More dogs than you might think are suffering from a disease called osteoarthritis. This chronic joint disease is characterized by increasing destruction and loss of joint cartilage. The dog is in pain when the joint is loaded or moved. Knees, elbows, forefoot, vertebrae and hips are most commonly affected.
Osteoarthritis is the result of previous joint damage such as injuries, torn ligaments, overloading and malalignments. The further the disease progresses, the more the quality of life of the dog is reduced.
Dogs cannot break out of the vicious circle
A big problem with osteoarthritis is the vicious circle that occurs when a dog suffers from the symptoms of the disease. The pain in the joints leads to a reduced activity which can stiffen them even more if they are not moved regularly. This worsens the pain and makes the dog even less active. Therefore, the aim of osteoarthritis treatment is to restore or improve the dog’s mobility and thereby its quality of life.
CBD is potentially a safe alternative to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
Today the traditional treatment of arthritis in dogs is mainly based on non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and analgesics. However, the problem with taking this type of medicine is the damage it does to the kidneys and digestive system. Since long-term therapy is often indicated, the drugs must not only be effective, but also well tolerated in long-term use.
CBD can improve the quality of life of our pets. Photo: Jon Grogan / Unsplash
Could CBD be the solution?
It is already known that CBD has relaxing, anxiolytic, analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties. The analgesic effect of CBD in dogs with osteoarthritis could help to break the vicious circle of pain and movement inactivity.
Studies have shown that cannabidiol (CBD) can be used as a natural treatment to relieve the symptoms of arthritis. In a trial conducted by a research team from Cornell University, the analgesic efficacy and safety of cannabidiol treatment in dogs with osteoarthritis was investigated. Two groups of dogs were treated with CBD oil or a placebo oil every 12 hours for 4 weeks. Both the attending physicians and the owners of the dogs found pain relief and an increase in physical activity with the use of CBD oil. No side effects were reported.
The analgesic effect of CBD in dogs with osteoarthritis could help to break the vicious circle of pain and movement inactivity.
It was shown that CBD is potentially a safe alternative to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Due to the reduced pain, the dog will be able to move more by itself and thus stimulate the alleviation of symptoms and break out of the circle.
It can be concluded that CBD offers a great opportunity of treating osteoarthritis in a natural way by promoting the mobility of muscles and joints painlessly. The success of the above-mentioned CBD therapies and the conducted studies give many pet owners hope to increase the quality of life of their pets.
Author: Alica Ücdemir / CannaVets
CannaVets
More and more veterinarians are identifying these and other beneficial properties of CBD for the treatment of dogs, cats and other pets with various complaints. The start-up CannaVets, founded by interdisciplinary veterinarians in Barcelona, is having success in treating pets with CBD for more than one year now.
In more than 80% of their treated cases, they observed a clinical improvement of the affected pets. CannaVets’ veterinarians use co-adjuvant therapies, which means that conventional medication is supported by CBD treatment. Within the guided and continued treatment, the veterinarians rely on oral application of a pet friendly CBD oil. According to them, the application of CBD is beneficial in those cases in which common medication does not have the expected therapeutic potency.
Source:Cannabis Therapy Magazine 01
Online magazine for cannabis patients and experts alike.
