You may have heard of CBD before and you might even have seen it packaged for pets or know someone who has used it for their pet, but that’s all you know. If you’ve been hesitant to try CBD for your pet because of the lack of information you had on it and concerns that go along with that, we’re here to help clear up all the questions and worry.
In fact, we’re really sure that when you learn all about the benefits of CBD and the things it can realistically do for your pet, you are going to rush to purchase your first bottle. You may even wonder what took you so long to get on the CBD bandwagon.
Here at Innovet Pet, we understand because we’ve also been skeptics, early-on. After a lot of research and finally using CBD on our own pets, we realized that the things CBD can do are genuinely legitimate. It’s not too good to be true at all. We want to share the things that we learned in our journey with you, and help you understand what CBD is, what it does, and how it works too.
What Is CBD?
This is the best place to start. CBD is a compound that is extracted from cannabis plants, known as hemp. Yes, marijuana is also a cannabis plant but not the one from which CBD oil is extracted from and marketed to the general public. A marijuana CBD oil can be found only in a licensed marijuana dispensary in a state with legalized medical marijuana.
The reason that CBD oil is taken from hemp that has been industrialized for this purpose is that hemp is naturally lower in THC value. Concentrations of THC in hemp are at or below .03%, which is necessary for legal sale.
The reason that THC must be lower is that THC is the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana that causes the head high. CBD will not cause a high. In fact, CBD seems to bring clarity of thought to most people who use it and it is likely that it also does the same thing for our elderly pets who are beginning to have that familiar, age-related, forgetfulness that eventually impacts us all as we age.
CBD is classified as a cannabinoid. This is not because it comes from cannabis. There are cannabinoids found in many other plants all over the world. For example, echinacea has cannabinoids in it. You ingest cannabinoids from many things that you eat and drink during your normal day to day living. You just never knew it.
Cannabinoids are also present in your body and made by your body in a system called the Endocannabinoid System (ECS). Endo basically means within. Cannabinoids from plants are called phytocannabinoids because phyto means plant.
Scientists discovered that the ECS is likely one of the most important body systems that there is and all mammals, birds, fish, and reptiles have this system. The ECS is in control of regulating the body systems that pertain to moods, pain regulation/response, immune system function, and works to maintain balance in the body, scientifically referred to as homeostasis.
What CBD Does
CBD enters the body and it actively seeks the ECS. There are two types of receptors that are a part of the ECS. These are known as Endocannabinoid Receptor One (CB1) and Endocannabinoid Receptor Two (CB2). CBD likes the CB2 receptors which are located all over the body and highly concentrated in the mid-section of the body. It immediately goes looking for them.
When CBD finds the CB2 receptor, it binds to it, like a key slipping into a lock. When this action takes place, a lipid molecule is formed which is then turned loose. That lipid molecule travels within the neural network of the body, cleaning, coating, and adding a protective finish to the neural network. This is highly likely the reason that CBD seems to help with memory, learning, focus, and having a calming effect.
As that lipid is traveling the neural network, it can block excessive amounts of signals from reaching the brain as well. This happens when a lot of pain messages are being sent, for example, and the end result is that the brain’s reaction to pain is curbed. When the brain isn’t reacting to it, because it gets fewer signals from the body to trigger responses, less pain is felt.
The lipid ultimately travels to the cells of the body, wherever it is needed. If the liver needs to create more white blood cells in response to a need by the immune system, then that is where the CBD lipid travels. It works to bring balance and homeostasis at the cellular level, which will impact the entire body with balance.
CBD is quite amazing because it can trigger all of these beneficial responses in the body without actually being a cure for anything. It also seems to always know where to go and what is needed first. Scientists still do not have a reasonable explanation for this. More research is being conducted on CBD and other cannabinoids as we speak. Someday, researchers hope to unlock all of the secrets of this amazing phytocompound.
For now, we know that CBD can help dogs and cats, as well as other animals, with the following conditions:
● Diabetes regulation
● Epilepsy and tremors
● Cushing’s Disease
● Arthritis
● Pain of any sort
● Chronic skin conditions
● Helping the skin, coat, and nails to be healthier
● Reducing inflammation
● Assisting with metabolism and digestion problems such as IBS
● Reducing nausea, especially that related to cancer treatment
● As a cancer prevention supplement (In lab tests the cancer cells of rats were shrunk with CBD oil. More research is necessary.)
This is a shortlist of some of the things that CBD is helping many animals with, as well as their human counterparts. CBD is not addictive, doesn’t cause a high, and it will not cause any harmful side-effects. Sometimes taking too much CBD can result in sleepiness, diarrhea, and possible headache. If your pet exhibits any symptoms of diarrhea or being excessively tired, reduce the amount of CBD administered and then more gradually increase the dose.