Can I Use CBD Oil For My Diabetic Dog?
Today we chat about the growing use of CBD oil in our pets.Can you use it with your Diabetic Dog? The short answer is “yes”, you can. I will say right off the bat that I have no personal experience with CBD oil, but know many that do and when it works, it works quite well. CBD oil is legal in all 50 US states, likely because it is made from the Hemp plant and not from the Marijuana plant. I want to start off by saying that if you are using or begin using CBD oil, please test often at the beginning as numbers most likely will come down.
What is it for? Cannabis oil can be used to treat seizures, nausea, stress, anxiety, arthritis, back pain, symptoms of cancer, and gastrointestinal issues, among other health conditions in dogs. How can one thing treat so many disorders? Really good question! The answer is that CBD primarily works on the central nervous system and crosses the blood-brain barrier (“The blood vessels that vascularize the central nervous system (CNS) possess unique properties, termed the blood–brain barrier, which allow these vessels to tightly regulate the movement of ions, molecules, and cells between the blood and the brain.”). It works directly on the nervous tissue to reduce inflammation, thereby reducing pain.
I have looked up many articles on CBD oil and they are fairly consistent with the information that they share the precautions to take as well as the guidelines for buying very good quality oil for your dog. I have included some of the better articles in links below.
Let’s start by saying that most CBD oil comes from the Hemp plant and not the marijuana plant, so there is no THC in the oil, nor does there need to be for the desired effect unless there is a serious medical condition going on that would benefit from the THC being in the oil. For most of the reasons that we would use the oil, the THC is not needed. Dogs are very sensitive to THC, so I’m glad to know that it is not needed to treat many conditions effectively.
Now we come to deciding where to get the CBD oil. Everything that I have read says that this is one supplement that you don’t want to skimp on price. Certainly in this instance, you get what you pay for. When shopping for CBD oil, it is important to know that there is a CoA (Certificate of Analysis) that is done by a third party lab. This certificate will tell you what the potency is, an analysis for heavy metal, microbial contamination, solid residues and for pesticides. The hemp plant is a bioremediator which means that it pulls things out of the soil, so any pesticide drift from neighboring fields or any contaminants will be present in the plant. Interestingly, hemp was planted around the nuclear power plant accident in Chernobyl to pull the toxins out of the soil. See why the analysis is so important?!
How do you administer the oil? A preferred method of delivery is a tincture which only requires a few drops of the oil for the desired effect. If you are going to use the dropper directly in your dog’s mouth, be sure to wipe the dropper off before you put it back in the bottle to prevent contamination and protect shelf life. Maybe put the dose on a small treat and give that to your pup so that the dropper stays contaminant free. If you need to put the oil directly in your pup’s mouth, perhaps some one-use droppers would be a good idea.
Storing the CBD oil – It seems like keeping the bottle refrigerated is the best means of prolonging the shelf life of the product. I might even go so far as to put it in an insulin sleeve to protect it from light. It seems that the average shelf life of CBD oil is 18-24 months. That seems like a good amount of time being that the oil is administered in such small amounts that it will last quite a while.
I will mention again, that if you are using or begin using the CBD oil, watch for changes in BG (Blood Glucose) numbers as they most likely will come down.
https://www.petmd.com/dog/general-health/cannabis-oil-dogs-everything-you-need-know
https://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/cbd-oil-for-dogs/
As I have mentioned before, my preference is always to use a natural approach to any problem and this CBD oil seems like a very viable alternative to many of the pharmaceuticals that are prescribed for our pups. PetTest has a line of CBD products that check all the boxes mentioned for quality. For our faithful followers use CODE: PETTESTBLOG for 20% off! Here is the link to try the Oliver’s Harvest CBD Tincture or the Noble Paws Bacon Flavored Tincture.
If you use CBD oil currently or try it, please share your experience with the rest of us in the comments below. You’ll notice that for most of the products or groups that I mention, the text is linked to a website where you can purchase that item or a link to join the group mentioned. Just click on the colored text (red or blue, depending what device you are on) and it should take you right to the item or group. If you have any thoughts or ideas for topics that you’d like to see covered here, please feel free to comment below or send me an email at NancyForPetTest@pharmasupply.com. As always, please “like” this blog post or any of the others that have helped you or just refreshed your memory. Look for new posts every Monday, Wednesday and Friday!
Until next time…