Is Cannabis Good For Our Pets?

One of the top trends in the Cannabis market are products for pets. Various types of CBD treats such as calming chews, oil tinctures or even CBD peanut butter, are becoming more and more popular amongst animal owners. Most people are sceptical when it comes to ideas like that. However, everything suggests that more and more pet owners decide to give these treats a try. According to predictions, it will grow up to $125 millions by 2022, which means that it’s the fastest developing CBD market segment.

Animals are a huge part of people’s life. We can’t imagine our lives without them and consider pets as our family members. It often happens that dog owners share food with their blue-eyed boys. Probably, this is how animals got to try CBD edibles for the first time. And, surprisingly, there’s a lot of people telling stories about how good marijuana products are for their pets. 

Although veterinarians can’t say it out loud (because they can be penalized for doing so), they claim that medical marijuana is good for pets. And indeed, many people who were about to put down their animals, changed their minds, when they saw that CBD significantly helped their blue-eyed boys. Cannabidiol products relieve the pain, but also help to calm down your animals. On the other hand, there are also reports about dogs intoxicated with cannabis. So, in this article, you’ll find out if cannabis is good for your pet or not.

Things that we eat are not always good for Animals

It often happens that when some methods help people, they believe it will be great for their animals as well. But it’s not true. Our bodies aren’t the same, and they’re working differently. Here’s a simple example. We often eat chocolate when we’re feeling bad. It’s a great mood booster, and on top of that, it has great medical effects for us. But, dogs don’t process all of the chocolate components, and you can poison your animals if you give them this treat. Pets also cannot eat onions. They are good for us, but deadly for animals, because of the harmful compounds that they have. 

Pets, Marijuana & Science

Marijuana consists of 483 compounds, and 65 of them are cannabinoids, that affect the endocannabinoid system. Cannabinoids stimulate receptors located throughout animals body and activate pharmacologic effects.

Scientists found out that animals have two distinct cannabinoid receptors – CB1, and CB2. CB1 receptors are located in the brain, and they are responsible for mind-bending responses. THC activates them. CB2 receptors are localized in the skin, immune system and some organs. They are activated by CBD and have antianxiety, antinausea, anti-inflammatory, and antitumor effects. Browse this site, where you can find many cannabidiol products, that will relieve your pet from pain.

Marijuana is not the same as Hemp

Due to lack of knowledge, people often confuse this. Cannabis has two species, hemp and marijuana, and the difference between them is the composition of THC and CBD. Marijuana contains around 10% CBD, and more than 20% THC. THC is responsible for getting high. Hemp, on the other hand, contains more than 20% CBD, and only 0,3% THC. It means that your animal will benefit from all the health positive CBD results, but it won’t get high. 

Adverse effects of CBD

Some people still claim that their animals, most often dogs, got high after eating CBD products. It’s doubtful because of the THC concentration in hemp for pets edibles. To overdose, your pet would have to eat a lot of animal cannabidiol edibles. It’s more likely that these pets ate CBD edibles for humans.

However, it’s a fact that some adverse effects might occur. Not every pet is the same, and they might react differently to specific products. If you notice that your dog or cat is drowsy, starts to vomit, and got itchy – stop feeding them with CBD products, as there’s a high chance that their body doesn’t react well with these products.

How fast does it Work?

It’s not possible to answer this question, without more data. Everything depends on your animal disease. Some ailments will take faster, while for others, you will have to wait for a more extended period. A lot of depends on the animal, and it’s genetics as well. However, if your dogs or cats don’t suffer from adverse effects, be patient, and eventually, your best friend suffering will be over. 

There’s a lot of both supporters and critics for cannabis pet products. For now, it’s too early to say that marijuana is 100% positive or negative for animals. Scientists are still researching this matter, and hopefully, they will shed some light on this issue. What we know for now is that CBD products can relieve animals from pain, but there’s a possibility that minor adverse effects can appear.