As CBD becomes increasingly popular for those interested in a natural remedy for their pain, anxiety or insomnia, dog owners have also been giving CBD to their furry companions.
People give CBD to their dogs for anxiety, pain, and many other ailments and many swear by its effectiveness. Some owners, for example, give their dogs CBD over the July 4th weekend celebrations due to all the fireworks and commotion to keep them calm. Although CBD really can help pooches to look and feel their best (and to stop barking so much) – according to one Veterinarian, CBD for pets comes with some associated risks.
According to a WPTV report, a veterinarian named Dr. Annette Sysel from the Martin Downs Animal Hospital in Palm City, Florida, is warning about CBD for pets. “I probably have clients asking me about CBD on a weekly basis,” she said. “I think there are a lot of applications on the human side, and for that reason, a lot of people are interested in it for their pets as well.”
Anxiety is the most common reason people give CBD to their dogs
However, as Sysel noted, only minimal research has been carried out to date when it comes to the effects of CBD on dogs. As Sysel said, “So at this time, there’s really not enough there to say if the product safe.” She pointed out that it’s not clear how CBD could affect other medications pets might be on, and as there are no clinical studies on the matter, a lot of questions are left unanswered.
In the State of Florida, where Sysel practices, vets cannot recommend or even talk about CBD with their clients due to legal issues. Other concerns include the fact that the CBD industry is entirely unregulated. As Sysel explained to reporters, “According to the Farm Act, hemp has to be manufactured by licensed distributors who are predominantly located in Colorado, Kentucky, and Oregon. However, a lot of people are making CBD products on their own, and it’s a largely unregulated marketplace at this time.”
Sysel also spoke the truth when she likened the CBD industry to the “Wild West.” “They call it right now the Wild West. CBD from Hemp products can be pretty much made by anyone,” she said.
The bottom line, according to Sysel, is that “It can be very dangerous for owners to be giving CBD from uncertain sources when they’re not even sure exactly what is in the product.” And while that is undoubtedly true, even bad quality CBD extracted through an inferior extraction process is likely harmless. For those who wish to err on the side of caution though, Dr. Sysel has a point.
To summarize, Dr. Sysel explained that when it comes to the CBD industry in terms of assuring safety for humans or pets, “We’re not there yet, there’s still a lot of work we need to do,” she said. In the meantime, Sysel recommended that to mitigate some of the risks, dog owners wanting to give CBD to their pets should check that an accredited third-party lab has tested the CBD they are buying for potency, efficacy and, most importantly, safety.
