Cannabidiol otherwise referred to as CBD, is a popular drug that can be used to treat many health issues in humans and animals. It is extracted from the hemp plant and it is made into different products for both humans and animals. Some of these products include CBD oil, smokes, and vapes, gummies, capsules, pills, chews, treats, etc. While some product are human-specific, others are animal-specific and should not be used otherwise.
Dogs are susceptible to various kinds of diseases and you can see some of them here. As a pet parent, you must see to the wellbeing of your canine in a number of ways. Aside from feeding and grooming, as a pet parent, you should ensure you take your dog regularly for check-up with a veterinarian and whenever your canine is ill, you have the duty of care to see that it gets better. One way to do this is by administering cannabidiol to it.
What CBD Can Do for Your Dog?
Before going ahead with how cannabidiol can be beneficial to your dog, it is noteworthy to mention the different ways in which it can be used and how it can work for your pet. Depending on the particular product you choose to purchase, cannabidiol can be used for your canine in several ways. These include:
Sublingually: This is when CBD oil is dropped underneath the tongue of your pet using tinctures. It is probably the best and most effective method of administration as your canine can absorb it faster. CBD oil can also be mixed with its food.
Ingestion: This refers to the use of CBD pills and capsules that the dog can swallow whole. It can also refer to chews such as dog treats.
Topically: This describes the use ofCBD oil, sprays, or cosmetics as lotions to be applied directly to your pet’s skin. It can be used to cure allergies and skin infections as well as reactions.
How It Works
Dogs much like other mammals have what is called the Endocannabinoid system which is usually referred to as ECS. The ECS produces substances such as anandamide (AEA), 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG), as well as enzymes that helpit function properly. It also contains some cannabinoid receptors.
When the ECS cannot produce enough of these materials, then there is a problem.However, when cannabidiol is taken and absorbed, it binds to the cannabinoid receptors present and helps the ECS to begin function as it should.
Cannabidiol can be used to treat common dog diseases such as pain and inflammation, anxiety, seizures, as well asinsomnia. It can also be used to treat more severe problems including conditions such as canine distemper, cancer, rabies and the likes.
It should be noted that your pet does not need to be ill to use CBD. It can be used daily to maintain its wellbeing.
What About Dosages?
When it comes to administering cannabidiol, there is no specific dosage to use for your pet but there are dosage guidelines, charts, and calculators that you can use. Typically, dosing is based on factors such as your canine’s age, weight, and that ailments that you want to treat.
CBD dosage guidelines and charts show the quantity of a particular product to use and for what ailment. In other words, they show the product, which can be CBD oil tinctures, chews or treats, the weight of your pet and what quantity of the product to be used for the specific ailment you want to treat.
There are also dosage calculators where you can insert these variables and it will reveal the quantity of a product to administer.
You should note that guidelines and charts exist for different sizes of the same products and the chart for a particular size differs from the other. For instance, CBD oil comes in tinctures bottles of varying sizes 150mg, 300mg and 600mg. A dosage chart for a 150mg product will differ from a 300mg product while a dosage chart for a 300mg will also differ from that of a 600mg bottle.
Another matter of importance is that CBD dosages have optimum dosage sizes. This is the dose that gives the most efficiency when used. That is, anything below this or above this is not as efficient. It may take a while for you to figure this out but you can start with low doses of cannabidiol and increase it till you get to the optimum dose for your canine. You can see this website https://www.holistapet.com/cbd-dosing-chart-for-pets/for more information on all these.
Conclusion
Just like any other medication, cannabidiol should not be overused or abused but should be used moderately each time. If you do not know the quantity to use, your manufacturer or retailer will always provide you with guidelines on how to use it. You also have the option of searching online for guidelines, charts, and calculators to use. Do not forget to purchase high-quality products from reputable sources as this can be a major factor in its effectiveness.