5 Ways That Your Pet Can Benefit from CBD
Most people are aware of the benefits of cannabis in humans but many people don’t know that it can be helpful for animals as well. Dogs, cats and even other pets can benefit from the use of CBD in their everyday life.
In a lot of cases owners may use CBD as a supplement to medications or even as a replacement for it, as it can be much cheaper and easier to access. It can also be used to treat ailments or conditions that may not require medication yet but are still lowering their quality of life.
A quick note before we get into it. While CBD can be very beneficial for animals, THC typically is not. Therefore it is very important to remember that when you are purchasing cannabis products for your pets, to make sure that they only contain CBD and that they are designed for pets specifically.
If your pet happens to get into any cannabis products designed for humans, contact your vet immediately and see if action needs to be taken.
With that out of the way, here are five ways that your pet could benefit from using CBD.
1. Anxiety and Stress Management
Lots of owners love CBD for its anxiety-reducing effects on their pets. CBD products can be used for continued stress management like separation anxiety or obsessive behaviors. Giving them a dose or two everyday, usually with their meals, will help to reduce that anxiety and calm them down
It can also be used for singular instances of high anxiety, like thunderstorms or fireworks. If you have any kind of advanced warning of these situations then it’s best if you start to give them doses beforehand so it has time to get into their system and start working.
2. Pain Relief
Like for humans, CBD can be a great pain management tool for your pets. It can be helpful in instances of injury surgery recovery when they could be in pain for while they recover.
It’s also used a lot in situations of chronic pain, like arthritis, for example. Many older pets that have a hard time getting around and are in a lot of pain when they do, can really benefit from CBD. It gets them moving and keeps them comfortable, allowing them to continue to enjoy all of their favorite things.
3. Anti-inflammatory Effects
CBD has also been shown to decrease inflammation in pets. Things like skin disorders, allergies and other inflammatory conditions can be reduced and even completely removed by adding CBD to their diet. It can also help to reduce temporary inflammation like post surgery inflammation or hot spots.
CBD can also be helpful in these situations when applied topically. Typically it’s consumed orally by pets, but applying a tincture to a specific area of inflammation can also help to bring it down and keep your pet comfortable.
Just be aware that many pet tinctures are flavored, so your furry friend might want to lick it off. It’s completely safe to consume but, it might be a good idea to just keep an eye on them so they don’t aggravate the inflammation any more.
4. Management of Seizures and Epilepsy
There has been research and some anecdotal evidence to suggest that regular use of CBD can help owners to manage their pet’s seizures. It’s been reported that giving your pets CBD regularly can help to reduce the severity and frequency of seizures.
Most owners will choose to use CBD in conjunction with another medication as the research has not been extensive enough to remove the prescribed medication entirely. Always make sure that you are in contact with your veterinarian regarding any changes or additions to your pets medication.
5. Cancer Symptom Management
While CBD will not cure your pets cancer, it can certainly help them feel better and manage the side effects of their treatment. Humans actually use CBD and other cannabis products in a similar way during radiation and chemotherapy treatments.
Many owners have reported that using CBD alongside their pets cancer treatment helped to manage their cancer symptoms as well as the side effects of the treatment. It’s helped to mitigate symptoms like pain, nausea, and even loss of appetite.
As always consult with your vet before making any big changes to your pets medication and treatment.
We all love our pets and consider them to be part of the family, therefore, we want to make sure that our furry friends are feeling the best that they can. CBD is just one way that we can do that for them.
If you’re thinking of giving CBD a try for your pet, then come on down to NatureMed and we’ll make sure that you have everything that you’re going to need.
Check out a list of all our pet products that we have to offer and take a look at our specials page to see all of the ways that you can save.