral tracking code to everything you share on social media, sms, or email.
Click on any of our Social Share Buttons to share a post, page, product, or image with any adult you know. Once they click the link you’ve shared and make a purchase, you’ll receive a commission on that sale & any others within the next year. Learn more about our Affiliate Commission Structure.
Visit your Affiliate Area to track your earnings, create custom links to share, and see our collection of Creatives and pre-made posts to share on each platform (Menu – Affiliates – Affiliate Area – Creatives). Don’t forget to Fill Out your payment email in the Affiliate Area Settings if you’d prefer Cash Payouts instead of Store Credit.
Every image, page, post, and product has sharing buttons (Facebook, Twitter, Email, SMS, etc.) either on the left side or bottom of the page or when you hover over an image. Click any of the Social Share buttons to share this post on social media or through email/SMS with your friends, family, coworkers, followers, or any other adult audience within your reach.
MAKE SURE YOU’RE LOGGED IN TO YOUR ACCOUNT FIRST. If you do not have an account already, please create a user account www.hemplively.com/my-account). Upon registration, you’ll automatically be added as an Affiliate and can take advantage of our Affiliate Marketing Program. Once logged in, anything you share using any of the Social Share Buttons on images, pages, posts, and products will automatically have your Affiliate Referral Tracking Code added to the link. You can also visit your Affiliate Area and Click on some of our pre-made Creatives that are correctly sized for each of the major Social Media platforms.
You’ll be able to see your referrals and commissions in the Affiliate Area (Menu – Affiliates – Affiliate Area). There you can follow your commissions, request cash payouts, see the number of referrals, create new custom links to share, and utilize our premade Creatives that you can copy and past the code to any social media or website you want.
Thank you in advance for sharing and if you have any questions, please contact us at (850) 299-9624
