Your pets are a major part of your life. Their health and well-being are incredibly important. When they’re in pain or uncomfortable in any way, you want to help. If you already use cannabis products to treat your pain or anxiety, you might be wondering if you can find dispensary products that can work similarly for them. Here’s what you need to know.
How Cannabis Could Help Your Pets
Like humans, our pets have endocannabinoid systems. Cannabis may provide many benefits to your animal companions. The problem is that there’s not much research available on this specific topic. However, many say that the potential advantages of having your pets use cannabis include relief from:
- Arthritis or other forms of pain
- Pain associated with cancer
- Separation anxiety
- Noise phobias
- Loss of appetite
- Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
It’s important to note that most of the evidence showing how cannabis can help your pets is anecdotal.
Issues Surrounding Pets and Cannabis
While there are many CBD products on the market for pets, they are often hemp-derived.
It’s hard to find dispensary products for pets right now. Why the scarcity? As mentioned above, there’s very little research available regarding the specific effects of cannabis on cats and dogs. All we know for sure is that THC can make our four-legged friends high.
Another issue that may arise is the fact that veterinarians can’t discuss or prescribe cannabis for pets. California veterinarians that do could violate Prop 64, which legalized the plant’s use for adults 21 and older. There’s nothing in the law allowing people to give it to their pets.
It may be tempting to give your pet some of your dispensary-bought tinctures or other products, but getting the dose right could present a significant challenge. You can’t calculate a dose as if your cat or dog were a small human. Doing so could lead to too much THC in your pet’s system.
Best Cannabis-Related Products for Pets
If you’re interested in using CBD pet products, many infused pet treats are available. Another great way to dose CBD is by using a tincture. These allow for precise dosing.
Not all CBD pet products are created equal, though. As they’re not sold in legal dispensaries, these pet treats and tinctures aren’t bound by the same rules and regulations that keep you safe when you use dispensary-bought products.
Here are a few things to keep in mind:
- Look for organic. If you can’t find organic products, at least make sure anything you buy is free of pesticides, fungicides, and other potentially harmful chemicals.
- Request the analysis. The supplier should be willing to provide you with a complete breakdown of the product.
- Avoid shopping by price alone. Higher quality products will generally cost you a bit more, but buying cheap products could mean you’re getting low-quality items that may be tainted with toxic substances.
There are plenty of CBD pet products on the market so giving pets your cannabis products isn’t necessary. While anecdotal evidence suggests that small amounts of THC could be beneficial, more research is needed before we see veterinarians prescribing cannabis.
