Many of you are already successfully using CBD as a natural way to help you deal with stress, daily aches and pains, mood, sleep, migraines and more. You might not have thought about how it may help your dog. As our close companions, they, too, experience many of the same challenges we do. Dogs show anxiety by excessive barking, destructive or compulsive repetitive behaviors, pacing or panting. Many older dogs have sore hips, knees or backs, just like their human counterparts.
It turns out that all mammals have an endocannabinoid system (ECS). This works like a lock and key. The ECS is the lock and cannabinoids are the keys. Cannabidiol, or CBD, is the most prevalent cannabinoid in the hemp plant, and is now the focus of studies on how it can help practically everything. Let's look at the two most common issues--inflammation and stress.
How might CBD help my dog with daily soreness?
Inflammation is an aspect of the body's immune response. We all know how post-exercise muscle soreness feels one or two days later. Our dogs feel this, too. Commonly, inflammation is treated with NSAIDS or prescription steroid medications, which have a long list of bad side effects. CBD may be a highly effective natural approach to easing joint stiffness due to normal daily exercise and activity.
Cytokines are T-cells that regulate the immune response. When out of balance, these can become overactive and create what's called a "cytokine storm." This may result in too much inflammation and can cause other problems in the lymphatic system. Clinical and pre-clinical studies show regulatory functions of CBD that can limit cytokine production, therefore stopping the inflammatory process.
We all want our dogs feeling their very best, able to run and play for a very long time. A Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine study found that CBD given twice daily for a month showed significant improvement in pain relief and quality of life in dogs dealing with arthritic pain. CBD may improve your pet's comfort in everyday activities, and may give her more years of happy life.
How else might CBD help?
CBD has been shown to promote calm, and is especially effective at easing stress around thunder and lightning storms, travel, and vet visits. A study from the University of Western Australia tested shelter dogs with aggressive tendencies. These dogs exhibited less aggression toward humans when tested after 15 days of CBD administration.
Two recent double-blind, placebo-controlled dog studies report that CBD significantly reduces itchiness. An Australian study found that CBD reduces itchiness and skin lesions by 51 percent after eight weeks of treatment. Given daily, CBD may calm itchy skin to allow for more comfortable and happy pups.
More studies are underway, but anecdotal evidence is strong. CBD may help your dog in a number of ways, including stress, stiffness or soreness, anxiety, appetite, mobility, gut, skin and more. It's considered a safe alternative to many strong pharmaceutical drugs which have bad side effects. We recommend you discuss using CBD for your dog with a health care professional, and hope you will discover its many benefits for yourself!