Supplements
Often times, people purchase herbal or natural supplements based on anecdotal evidence and word of mouth with almost no scientific evidence. In many cases, if there is scientific research, it fails to confirm any benefit. Cannabinoids and CBD are similar because there is a lot of anecdotal evidence and word of mouth, but it differs in the fact that there are some scientific studies–enough for the FDA to approve a drug—and, there are on-going studies of CBD and other cannabinoids which certainly indicate promise. In this blog entry, we aim to present the evidence as it stands so that you can make an informed choice about the products you give your pets.
CBD and Pets
If you are looking into a CBD product for your dog, you are probably aware of the alleged benefits of using CBD. You might even use a CBD product yourself and have experienced one or more benefits. Many claims have been made about the benefits of CBD, such as minimizing anxiety, pain, inflammation, and seizures. The general consensus in the scientific community about CBD is that there is still so much to learn and so much more research to do before we can definitively say that these claims are factual. As of right now, there are no formal studies on the efficacy of CBD in dogs; however, because we know CBD acts on the endocannabinoid system, we know effects on other animals and humans probably translate to our pets as well. The endocannabinoid system exists in all vertebrates so we can assume that CBD will act on this system in the same way in those vertebrates. Studies show that CBD affects the endocannabinoid system in ways that result in reduced anxiety, pain, inflammation, and seizure activity.
CBD and Anxiety Relief
Most research done to demonstrate the effects of CBD on anxiety are done on animal models, rats and mice. The lab animals are placed into anxiety producing environments and their behaviors are observed. Experiments done as early as 1989 (Guimarães et al.) show that CBD reduces anxiety in rats when they are placed in an anxiety inducing environment, the elevated plus-maze. The predator scent stress model of PTSD in rats is often used to study behaviors of rats when treated with CBD. This experiment allows scientists to produce symptoms of anxiety in rats using the scent of their predators. Rats treated with CBD show reduced symptoms of anxiety when compared to rats not treated with CBD (Shallcross, et al. 2019). Fogaça et al. (2018) showed that CBD produces an anxiolytic effect on chronically stressed mice and that those effects were mediated by the endocannabinoid system.
CB1 and CB2 Receptors
The activation of the CB1 and CB2 receptors caused proteins involved in neurogenesis and dendritic remodeling to be produced resulting in the behavioral effects seen in the mice. Some human experiments produce positive data supporting the claims of anxiolytic effects of CBD. One study showed that CBD provided anxiety relief when given before public speaking (Linares et al. 2016). It is difficult to produce consistent results in human trials due to small sample sizes and the fact that it is hard to measure anxiety because it is based on the subjects reporting how they feel. Overall, these inconsistent results in human trials make it difficult to come to the conclusion that CBD reduces anxiety in humans, however stronger studies could be performed to properly show the effects of CBD.
Pain and Inflammation
CBD also affects the endocannabinoid system in ways that result in reduced pain and inflammation. Many diseases of humans and dogs can be modelled by using rats and mice in the lab. Osteoarthritis, a joint disease that causes joint degeneration, intermittent inflammation, and peripheral neuropathy, was studied in rats to show the effects of CBD on the symptoms. This study showed that rats given CBD had reduced early phase inflammation and this reduction resulted in less pain and nerve damage (Phillpot et al. 2017). Topical application of CBD could also help lower pain and inflammation due to arthritis. The way that CBD inhibits inflammatory and neuropathic pain is promising because these are often the most difficult types of chronic pain to treat (Hammell et al. 2015). Again, more human trials must be done on CBD and its effect of pain and inflammation. Weak evidence in human studies can be attributed to the fact that results can be attributed to the natural alleviation of symptoms over time or placebo effects rather than the actual effects of CBD.
CBD and Seizures
The strongest evidence of the efficacy of CBD is in its effects on seizure activity. This is mainly because the FDA approved the first drug containing CBD as an active ingredient, Epidiolex, for the treatment of seizures associated with two rare and severe forms of epilepsy, Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and Dravet syndrome. Getting a drug approved by the FDA requires adequate and well-controlled studies. This specific drug has undergone extensive controlled clinical trials to test its safety and efficacy to ensure its uniform strength and consistency of delivery. Epidiolex is the only CBD product that can be prescribed to treat epilepsy and it is only available for human use. When thinking about giving your pet CBD to treat seizures, it is important to talk to your veterinarian and understand that there are other treatments that may be more appropriate. Although there are no formal studies on how CBD affects dogs published yet, one is in progress by the Colorado State University College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences that is evaluating the use of CBD in treatment resistant epileptic dogs.
Promising Evidence
Overall, there is promising evidence in animal trials showing that CBD can be an effective treatment for anxiety, pain, inflammation, and epilepsy. When you hear the overwhelming anecdotal evidence from people about how CBD has had so many benefits for them, it is encouraging to know that there is some scientific evidence to back those claims. However, more studies must be conducted to definitively prove the effects of CBD in both humans and in dogs. This is an important conversation to have with your veterinarian to determine if CBD products are right for your pet.
Written By: Mallory Carranza