Giving cannabidiol (CBD) oil for dog seizures seems to be rising in popularity among pet owners. Also, simply looking at anecdotal evidence, they appear to give it to their pets for a long list of other health problems.
However, this is mainly feedback based on owner perception. It would be prudent to keep in mind that hemp, marijuana, and CBD oil for dogs and other pets are still vastly under-researched.
Furthermore, one of the biggest mistakes pet owners can make is to assume that whatever CBD does for them, it will naturally do the same for their animal. Granted, there are numerous similarities in our physiology, but there are crucial differences too.
These differences could mean that your furry friend may react differently to hemp-based remedies than you, and it may well be advisable to visit the vet first before feeding Fido any supplement for a serious medical condition.
That said, CBD oil is shown to be favorable pharmacokinetically in dogs, based on the limited research available. In a recent study, the authors concluded that dose-proportional and oral CBD-infused oil gave a favorable CBD pharmacokinetic profile. [1]
Also, due to pet owners' overwhelmingly positive experience with cannabidiol for their pets, it certainly warrants investigation. So, let's look at what available evidence does say about CBD oil for dog seizures and other health conditions.
RELATED: Cannabidiol For Pets - Important Facts and Potential Benefits
CBD Oil for Dog Seizures
By now, CBD for epilepsy is a well-known, safe, and even FDA-acknowledged remedy for humans, including young children. [2]
Unfortunately, at least five percent of our canine friends also get epilepsy or seizures.
Known causes of seizures include:
- Ingestion of toxins such as pesticides, fertilizers, herbicides, and insecticides.
- Taking in poison from lead, mercury, and plants.
- Ingestion of human pharmaceuticals, including NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), antidepressants, antihistamines, and medicine for diabetes.
- Preservatives, fillers, synthetic chemicals, and more found in pet food.
- Heat stroke.
- Veterinary vaccines with booster compounds such as thimerosal or organo-mercury.
- Liver failure due to toxic buildup.
- Food allergies.
- Injury or illness such as pathogenic infections, immune diseases, severe trauma to the head, brain tumors, low blood sugar, and birth defects. [3]
The list should make it clear that if your dog presents with seizures, part of the first line of treatment should be poisoning prevention and dietary adjustments.
However, there are some encouraging indications that CBD oil may be a very good option for dog seizures or epilepsy.
Yet, Is CBD Oil for Dog Seizures Really Effective and Safe to Use?
Based purely on research, the honest answer to this question is simply that we don't really know yet. This is, as pointed out, only because CBD oil efficacy and safety in dogs have yet to be adequately tested.
Still, there are studies that indicate that it might be safe, as well as effective. In a fairly large survey conducted by the Colorado State University about hemp products and their perceived value for pets, almost 60 percent of dog owners claimed that they feed it to their animals for veterinary-diagnosed epilepsy and other conditions.
Approximately 20 percent of the respondents claimed that hemp "helped a great deal" against seizures specifically. The apparently low number might simply be because epilepsy was not a common ailment among the survey's dog population. Nearly 70 percent of dog-owning participants said that they don't know whether hemp helped against seizures, or that the condition didn't apply to their dog. [4]
Also, in an article about another study on CBD for dog seizures, one researcher commented: "One [owner] recently told me she knows her dog was on a placebo during the study because the minute she got our product, there was a noticeable difference in her dog...We have people weeping with happiness over the reduction of seizures. One owner has taken her dog off the classical drugs and is only giving him our tincture." In fact, many of the dog owners who have completed their 12 weeks of treatment have elected to purchase the CBD product after the clinical trial ended. [7]
RELATED: THC & CBD: The Differences You Need to Know
However, do not, under any circumstance, feed your dog THC-rich treats, oils, or pure marijuana. This is because the few published studies on cannabis in animals have mainly focused on toxicity, and they show that high doses of THC are dangerous to dogs.
The survey also notes:
"Marijuana exposure in pets, as reported to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animal’s Poison Control Hotline, is becoming more frequent. Since 2009, calls reporting marijuana exposure have risen by 50%." [4]
So, be sure that whatever hemp-derived CBD oil you feed your dog is low in THC.
Hemp and CBD Oil for Dogs with Other Conditions
Again, CBD oil for dogs has not been tested extensively, but one excellent, randomized placebo-controlled, veterinarian, and owner blinded, crossover study showed promising results against the chronic pain in dogs.
It demonstrated that two doses per day of 2 mg per kilogram CBD oil were effective and safe for the treatment of pain in osteoarthritic dogs. These dogs also showed greater activity after ingesting CBD. [5]
According to the survey mentioned earlier, other conditions where hemp products were considered a highly to moderately effective treatment include the following:
- Insomnia
- Anxiety
- Inflammation
- Challenged nervous system
- Vomiting and nausea
- Phobias or loud noises
For all of these, marijuana-based medicine has shown promising results in humans. Perhaps good research will prove the same for our canine friends, but in the meantime, the authors point out that these results should not be seen as a blanket endorsement of hemp-based products.
RELATED: Doing It Wrong? How to Dose CBD Oil for Anxiety
Yet they succinctly conclude:
"Nevertheless, the survey does point out that some pet owners are viewing marijuana-based products for their pets favorably, emphasizing the need for veterinarians to be informed about these opinions and need for objective, placebo-controlled clinical trials." [4]
What Do the Vets Say About CBD Oil for Dogs and Other Pets?
Vets are often reluctant to prescribe CBD oil for dogs as a replacement for pharmaceuticals. Their main concern is the lack of supporting medical evidence and the current poorly regulated market.
As Dr. Narda Robinson said in an interview with PetMD:
"In my opinion, research into cannabis as it relates to veterinary medicine is vital for a number of reasons. While the anecdotal effects do sound intriguing and potentially beneficial, research will help us sort the actual effects of cannabis from those of placebo.
“Research would also allow us to more rigorously assess and document the adverse effects. Only then will we as veterinarians be able to weigh the risk-benefit ratio from a scientifically informed perspective.”
In turn, Dr. Lisa Moses from Massachusetts remarks that she is bothered by the lack of oversight, quality control, and utter inability to know what is actually in the product owners feed their pets. She adds: "In the case of hemp-based supplements, the lack of knowledge about specific toxicity to animals is an additional problem." [6]
However, CBD oil for dogs and other pets appears to be an increasingly popular choice among their owners. Hopefully, research and good product regulation will follow soon.
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Sources:
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/30026641/?i=2&from=cbd%20oil%20dog
- https://www.fda.gov/newsevents/newsroom/pressannouncements/ucm611046.htm
- https://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/8-natural-remedies-dogs-seizure/
- https://www.ahvma.org/wp-content/uploads/AHVMA-2016-V42-Hemp-Article.pdf
- https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2018.00165/full
- https://www.petmd.com/dog/general-health/can-dogs-benefit-medical-cannabis
- https://www.aaha.org/public_documents/trends/cannabis_research.pdf
