When we began the sisterhood many, many moons ago, we would tell people that we are quite certain that our ancient mothers didn’t store one kind of hemp oil for people and another for pets, but that they would draw from the bottle and modify on an individual basis.
That’s true, but our ancient mothers also probably didn’t flavor their hemp oil with essential oils, unless they knew the person or pet wasn’t allergic. You wouldn’t add medicine to peanut butter if you are allergic to peanuts.
Over the years, we have come to value the wisdom of less is best and created a flavor-free, essential-oil-free, CBD-infused oil with a liquid coconut oil base for pets and for their people. The plant medicine that is infused into the coconut oil is from a variety of strains and the infusion happens in a manner that preserves the raw medicinal compounds of the plants. Thus, this CBD pet oil that we have developed is a proprietary blend whereby there is 2-parts CBD (we believe that is best for pain relief) and one 1-part CBDa and 1-part CBGa (the latter two are known for health maintenance and resiliency).
Is CBD safe for pets?
CBD is known to help pets and veterinarians across the country agree. However, the FDA has not gotten involved to stamp their approval on any of these products. That means that there are a lot of untested products on the market. Make sure you have a recent lab report to look at and you know what you are giving your pet.
What does the research say?
The research that has been done so far is only on rats. And the only clinical studies that we know of were done earlier this year in Oregon and related to how the test animals responded to the raw compounds and the scientists concluded that the raw compounds helped fight infections.
However, there are many, many people across California and other states where CBD has been widely available for over a decade, where the people know. People have experimented with using CBD and they know there are health benefits to pets, even if those benefits have not yet been scientifically quantified.
As time goes by and the anecdotal evidence becomes undebatable, the studies will follow.
What are the risks of treating a pet with CBD?
The side effects of using too much CBD or an allergy to the hemp plant would manifest as appetite changes, fatigue, and diarrhea. The side effects usually pass in a few hours but if they persist, then see the vet and know that your pet is likely allergic to hemp. Some people are, too. Not all plants are for all people, just like pharmaceutical medicine.
Can CBD cause my pet to get high?
CBD is a non-psychoactive compound and any CBD with less than .3% THC is not going to get anyone high. However, in order for it to work best, some THC has to be present. The government stipulates that a THC content of less than .3% means it is hemp. Look for the lab reports to know.
What forms of CBD are available for pets?
All forms of CBD can be used to administer to your pet, but the droppers are clearly the people’s choice. Over the years, the Sisters have dosed our pets with pure plant oil in its dark and pure form, we have also pricked gelcaps to release that oil onto a wound or put it in food. The problem with the pure plant oils is that it is most definitely always too much and it is most definitely challenging to get the medicine into the pets. The oil drops make life easier that way.
Are human CBD products safe for pets?
CBD products made for people have the same base of ingredients of CBD products made for people. For many years, the sisters have treated our pets on the farm with the very same CBD products we have sold to people. Our experience includes:
- Successfully treating local farmer’s horses for various discomforts
- Rescuing abandoned kittens and using the medicine to prevent seizures and stimulate their appetites
- Dogs get the CBD whenever they have their shots and whenever they eat something they shouldn’t
Many pet oils are flavored with fish or chicken oil, but we have made ours without essential oil as we have no problem getting the pets to take it as it is.
In this case, people who are allergic to essential oils might reach for our pet oil as it has no blood orange added.
What CBD dosage should be used for pets?
There are no studies, the FDA hasn’t recognized CBD to have any medicinal value (yet) and so every pet and pet owner using CBD becomes part of a grand healing experiment.
Though we don’t hesitate to give our pets CBD, we have never experienced the necessity of putting a pet on CBD daily over years and years of time. For us, the medicine works or it doesn’t, it brings pain relief and healing, or it doesn’t. But we don’t know if long-term use might cause liver damage like aspirin does to people. We don’t know.
We do advise everyone to consult their veterinarian. Your vet knows you, your pet, and the alternatives.
There are two different ways the sisters estimate dosage for animals. We start with a micro-dose to make sure the pet isn’t allergic and we determine that based on weight as a percentage of human weight and human dosage.
I weight 130 pounds. The cat weighs 13 pounds, so the cat is 10% my weight and should get 10% my normal dosage. To make it easy, let’s say my dose is a teaspoon.
When consulting your veterinarian, you have to know how much medicine per ml there is in the bottle.
In a full teaspoon serving, the mg consumed are shown as ‘human dose’ at top and then the 10% you would give the 13-pound cat is shown at the bottom. This is where we start with CBD. A micro-dose to begin, to make sure the pet has no reaction to the medicine.
Once it has been determined that the animal is not allergic to the oil base or the hemp plant, then we reach for a higher dosage and estimate 1 mg of medicine per pound of body mass. So if you have a 13-pound cat, we would aim for 13 mg of medicine per dose.
Without science, we are all doing our best to guess and then respond to our pets based on how they respond to the medicine. Be sure to consult your veterinarian.
Can I overdose my pet?
Most definitely, pets and people can overdose on CBD. The results are generally drowsiness and a long nap. If you do overdose on your pet, or some kind of violent reaction happens, do contact your veterinarian right away.
What pet health problems might CBD help manage?
CBD and the related medicinal compounds of the hemp plant have been known to help with inflammation, seizures, pain relief, and anxiety.
A doctor once sent me with my products to visit a patient of his who was suffering from extreme anxiety. It only took me a few minutes at her house to discern the source of her anxiety, and that was her dog, who ran in circles and acted like aliens were landing on the roof, non-stop, incessantly. After talking for a while, I convinced her to let me micro-dose her dog and when there was no effect whatsoever, we continued until that dog had three big doses because it took that much to settle him down. As soon as the dog settled, the owner was calm. People and their pets are connected that way.
We recommend using an alcohol-based tincture for interrupting seizures of any kind, human or pet. The strong bitter taste of the alcohol squirt in the mouth assists in interrupting the seizure and assists in faster absorption of the medicine. But we add the CBD oil in a daily dose until they are past the risk. The alcohol base interrupts seizures, but the oil base taken daily often prevents them.
How can I tell if CBD is helping my pet?
Pets can’t say ‘Hey, that worked wonderfully for my knees’, like humans can do. They can’t report to us directly, but that doesn’t mean they can’t communicate. After giving a dose of CBD, watch your pet closely, you will see signs of improvement, or you will note the lack of those signs. In our experience, the pets react rather immediately to the medicine – at least the small animals do. Larger animals may take up to 20 minutes to feel anything.
Just like all people are different, so are all animals different. Discuss your pet’s needs with your vet. And micro-dose anything new at the beginning, as people and pets, have wide ranges of strange allergies. We have not yet found an animal that is allergic to hemp, but we know a few people who are, so it is only logical that pets can be allergic, too.
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