Many pet owners have opted to use CBD oil as a potential relief for their pet’s illnesses, aches, and other untoward dispositions. But other than being an anti-inflammatory and antiepileptic substance, CBD can become a great health booster for your pets.
This article has explained extensively how CBD is beneficial not as a suppressor of symptoms, but as a fortifier for any future tackles with sickness. The bioavailability, however, depends on which type of product you chose, via inhalation being the fastest and with the highest bioavailability.
Being a newbie at this is hard, especially when you’re bombarded by a lot of advertisements, referrals, and even Google searches. Which is the best company to choose from? What do you need to keep in mind while purchasing, and what is the ideal dose?
What’s CBD?
CBD is a shorter term for cannabidiol. It’s a compound you can find in cannabis plants albeit it’s not the one causing the notorious psychoactive effects. We’ll give that credit to THC, or Tetrahydrocannabinol, CBD’s sister compound. Cannabidiol gives benefits without inducing the high, a characteristic many users love about CBD-derived products.
Cannabidiol is mainly sourced from hemp. Hemp is legal in the US, but only for industrial purposes, and cannot be grown for recreational purposes. Yes, there is also cannabidiol found in marijuana, but the reason hemp is preferred over marijuana has something to do with the number and type of cannabinoids they both individual house. While hemp has ample amounts of CBD, marijuana has a little of it. And while marijuana has an abundant supply of THC, hemp has a very minuscule amount in its count.
But why do clients and companies alike have an averse to tetrahydrocannabinol? There are two reasons for this. Cannabidiol-derived products cannot contain a gram of THC if their target population is animals because THC can cause poisoning. Only companies that are certified and trustworthy, like holistapet, are allowed to dispense products meant for pets. This is very important to note, as your pet’s life might be in danger if you put your trust and your money in the wrong place.
Another reason has something to do with legalities. Marijuana is considered a schedule 1 drug because of its large THC-content. Thus, using marijuana as a source is a no-no for companies. Especially for animals, it is the customer’s preference to have 0% THC content in their products, even if the human counterpart of this usually has less than 0.3% (the legal threshold of THC).
How Does Your Pet’s Body Interact With CBD?
In a mammal’s body (that includes you and your pet) there is a system that exists solely to maintain homeostasis and that is called the Endocannabinoid System (ECS). This system corrects any abnormalities in the body by sending out endocannabinoids to its receptors.
If presented with external cannabinoids (namely Phyto cannabinoids like CBD), it reacts differently to the receptor, thus either having a different action altogether. It is unclear how CBD reacts to the CB1 or CB2 receptors, but they work potently if the bioavailability is high.
Whether your body needs to address inflammation or stimulate your brain to release hormones, the ECS determines this naturally. If there is a local ache in their joints, CB2 receptors will be stimulated, thus becoming an inflammatory suppressor and a WBC agonist.
If it’s more on the mental problem (like separation anxiety in pets), CB1 will be stimulated to either sedate the animal or release much-needed hormones, like serotonin and dopamine. A study goes in-depth on how an animal’s ECS works when interacting with Phyto cannabinoids (see reference: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6770351/). You’ll find there’s not much difference between yours and theirs.
What To Keep In Mind
- Your pet should not be given CBD products meant for the human body. The amount of CBD in our products differs from their recommended amount. There is also the fact that sweeteners and other added flavoring may cause an allergic reaction to your pet.
- There are many different types of cannabidiol products, and you might want to get the full-spectrum or whole plant one. This means beyond cannabidiol, other beneficial Phyto cannabinoids will work together to enhance the therapeutic effect you want in the product.
- Check the company’s extraction method. The safest one is CO2 extraction since CO2 does not contaminate the formula unlike Ethanol or olive oil.
- Make sure the company has these two: A certificate of analysis and a 3rd-party lab test result. The certificate of analysis will ensure your product is high-quality and has a substantial amount of CBD, while the 3rd-party lab result will make sure your formula is not contaminated and is 100% THC-free.
