After the 2018 Farm Bill removed most hemp products from the Controlled Substances Act, cannabis-based consumables for dogs, cats and other pets proliferated. While hemp seed oil, hemp hearts and protein powder are generally recognized as safe (GRAS) by the US Food and Drug Administration, cannabidiol (CBD) remains in limbo regulators Similarly, despite the proliferation of CBD products appearing in the pet supplement space, the actual effects of the chemical on dogs and cats have not been thoroughly evaluated under controlled conditions.
To help meet this need for empirical information about CBD in pet supplements, researchers at Colorado State University and Hill’s Pet Nutrition collaborated on a long-term study of the effects of CBD in dogs. After 36 weeks of CBD supplementation, none of the dogs in the study showed any serious health problems. Only at the highest dose did some of the dogs get loose stools.
“This study was important in showing that dogs are able to tolerate doses that are generally much higher than most of these brands market,” said Breonna Kusick, neurology clinical trials manager at Colorado State University in the pet food industry. “However, it’s important to note that these are all very healthy dogs and that the higher doses may not necessarily be as well tolerated in dogs with any type of disease or on any additional medication. That said, I think it’s important that CBD-based pet supplement brands continue to review new literature to stay current with their own recommendations.I also think it’s helpful for these brands to understand what to watch for (such as signs of liver disease) for pet parent education.”
Dog owners who choose to supplement their pet’s diet with CBD should watch for signs of liver disease, such as vomiting, diarrhea, decreased appetite and general fatigue, Kusick said. Yellowing of the eyes and skin can be signs of more advanced liver disease.
“Any pet with CBD experiencing any of these signs should be seen by their veterinarian as soon as possible for blood work and possibly more advanced diagnostics,” he said.
In the study, researchers assigned 18 healthy adult Beagles to three groups
six Each of these groups received 0, 5, or 10 milligrams of CBD per kilogram of body weight each day for 36 weeks.
“This study shows that although the doses are well tolerated, an adverse event of softer stools and a liver enzyme is consistently elevated, although not by enough to be significant,” Kusick said. “However, this is only at the highest dose of 10 mg/kg/day. So, as the paper mentions, this dose should be used with caution, and would probably not be useful in a dog d ‘another healthy way. Regarding the dose of 5 mg/kg/day, it is difficult to draw any kind of conclusion about a positive or negative influence on the health of the pets, since no significant adverse events were observed and the overall health of the dogs was the same at the end of the study as it was at the beginning.”
The study was not designed to examine the positive effects of the supplements on the dogs’ health or behavior. Likewise, the dogs were all healthy to begin with, so there were no symptoms of illness to address.
“There is still a great need for more studies on the effect of CBD on different disease processes,” Kusick said.
Regulation of CBD in pet products
Although this and other studies have not found low doses of CBD to be harmful to dogs, cannabidiol remains restricted from pet supplements, as does hemp CBD. Interest in the use of hemp in commercial animal feed has accelerated since the passage of the Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018 (“Farm Bill”). While the Farm Bill expanded the legal production of hemp in the United States, the use of hemp and hemp byproducts in animal feed, including pet food, remains under the jurisdiction of the Food and Drug Administration. US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and state regulatory programs. for commercial animal feed.
This year, as negotiations began for the next US farm bill, a coalition of 33 hemp industry groups called for regulation of CBD and other hemp-derived ingredients under existing frameworks for dietary supplements and food additives , as described in HR 1629 and S 2451. .
“There is still a ‘wild west’ component to CBD as the market is unregulated, so it’s important to always look for a certificate of analysis when considering any CBD-based product,” Kusick said.