CBD
CBD or Cannabidiol is a phytocannabinoid that comes from the cannabis plant. CBD interacts with endocannabinoid receptors found throughout the body - mostly in the nervous and immune systems. CBD also interacts with serotonin, opioid and dopamine receptors throughout the body.
The endocannabinoid system plays a critical role in maintaining homeostasis across body systems. Through these mechanisms CBD can cause a wide range of therapeutic effects in the body. The base tone of an individual’s ECS can also vary and is impacted by factors like injury, inflammation, disease and genetics.
Considerations
There is substantial evidence that medicinal cannabis is safe and well tolerated in companion animals.
Formulations for companion animals are either pure CBD isolates or contain minimal (<2%) THC. This means that there is no “high” or euphoric effects from treatment. Dogs in particular have more THC receptors in the cerebellum which means they are very sensitive to the effects.
Many formulations for humans contain levels of THC or cannabinoids that are not suitable for pets, or contain added ingredients that can be toxic (such as xylitol or chocolate).
Accurate dosing and prescribing is paramount to treatment successes. Certain conditions may benefit from micro-dosing, where others may require high dosages. Likewise the formulation (CBD isolate vs Broad Spectrum vs Full Spectrum) plays an important role in how certain conditions are managed .
Conditions Treated
Osteoarthritis
Arthritis and pain management is one of the most widely studied uses of CBD in veterinary medicine. Studies have shown that arthritis responds favourably to CBD treatments - with decreases in pain scores and the ability to reduce or remove other drugs within a multi-modal treatment plan.
Seizures
CBD has been widely studied in human medicine for management of seizure disorders and epilepsy. The goal, as with all seizure medications, is to gain control of seizure activity — reducing it as much as possible, while having minimal side effects and maintaining good quality of life. At this point, the research in animals demonstrates that CBD used in combination with traditional seizure medications can be a successful approach - with reduction of seizure frequency by up to 33%.
THC has been shown to cause seizures in animals, so it is important that the variety of CBD used contains no THC at all.
CBD also can interact with certain drug enzymes in the body which may interfere with pre-existing seizure medications.
Anxiety
In the case of anxiety, CBD appears to be most effective at moderate levels. For longer term anxiety use medium doses on-going are sufficient. Whereas for situational anxiety (such as vet visits or car rides) a single high dose given 2 hours prior seems to be more effective. Broad-spectrum oils containing anxiolytic terpenes often yield better results than purified CBD alone.
Cancer
While more research is required, CBD is a promising anti-cancer drug, but please remember it is not considered a cure for cancer. It has a role as a complementary therapy to a well-rounded palliative or treatment program.
In veterinary clinical practice and through published studies, cannabis is suggested to play a role in relieving side effects secondary to cancer or conventional therapy such as nausea, pain, anxiety, and poor appetite.
Some results from these studies also suggest cannabinoids elicit anti-cancer effects at several levels such as inhibiting tumor growth and spread, promoting cancer cell death, and reducing inflammation. Additional evidence suggests that cannabinoids may enhance the effect of conventional treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
Broad-spectrum oils containing terpenes and flavenoids yield better results than purified CBD alone.
Atopic Skin Disease
Canine atopic dermatitis is a challenging condition to manage, often requiring a multi-faceted approach to treatment. Common canine atopic skin diseases can potentially be managed with CBD, administered both orally and topically. CB1 and CB2 receptors are expressed in canine skin, whether they have healthy skin or atopic dermatitis. Studies have shown a significant decrease in itch scores after administration, however no decrease in skin lesions.
Prescriptions
There are a lot of CBD products sold online that claim to have therapeutic effect. In some instances these are just hemp seed oil - which is derived from different parts of the plant (and have negligible CBD). Other instances the products may contain CBD, but undergo no quality control, so the exact amounts are unknown, and they may also contain additional toxic substances such as pesticides or heavy metals.
It is important that CBD products come from a reliable, quality supplier. In Australia CBD is a Schedule 4 drug and as such require a veterinary prescription for legal dispensing.
At Balance Bites we currently offer CBD isolate, Broad Spectrum CBD (containing no THC), and Full Spectrum CBD (containing <2% THC). We also offer flavour enhances to improve palatability (Tuna, Beef, Chicken) for fussy pets.
If you are interested please contact us for a consultation to discuss further.
