Look for a reputable company that has veterinary specific products and hopefully knowledgeable staff
Look for Certificates of Analysis (CoA). These are lab tests done by (hopefully) independent laboratories
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CBD Use in Pets and
How to Find a Quality Product
In case you haven’t heard of the cannabidiol (CBD) craze for people, the hype has extended into CBD use in pets as well. As a veterinarian, I am especially sensitive to this topic because it’s become so popular, while a paucity of appropriate clinical data still exists. We have had significant improvements in peer reviewed research in dogs given CBD through studies performed at major veterinary teaching hospitals in the U.S [1-3].
Importantly, at this time there is one FDA approved CBD product, Epidiolex®. It is approved for the treatment of Dravet or Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (intractable seizures in juveniles). While the approval is great progress in the standardization of cannabis products being recognized as therapeutic; the rest of the products available to people and their pets exist in a tenuous gray area. CBD and hemp products cannot be considered dietary supplements as per the FDA, but there has been movement to include hemp extracts in the definition of food additives. The ultimate goal is that hemp products would have oversight to ensure quality and safety of products for humans and animals. At this time, there is no governing body ensuring safety of products; this leaves consumers responsible for doing their homework. My goal is to help you weed (see what I did there?) through the massive amount of product information at your fingertips to find the best suited product for your pets.
Before we get into efficacy, let’s make sure you know how to select a SAFE product and company. Many human CBD retailers are starting to move into the pet sectors; oftentimes, they add a paw print to a label or add bacon flavoring and call it a dog tincture. Look for a reputable company that has veterinary specific products and hopefully knowledgeable staff. Veterinarians are not able to recommend CBD products for pets based on the guidance of the American Veterinary Medical Association. Therefore, many
By Dr. Chelsea Luedke