CBD Oil for Pets
Using CBD Oil for Pets
CBD oil is an increasingly popular natural remedy for treating a variety of ailments in people. It has also become an alternative option for treating pets. At Michigan City Animal Hospital, we’ve been seeing very positive results in our patients receiving CBD oil treatments.
What is CBD?
CBD, or cannabidiol, is typically derived from hemp, not marijuana, and in most cases does not contain THC. Cannabinoids interact with the central and peripheral nervous systems to help maintain balance in the body and keep it healthy.
What are the Benefits of CBD Treatment?
CBD oil has a variety of benefits, including:
- Anti-inflammatory properties
- Improving cardiac health
- Anti-nausea effects
- Stimulating the appetite
- Reducing anxiety
- Anti-epilepsy
- Antioxidant pain relief
Is CBD Oil Safe?
Like any other medication or supplement, CBD oil is not without its risks and many of them actually can be harmful to pets. So it depends a lot on the brand chosen and the source. Many CBD Oils are sweetened with xylitol which is very toxic to dogs. THC is also very toxic to dogs and while many CBD Oils do not have THC, or very low levels of THC, even that small amount can cause health problems.
However, we select our CBD products through Zilis, a manufacturer that provides some of the safest and most effective products available as outlined below.
The benefit of using CBD in liquid form is that it allows for more precise dosing that can be adjusted by the drop. It’s essential to consult with your veterinarian so we can prescribe the most appropriate dose for your pet. We need to account for their size, age, and health history, things that can affect how your pet responds to treatment.
What are the Side Effects?
The potential side effects your pet may experience during treatment (based on how CBD can affect humans) include increased thirst, lowered blood pressure, and drowsiness. If your pet experiences any side effects like these, let us know right away so we can recommend an adjustment to their treatment.
Brand of CBD Oil We Carry and Why (Not all CBD is created equal)
We carry the Zilis brand Ultra Cell CBD Oil products because our veterinarians have researched the various options and found Zilis to be far superior to any other products for both humans and pets. The two main reasons being that it is absorbed into the body much better and comes from high-quality sources.
Being water soluble, the absorption rate into the body is 9 times higher than oil-based, therefore less product is needed to be administered, which also saves you money. Most oil-based CBD has less than 10% absorbency, so much of the product is wasted. Also, this is a full spectrum hemp oil extract, containing over 400 biologically-active compounds.
This US-based product is organically sourced from plants grown strictly for this purpose in controlled environments. However, 70% of hemp in the U.S. is brought in from China. Most overseas countries grow the hemp plant to clean up areas of polluted waters or pull pesticides and heavy metals from soil. These contaminated plants are then shipped to the states for the booming CBD oil market where regulations are still lacking.
Lastly, Zilis has no THC or xylitol which are both toxic to dogs and found in many other brands.
What Patients Would We Recommend CBD Oil To?
- Owners who would like a more holistic approach
- Painful patients
- Chemotherapy patients – anti-pain, anti-nausea, increase appetite
- Ongoing anxiety patients (example: separation anxiety)
- Epileptic patients
