Let us start by saying that feeding your pet intoxicating substances such as cannabis, which contains THC, filming it and then publishing it on YouTube is not a joke, it is cruelty to animals! Unlike people, animals can die from an overdose. Unfortunately, there is a sad correlation between the number of cannabis poisoning incidents and its legal status. Colorado and Oregon, for example, are recording more emergencies now than before legalisation.

Heidi Houchen, a vet in a suburb of Portland, told the Denver Post that care needs to be taken, especially with dogs and cannabis edibles. “In the past, dogs might have nibbled a few buds in the cellar, whereas now they find a big bag of gummy bears.” It gets more dangerous if caffeine and chocolate are also involved. Even though it may seem obvious, let us spell it out clearly once more: cannabis needs to be stored out of reach of pets.

Why CBD could also help dogs

Like humans, other mammals also produce a series of chemical compounds described as endocannabinoids. Because these compounds influence the sensation of pain, appetite and reactions to stress, they are essential for good health.

Medicinal cannabis for animals

Even if CBD and other constituents of cannabis are not magic cure-alls, the many positive first-hand reports are encouraging. Anyone who wants to treat their animal with cannabis should first of all find out all they can about it and talk to a vet who is willing to listen. Start any treatment gradually, so always begin with a low dose and observe how the animal responds.

Dog owners are not waiting for scientific proof

You don’t need to look far to find real-life stories of animal owners who dose their four-legged pets with medicinal cannabis. The scope of possible applications seems to be just as wide as for humans. Digestive problems, skin problems, epilepsy, arthritis, separation anxiety, phobias, loss of appetite – CBD for dogs could be a powerful weapon in the fight against these ailments.

Christine from Nevada recounts the story of her Rottweiler, Sampson, on the dog website Dogster. He died in November 2012 from a rare form of leukaemia. In 2010, between heavy bouts of vomiting and diarrhoea, he was losing two pounds a day. Unable to afford chemotherapy, she watched helplessly as her best friend lost one quarter of his bodyweight. Inspired by reports of medicinal cannabis helping human cancer patients, Christine started experimenting. After giving Sampson finely ground cannabis flower-bud material mixed with coconut oil, he started eating again, gained weight and was leaping around like a young dog. “Cannabis saved my dog’s life.”