It is sometimes said that veterinary care is more challenging than standard doctor care. While this can be debated, the argument on this subject is a sound one. Afterall, a veterinarian deals with a variety of animals and bodily systems, from birds and cats to dogs and lizards and so much more. Each animal has different needs and behaviors. Most importantly, no animal can speak to tell a veterinarian what the problem really is. A silent patient is a difficult one.
So it is a welcome reprieve for any vet when a new, healthy treatment comes along that he or she can use for his or her patients. And lately, CBD has been that very treatment. Much like humans, studies on CBD have shown encouraging effects on animals, providing relief for a variety of ailments and needs. Let’s take a general look at some of these possible new benefits.
Pain Management
Whether for pre and post surgery or everyday discomfort, animals have relied on the same familiar relievers as their human counterparts. Treatments like opioids, analgesics, and anesthesia are the commonly used options. However CBD is beginning to change that methodology.
Increasingly, CBD is being used as a form of pain treatment in animals. This is done both by veterinarians themselves and their owners. The thought process behind this revolves around CBD’s effect on slowing down the relays between neurotransmitters that are used for pain signals. The science here gets quite involved but the short version of it is that cannabinoids bind to those neurotransmitters, inhibiting the intensity of pain.
Originally, stories of CBD and pain treatment were largely anecdotal, however increasing research is proving more and more that cannabinoids do assist with pain management, even decreasing many patients’ reliance on opioids and other treatments. In pets, veterinarians and owners are observing similar results in their animal counterparts, providing CBD to many of these animals as a treatment for post-surgery or chronic pain.
Bone Treatment
While studies are still early on this topic, observations are beginning to show a correlation between CBD and stronger development of bone development. This makes CBD an important potential tool in treating fractured femurs and other bone damage which often afflicts dogs, cats, and many other animals.
Early studies have shown a definite differentiation between groups of animals that received CBD during their bone treatment and standard control groups that did not. The CBD groups showed a faster and stronger rate of bone healing versus the control. The theory here involves CBD potentially stimulating the production of CB1 and CB2 receptors in the body which have been demonstrated to promote faster and stronger bone growth, treating things like fractures to osteoporosis. Additional studies on this subject are underway.
Arthritis
It is increasingly understood that CBD helps greatly with inflammation in the body, promoting the chemicals within the body that fight inflammation, while inhibiting the chemicals that bring about inflammation. Naturally, this would go a long way towards dealing with joint pain and arthritic afflictions, particularly in pets.
Using CBD to fight this arthritic pain would be enormously beneficial to counterbalance a pet’s need for medications and other costly and heavy treatments. And while so many dogs and other animals suffer from joint and arthritic pain, especially in older age, CBD is a natural and healthy option for many people to try.
The Future Looks Bright
From Georgia to Texas to Florida and more, CBD is growing in popularity throughout the United States and the world. It is an exciting time to watch and study CBD, not only a recreational pleasure, but also as a potential treatment for many medical afflictions. Whether as a primary treatment or a complimentary addition, it is fascinating to witness the efficacy and versatility that CBD is capable of.
Not only is this subject exciting for humans but the potential in how we can treat animals is only now beginning to come to the surface. For our furry friends, we now have new options that are painless, cost effective, and all-natural in helping to treat so many of the afflictions that animals deal with throughout their lives, post-surgery, and into old age.
Time will tell what new discoveries and results will come from the many experiments and studies that are taking place each and every day with CBD and its potency with both humans and the entire animal kingdom. We can’t wait to learn more.
