CBD For Dogs
Our dogs are more than just pets to many of us, but they are family. They give us the kind of unconditional love that no human can give. They are our cuddle therapy. We look to them for comfort, they give us a feeling of relaxation, trust, and empathy and they reduce stress and anxiety.
Pets getting sick causes the same sadness as when a family member gets sick. We feel responsible for their health. And since they can’t communicate to us, we need to find ways to make them feel better.
And CBD just might be the biggest trend in pet care to have hit this planet.
In recent years, CBD has been used to help alleviate human pain caused by terminal illness. It promotes good sleep, it reduces inflammation, improves heart health, helps in weight loss and is known to protect us humans from Cancer. Although frowned upon in some places, it has been medically proven to help the sick. And just recently this is being passed down to the veterinary medicine.
Dogs, horses and cats are the candidates for CBD oil treatment. Although this is being thoroughly studied up until now, CBD is being used to treat dogs. Dog owners claim that giving CBD oil to their pets helped treat pain such as neuropathic pain. It also helped control seizures for treatment-resistant epileptic dogs.
And while it is believed to have anti-inflammatory properties, helps control nausea, gives humans more appetite helps control anxiety and has anti-cancer benefits, this also proves true for dogs.
Many dog owners have claimed that their dogs suffering from arthritis now want to go for long walks or those with cancer that got better. Many common health issues are expected to get better because of CBD.
CBDs are known to help humans, studies have shown that your furry ones can benefit from this as well.
Before we discuss the health benefits of CBD to your dogs let us talk about the common misconception about CBDs.
Many states and countries have already legalized the use of marijuana. Because of this, the possibility of using marijuana for medical purposes has been shoved into the limelight. The interest has moved from humans to veterinary medicine. But the concerns about safety also crop up. But is there really a reason to be concerned about our beloved puppers?
Cannabidiol or better known as CBD has gained popularity in recent years. And this is not because of the notoriety of the mind-altering effects but because of its medicinal properties.
Many people think that CBD oils, just because it comes from the same source as marijuana—the hemp plant—can make you high. What causes the psychoactive effects of marijuana is the THC or the tetrahydrocannabinol. THC does something to alter your brain function, the CBD does not contain THC and it mainly stops the body from absorbing the compound called anandamine, which is connected to pain regulation and anxiety control.
So here’s the real deal: your dogs won’t get stoned with CBD.
Now what are the main benefits of CBD?
1. Relaxation and pain relief.
Relaxation is one of the major benefits of CBD oil. It relieves pain and it reduces inflammation. Many athletes use CBD because after a tiring and intense session at training, it helps them relieve muscle soreness and it helps in muscle recovery.
2. It controls anxiety.
How do gets anxious? When they go berserk when you leave them or they get jumpy when there’s something noisy around. They bark too much. They pace. They keep on panting. They hide and tremble. And sometimes, they show aggressiveness and they are destructive. These may be symptoms of anxiety disorders in dogs.
CBD has soothing and calming effects and small doses will already calm your dogs down.
3. It could help alleviate more chronic health issues.
Anxiety, as they say, is just the tip of the iceberg as far as how far it could help your pets in more serious health issues.
Some of the health problems that causes chronic pain is because your body starts to degenerate mostly because of old age. CBD helps alleviate the pain caused by arthritis and other join issues, seizures, blood disorders and even those who suffer tumors and even Cancer. It is believed that CDB helps prevent the development of cancer cells.
These diseases lead to a troubled life for our dogs and it prevents them to live a quality life. Small doses of CBD helps in relieving pain, it preventing seizures, especially those that are medication-resistant, it helps regulate their mood.
To get the full benefit of CBD for your pets, you have to make sure that the oil that you get is of high quality. Otherwise, it will not have the same benefits and worse, if you get the low-quality ones, it could even be harmful to your pets.
ORGANIC. Make sure it’s organic. The main concern for pet owners is how much should be given for it to be considered safe. That is why it is important to make sure that the CBD oil that you buy was grown naturally and organically.
CBD oil is considered high quality if they are grown organically and it must use pharmaceutical grade ethanol to process the plant, which is important as it removes the toxins from the plants.
PROCESSING. To extract the CBD oil from the hep must be done using solvent that are not harmful to humans and animals. The solvent is considered the cleaner, that extracts oil that is pure, clean and has no residue.
After extracting the CBD, it will then be distilled using two processes: Winterization and Short Path Distillation.
Winterization is the process where other unwanted elements will be removed. Different kinds of oils: fats, wax and lipid, are extracted from the plant and since all these are not needed, you need to refine this by mixing 200 proof alcohol an stirred well. It will be frozen overnight before it goes through another filtration by letting it flow through a filter paper and later, heated to remove the alcohol.
This will be further refined using Short Path Distillation, where the extract is heated. This is when compounds are separated.
TESTING. Make sure that the CBD oil is tested by a trusted laboratory. These laboratories will make sure that the THC level must be low enough so it will be safe for animals.
How do you know that you are buying high-grade CBD oil? For one, the price. Prepare to pay a good amount for good quality CBD. You are buying it for your loved furbabies so it will be worth it. Second, do your due diligence and do your research about the company that sells these.
Dosage of CBD for your dogs is not carved in stone that is why you have to test the waters first. Start with a very small dosage to test the strength of the CBD and its effect on your dog. The doses also some in small drops so make sure you do not give your dogs high dosage.
After administering CBD oils on your pets, you will instantly see results. You have to check on your dog and compare the effects to the doses you gave and adjust as needed.
Will this finally be the best answer to give relief to our dogs? We hope so. We want nothing but the best for our dogs’ health.
References:
"CBD Oil For Dogs: 10 Things You Didn't Know." Dogs Naturally. July 17, 2019. Accessed July 25, 2019. https://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/cbd-oil-for-dogs/.
"What Do You Know about the Benefits of CBD Oil for Vegan Athletes?" Health Europa. July 23, 2019. https://www.healtheuropa.eu/benefits-cbd-oil-vegan-athletes/92514/.
"CBD Oil For Anxiety: Can It Calm Your Anxious Dog?" Dogs Naturally. February 12, 2019. Accessed July 25, 2019. https://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/cbd-oil-for-anxiety-can-it-calm-your-anxious-dog/.
"CBD Oil For Anxiety: Can It Calm Your Anxious Dog?" Dogs Naturally. February 12, 2019. Accessed July 25, 2019. https://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/cbd-oil-for-anxiety-can-it-calm-your-anxious-dog/.
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