Can You Use Cannabis Products For Your Pets? What Are The Benefits?

You may have heard about people using cannabis for various reasons, from medical to recreational use. There’s usually a debate around the legality, the dosage, and the forms of cannabis used. Even if there’s very little research on the side effects and dosage for dogs, there’s a significant increase in its popularity for pet usage. Cannabis products, such as pet CBD products from Innovet deliver benefits to pets. Let’s explore the details.

The Difference Between CBD And Hemp Oils
First, it’s important to note that both CBD and hemp oil come from various Cannabis plants. However, hemp oil may contain CBD if extracted from a specific strain of Cannabis sativa, known as the hemp plant. Further, hemp contains less than 0.3% of THC. THC is the abbreviation for delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, a psychoactive component of the Cannabis plants. It’s a type of phytocannabinoid found naturally in cannabis plants. 

On the other hand, CBD is a natural component found in many types of Cannabis plants, including hemp. In fact, the combination of hemp oil containing CBD is popular. However, when looking for CBD oil specifically, go for THC-free or low-THC CBD oils.

Does CBD Oil Have Advantages On Pets?
CBD accounts for about 40% of cannabis extracts. This means that the oil has a higher concentrate of cannabidiol compared to traditional leaves. Just like humans, dogs and cats can also benefit from CBD oil. The active ingredients in hemp help relieve a variety of symptoms. Ideally, the administration of CBD oil for dogs and cats is in the form of drops. The effects of CBD oil are stronger compared to cannabis leaves. 

So, is CBD oil also useful for dogs? Well, human use of CBD proves to be therapeutic for certain health conditions, including epilepsy, arthritis, anxiety, and cancer. Similarly, this information can extend to pets because the oil enhances therapeutic and pain-relieving. However, the use of CBD is in small amounts due to its high concentration of proactive cannabinol.

NOTE: Don’t get dogs high for fun because giving your pet cannabis for no reason is unethical. Make sure to consult with your vet first before giving your pets anything.

Benefits Of Cannabis On Pets
Treats Anxiety And Stress—Administering cannabis in the form of CBD will help with pets that experience anxious episodes. These episodes can occur when the pets are alone. Cannabis calms down the pets, thus preventing destructive behaviour such as chewing or scratching furniture. The use of cannabis products on dogs reduce aggression towards people and other animals. Dogs bark at strangers less, and they reduce hyperactive behaviour and aggressiveness. 

Treats Nausea—Cannabis in the form of hemp oil or CBD oil reduces vomiting. Vomiting in pets can be a result of illness or effects from other medications. Even though, vomiting can sometimes result from the body’s natural reaction towards chemicals and foreign objects inside the gut. Cannabis reliefs the nausea feeling, which, if not curbed, can lead to excessive loss of water, causing dehydration. 

Prevents Chronic Inflammation—Inflammation can occur from many diseases, including arthritis, and it’s very difficult to diagnose. Therefore, the use of cannabis in this situation should be for preventative purposes. The cannabidiol in cannabis possesses the ability to boost the immune system and, in turn, fight inflammation. 

Anti-inflammatory properties of cannabidiol can interact with immune cells’ receptors. The cannabidiol activates the cell receptors enabling the body to fight inflammation. This also enables the body to treat other conditions such as irritable bowel disease. 

Relieves Pain—Cannabis is a pain reliever for both chronic muscle pain and joint pain. The reduction of chronic muscle pain is easily achievable by reducing inflammation, as mentioned above. As for joint pain, cannabis affects the endocannabinoid system, which means the body’s absorption of anandamide temporarily increases. Anandamide is a chemical that helps reduce the perception of pain by nerves. 

In terms of cancer, cannabis isn’t really a form of treatment, or at least not quite. However, it can help manage cancer symptoms. Because it’s difficult to diagnose cancer in pets, look out for unusual behaviour from them with the most common being the display of pain. Cannabis will help manage the pain and fatigue.  

Improves Digestion And Appetite—The ingestion of cannabis by pets, especially in the form of traditional leaves, hemp oil, or CBD oil, promotes proper bowel movement. Although bowel movement difficulty can occur due to poor eating habits, it’s also associated with diseases such as cancer. In the event your pet doesn’t display a good appetite, cannabis products can be used to help increase their cravings to a healthy level. Again, be sure to consult with your vet before using cannabis products to help your pet regain their lost appetite.

Conclusion
Is the use of cannabis products for your pets good? The answer is yes, however, its usage on pets is highly experimental because there’s very little information about its effectiveness on them. Nonetheless, as discussed above, there are various benefits of cannabis on pets. Ultimately, it’s important to be cautious when deciding the dosage as excessive use can be harmful to your pet. To be safe, visit your local vet and ask about your options when it comes to cannabis products for your pets.



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