I want to share with you some of my experiences with CBDs and CBD oil in particular, which I believe is the most effective form to take.
I will begin by stating I am not a Veterinarian or scientist. I am sharing what I’ve learned and seen through my personal experiences with CBDs, and with the pets I’ve helped during the time I managed a holistic pet food store. What I’ve witnessed is remarkable. I have enough stories of life changing experiences for pets and people that I could probably write a book. And that is only from the past 6 years that I have been using this miracle plant. I became passionate about sharing its benefits after seeing how it helped our sick and aging dog, Brody, live a comfortable life until the ripe old age of 13 1/2 (along with proper diet and exercise, of course). I was so impressed with how it improved Brody’s quality of life that I put our now-18 year old Maine Coon mix cat, Kingston, on it for his hip dysplasia and arthritis. Kingston is a rescue that someone dumped in the woods. We’ve had him for 12 years. He suffered a permanent eye injury while he was trying to survive on his own, but otherwise he has been a healthy cat until old age started catching up with him. I put him on CBD oil 2 years ago and he climbs stairs and jumps on and off of the bed and couch with little effort. It has totally managed his pain. And what it has done for our 10 year old rescue cat, Dinkers, is nothing short of miraculous. I found Dinkers dying in the middle of a country road. She was not expected to live long with her list of problems. She suffered from a terrible skin condition and severe anxiety. She was emaciated, ridden with fleas and ticks and dehydrated. Her entire mouth was swollen. She had to have all but three teeth removed as soon as we rescued her. She did some heavy rounds of antibiotics and steroids, initially, to bring her back. But I am absolutely convinced CBD and raw goat’s milk saved her life. She’s been with us, happy and fairly healthy, without any medication, for 8 years now. Maureen can also attest to how it has helped her dogs. The vet thought Dylan had cancer when we put him on it a couple of years ago. Nothing has progressed and he shows no signs of disease or discomfort. It is helping Rubin through the aging process and keeping his pain at bay. So let me explain just a little about what CBD is. I always advise people to do their research before deciding on a product. But one thing I ALWAYS recommend is getting their pets (and themselves) on CBDs. It will change your life! It has definitely changed mine. I will provide a list at the end of reputable sites and products.
-What is “CBD”? CBD is short for “cannabidiol”, the non-intoxicating component of the cannabis plant. -How does it work? In a nutshell, everyone and everything (except insects) has an endocannabinoid system. It is our biochemical communication system, and it plays a crucial role in regulating physiology, mood and everyday experiences. CBD’s bond with the receptors in our brain and nervous system, peripheral organs and immune cells, to help create balance and provide support for relaxing, repairing and restoring. Although we all benefit from CBD’s, dogs are especially responsive as they have the most cannabinoid receptors in their brain and bodies than any other animal, including humans.
-What conditions/issues CBD can help with? Anxiety, aging, arthritis, appetite, autoimmune disease, cancer, cell repair, colitis, diabetes, inflammation, kidney and liver diseases, OCD, pain, seizures, sleep, skin issues, physical and mental trauma, just to name a few. -Biggest concern/ question I am asked: Will it get my pet “high”? Absolutely NOT. CBD is the main cannabinoid in hemp, cannabis that is grown for fiber, or found growing in the wild. THC is the intoxicating component, found in marijuana. My favorite brand of oil, WAAYB Organics guarantees its product has less than .003% THC in their oil. I can guarantee from my own use that it does not get pets or humans high. As an elderly pet parent, I urge everyone with an aging pet to use CBD daily. My own “winning” combination is raw goat’s milk and CBD oil. It is the “graceful aging” elixir, in my opinion. As our dogs age, they naturally lose hearing and sight. This can make them anxious, especially if furniture gets rearranged or they experience significant life changes. CBDs give them a general sense of calm and stability. It is a much better pain relief option than pharmaceuticals such as Tramadol. Old dogs tend to be less steady on their legs. I did not like prescription pain relievers because they made Brody even more shaky than he already was. It also made him a little disconnected with us. These were not acceptable side effects for us. CBDs allow our pets to be more aware and focused, more comfortable overall. They still want to be a part of their family. It does not make them “loopy” in any way. They tend to become more stable, since it is not only working for pain, but for inflammation as well as joint and cell repair.
A few of the other countless experiences I am familiar with include one of the most popular- anxiety relief. It has been successfully used for dogs struggling with fear and anxiety caused by storms, fireworks, vet and grooming visits, fear of car rides or recent rescues adjusting to new homes. I’ve seen it help puppy mill rescues, terrified of everything from touching grass for the first time to hearing the oven timer chime, turn into happy members of their families.
Relief from pain and inflammation- I know of a 10 year old Mastiff, who had both knees replaced at 5. At 8, she was having a lot of pain just trying to walk. Her devastated owners thought it was time to say goodbye. And then one of their friends recommended they visit the holistic pet food store. After talking with Neela’s “parents”, we decided an upgrade in her food, with raw goat’s milk added, andCBD oil was a good start. Within a month they noticed a significant difference. Within 6 months she was actually chasing a ball and running in the yard like she was young. She no longer needed assistance getting up off the floor like she used to. They are beyond grateful for the second chance at life she is experiencing. It worked so well for her that when their younger Beagle/Bulldog mix needed hip surgery, they began giving it to him. It was necessary that he stay as immobile as possible for 6 weeks (could you imagine?!). So they were using it as a (highly effective) calming agent, pain reliever and to aid in speeding the healing time. With his vet as his witness, the dog was healed in 4 weeks, when 6 weeks is the standard. Not only is it a healing agent, but it actually aids in preventing injury and disease.
-Tumor shrinking and cancer inhibitor– I know more than a few instances of tumors shrinking, including fatty tumors commonly seen on older dogs. But also the shrinking of cancerous tumors. Some of these dog’s owners did a full switch of diets to raw, added supplements and goat’s milk and some just added goat’s milk and CBD oil to their dog’s regimen. It is probably one of the most rewarding things to see, above all of the other great health fixes I’ve been a part of. We all can agree that we HATE cancer!
-Skin conditions and allergies– I’ve cured more skin conditions and allergies than I can possibly count. Although it is almost always as simple as a diet change and patience, (throw out those Milk Bones!) or “detoxifying” the gut with goat’s milk, sometimes it requires other tools. Luckily, it is possible to do it all naturally, and CBDs can be a vital component in this. Again, it speeds healing. And the goat’s milk/CBD oil combo heals from both the inside and outside. (it’s all about the microbiome of the gut and skin, but that is for another blog!)
-Seizures- Another one of my most rewarding groups of dogs benefitting from CBDs are those that were no longer having seizures once they went on them daily. Some saw a reduction in severity and frequency of seizures. But more than a few lucky ones stopped seizing altogether. And to see the joy and relief in their parents’ faces is why I love to share information about this wonder oil! I will note that most of the dogs that stopped seizing also made diet changes, and many were getting chiropractic adjustments and/or acupuncture treatments.
-Improved sleep- There is not a pet or human, including my pets and myself, whom I know that hasn’t felt the benefits CBDs have for better, more restful sleep. In my own experience, it lets my brain rest so I am not trying to solve all of the world’s problems as soon as my head hits the pillow. For myself, this is probably my favorite benefit of the oil.
-How is it administered? Dosing is easy. My pets like it so much that my dog will lap it out of my hand. One cat will lap it from her empty dish and one won’t, but he does not fight me to squirt it in his mouth. A few things to note: It is more beneficial to give cbd oil 30 minutes to an hour away from meal time (before or after). It’s effects will last longer if given without food. If your pet will not take the oil on its own, you may squirt it in his mouth, put it on a treat, or a few pieces of food. Just do not give with an entire meal. Better yet, give it with a small amount of goat’s milk!
-How much do you dose? The standard dosing is 1 mg per 10 pounds. But what I have found is that each individual can vary in their effective dosage. I have a friend that weighs the same as I and she can take half the amount I do to achieve similar results. I also find for anxiety and sleep, the effects are pretty immediate with the first dose or two. For pain relief, it can take up to two weeks to build up in the system. It can also depend on the severity of the pain, and also how long the issue has been occurring. For instance, my elderly cat is 12 pounds but his arthritis is advanced. So he receives 3.3 mg. Technically, that should be enough for a 33 pound pet. He usually gets that dose twice a day. And he is happy, healthy and connected. When being used for chronic pain and issues, it is important to be given daily. It may be given twice daily, or up to every four hours. When it is just an issue of car rides, thunderstorms and nothing else, it may be given just at those times, about an hour before the event that causes anxiety.
–Important things to look for when choosing a CBD oil: NOT ALL oils are created equal. You want to follow a few important rules when choosing a product. Be sure the company is conducting and providing results from a third party testing lab of their product. This ensures quality and consistency. And it also ensures there are no toxins or THC in the product. Be sure the oil is being extracted using CO2 methods instead of with butane or other harsh and potentially harmful chemicals. A good CBD company will want to be producing the cleanest product possible. Those using chemical methods are more concerned about profits than you or your pet’s health. Be sure the hemp being used is being produced in the United States or Europe. NO HEMP FROM CHINA! This is important, since the hemp plant is really good at cleaning toxins from the soil. And China has some pretty dirty soil. Therefore, the hemp they are exporting could potentially be filled with a number of toxins. If this information is not easily provided on the company’s website, or by calling them, I would be weary of the quality of the product. This is one of those up and coming industries that is not being regulated. It is imperative that you take precautions and do your research. I can call WAAYB and speak directly to the COO of the company. I can tell you first hand that this company is run mainly by family members and they really do care. It make me proud to support them. And as a customer, it is a relief to know I am using a safe product and supporting good people.
We believe so strongly in this product that we welcome any questions you have about it. And beyond that, we are offering a 10% discount AND free delivery to All Pet and Home Care clients! Please contact us for more details.
Here is my list of reputable resources, so you can do your own research. What I’ve found is that there is a lot of opinion-based, information missing facts to back it up, out there. Here are some of my go-to sources:
www.projectcbd.org; Dr. Karen Becker (great series of YouTube videos for reference); www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com; WAAYB Organics- hands down, my FAVORITE oil on the market. Find them at: www.waayborganics.com I could go on for days. I am not kidding when I say that I could fill a book of testimonials. And I haven’t even shared my OWN and other HUMAN experiences! Maybe it will have to be a two part book. One part human, the other part dog. Kind of like my life already is! I hope you enjoyed this and learned a thing or two about cbd oil and its benefits for our pets.
Rae
References for blog: projectcbd.org Treatibles dogsnaturallymagazine.com Dr. Karen Becker WAAYB Organics