CBD may bring to the table a lot of good benefits than one can ever imagine.
The subject of marijuana has sparked hundreds of discussions from around the world. From medical doctors and scientists fighting for its legalization due to its medicinal properties – to conservative and traditional groups campaigning against its growing popularity, marijuana is certainly in the spotlight these past few years.
What really is marijuana? The plant is also known as cannabis sativa. Contrary to some beliefs, it is not a toxic plant. It has numerous strains – some illegal while others are allowed for its industrial and therapeutic benefits.
The plant also contains CBD (short for cannabidiol) and THC (also called as tetrahydrocannabinol); both of which are medicinal compounds. THC can make you high while CBD cannot.
The plant has been garnering claims of being beneficial to humans on many counts – from seizures to cancer to pain relief. Many studies have been done to prove its benefits to humans but rarely do these studies look into the plant’s benefits to pets.
And so to give justice to this lack of correlation of marijuana to pets, here are 7 of the many benefits of the plant that we’ve gathered so far:
Aids in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD)
While this may be common to cats, inflammatory bowel diseases can also be had by dogs. CBD is beneficial to pets with IBD in a sense that it helps in reducing inflammation and also eliminates symptoms. Pets with IBD may potentially vomit and may have diarrhea or could even lose weight.
The plant, which has anti-inflammatory properties, helps out in reducing the inflammation of the stomach lining of pets, therefore aiding in the management of abdominal pain and other symptoms that are being suffered by your furry friend.
CBD is an Anticonvulsant
One of the most well-known medicinal uses of a CBD to pets is that it contains anticonvulsant properties. This means that the drug brings about an improvement to pets that usually experience seizures, tremors, spasms or tics.
Pet owners usually cannot stomach seeing their pets in sickness, much more in uncontrollable spasms. The medications that currently exist, while effective, also bring about a different kind of danger, especially in terms of its side effects to pets’ organs.
For example, cats have very sensitive liver and would not be able to metabolize huge doses of conventional drugs for spasms.
And while these things have bothered pet owners’ minds for many years, CBD saves the day. It has been known that religiously ingesting the drug for about four or five months can show immense improvement
to pets with epilepsy. Good news, indeed!
CBD as a Powerful Painkiller
CBD is known to have a good response to humans that are in pain. Its anti-inflammatory properties can be of great help especially to those with osteoarthritis and other similar illnesses. Fortunately, the same goes for pets that have been suffering from chronic pain as well.
In cases of dogs, cats or any other pet, such relief from pain can result in better mobility. And without any known side effects to date, CBD as a medication to alleviate pain being suffered by pets has become the go-to amongst pet owners.
CBD as an Antiemetic
As pets do not have the capacity to talk and voice out whatever it is that they’re feeling, pet owners would have to depend on signs and closely monitor changes in behavior to make sure everything is fine. One of these changes is in the lack of appetite. This could be because of depression in cats or it could also be that your dog just got tired of its usual food.
Whatever the case may be, CBD is known to help in improving your pet’s appetite. CBD, as per studies, is a major producer of antiemetic and an anti-nausea effect. Aside from its ability to curb appetite in pets, the plant also has major effects to those that are suffering from nausea and vomiting due to serious and acute illnesses.
CBD and the Slow Growth of Tumors
Cancer is an illness that has many repercussions. For a person to be diagnosed with cancer, it means to live by certain limitations in terms of food, lifestyle, and even habits.
Pets have cancer too. For them, it could extremely be debilitating and can affect not just the patient but everyone around them.
In previous years, however, scientists have discovered something about CBD that has been the cause of great joy among pet owners. Recent studies have shown that CBD has the capacity to stop cancer cells from multiplying. Not only does it stop the cancer cells to replicate, but CBD also destroys existing tumor cells.
It has also been observed that the effects of conventional medicine become more potent when partnered with CBD.
A Healthier Immune System
CBD, as per research, contains cannabinoids that sort of “turns on” specific organs inside the body to produce health-giving results. These effects have been shown to support the nervous and immune systems.
We all know by now that a strong immune system means that pets have the capacity to fight illnesses and diseases. Pets, therefore, remain healthy and function well as they should.
Pets and a Healthier Well-Being
When ingested by pets, CBD is also popularly known to show good results in overall well-being. This is especially true on cases when ingestion of CBD becomes part of the pet’s daily diet.
It is but natural; CBD can push for better appetite among pets, CBD has antitumor properties, and so on.
If a pet eats just like it is supposed to, you cannot expect it to be malnourished. The antitumor powers of CBD rid your pets of cancer and related illnesses. Sum these all up and pet owners get a healthier furry friend.
In Summary
CBD may bring to the table a lot of good benefits than one can ever imagine. Pet owners, however, should always remember that most of these are still in the experimentation stage.
And while it is understood that as a pet owner, all that is contained in mind is the welfare of pets. It would still help, however, to consult a most trusted vet before resorting to CBD. It would be safer both to you and your pet.
By Guest Author
Image – Pixabay
