How to Use CBD for Pets who Have Inflammation
People use CBD for different ailments regularly and with great success. But humans aren’t the only ones dealing with medical issues. Dogs often get diagnosed with arthritis and mobility issues as they age. We can learn how to use CBD for pets to make a difference for them.
Learning how to use CBD for pets could help our furry family members deal with the pain of inflammation and arthritis. Dogs are the most commonly owned pets in the world. Dogs have long been known as humankind’s best friends. But our friends deal with arthritis entirely differently than most humans.
People think dogs won’t get arthritis or experience inflammation until they are in their old age. However, studies have shown that dogs could get arthritis or experience inflammation at just about any age. In fact, 20% of dogs experience arthritis on some level at age 1.
Unfortunately, 80% of dogs get arthritis by the age of 8. The breed makes a difference, with some breeds like pugs, terriers, and bulldogs being less likely to develop arthritis and labs, retrievers, and German shepherds being most likely to get arthritis.
We just need to learn how to use CBD for pets with inflammation, which is usually the cause of pain in pets with arthritis. But CBD opens the door to many possibilities that could improve the quality of life for our pets.
What is the Endocannabinoid System?
We need to understand the endocannabinoid system before we can understand how to use CBD for pets. The endocannabinoid system applies to all mammals, even humans. First, let’s start at the base level; we all have a nervous system.
The nervous system is a system of the body that starts in the brain and goes throughout the body. The nervous system is responsible for controlling movements, thoughts, and even automatic responses. But business owners know that you can’t run a business on one system; the system needs sectors.
The endocannabinoid system is a branch of the nervous system. There was a breakthrough discovery in the 1990s that found the endocannabinoid system. That same study found that the endocannabinoid system regulates metabolism, immunity, skin health, digestion, allergic reactions, anxiety, and so much more.
What’s interesting is that CBD interacts with the body through the endocannabinoid system. The relation between CBD and the endocannabinoid system is why CBD has so many different health benefits.
CBD Benefits for Pets | Pain Management
CBD is capable of helping pets with just as many ailments as humans. Studies show that CBD aids in the reduction of chronic pain as a therapeutic option in humans. But what about using CBD for pets? Dogs suffer from chronic pain in similar ways to humans.
The cause of the pain could be an injury, chronic illness, hip dysplasia, arthritis, or even surgery. Dogs have often been prescribed pain pills like humans, which have side effects. But CBD is a natural substance that causes little to no side effects in humans.
That brings us back to all mammals’ endocannabinoid systems, including dogs. CBD works in humans through the endocannabinoid system, and if pets have the same system, it tracks why CBD would work similarly. Unfortunately, studies are limited to pets, but that’s not to say there haven’t been any studies.
CBD and Inflammation in Pets
Studies are still being done on CBD, especially for pets. However, some studies show CBD can help pets with pain, specifically pain caused by inflammation. The most recent study concluded in 2021, and the results were outstanding. There are a few things that are important to note.
The study was done using blood donated by dogs with express permission from the owners. The blood also came as part of the routine blood work the dogs were already going through. The study states, “we found that CBD was able to modulate the cytokine production stimulated by LPS and thus reduced the inflammatory response,” which means it worked.
CBD reduced inflammation in the dog’s blood, and in the same way, it works in humans by working with the endocannabinoid system in the dog’s body.
How to Use CBD for Pets
We know that more studies are needed for pets and CBD in general. However, there are promising signs that CBD will work in the same way for pets as it does for humans. However, there is still the dosage problem. Finding the proper dosage for humans is one thing; finding the correct dosage for pets is entirely different.
Unfortunately, it bears repeating; we need more studies on CBD. However, we do have a starting point you can test out with your pet to see if there is a noticeable difference in their mobility. A study was done on the effects CBD had on osteoarthritic dogs.
The results showed that CBD helped these dogs with their pain, but it also gave a precise method of dosing pets. The study found that giving dogs 2mg of CBD oil twice daily improved their mobility. That is where we can all start with our pets.
Another important note is that CBD has shown to have little to no side effects, even in pets. There is no known occurrence of an overdose with CBD. That means we can start with 2mg twice daily of CBD oil for our pets. We can lower or raise it until we see more mobility from our pets.
