If you have ever taken care of a dog or cat for a long time, you might have noticed that over the years, they become quite prompt to suffering from certain physical conditions and illnesses. Of course, it depends heavily on the breed of the animal as well as how it was taken care of during its early years, but still, they are likely to suffer from these problems.
Some of the problems that come with age in animals are mostly related to arthritis, kidney failure, and cancer. These conditions are well known for being pain-inducing and can even cause them mental distress, depression, anxiety, and lack of appetite.
Relieving their pain has always been one of the many concerns of a senior pet owner, but the options in the market have always been known for being rather unsafe for their multiple side-effects, which are often extreme.
There’s where CBD enters the play, and we’ll talk about it in more detail, but let’s cover first some of the problems pets face that can be dealt with CBD.
Large Dog Breeds and Aging
A good example of the physical conditions a dog can face, especially in large dog breeds, is Osteoarthritis. This can cause problems related to mobility for large dogs (and small dogs as well) since they will avoid movement to reduce the pain caused by moving their limbs, and running becomes less doable as they grow older.
The reasoning is simple: the larger their size the more the weight, thus, the more pressure their muscles and bones deal with on an everyday basis. Some dogs might escape this issue thanks to regular exercise and a diet that strengthens the muscles and bones, but they can still suffer from it based on how healthy they are.
Cats and Arthritis
Cats are also affected by arthritis, but because they are more eager to engage in difficult physical processes that require jumping from high places and moving on unstable terrain.
For cats, this can be a rather depressing situation that causes a lot of mental distress, and they might eat less and keep sleeping just to avoid the pain and depression.
Common Problems Among Cats and Dogs
There’s also something really common about both types of animals: the risk of suffering from cancer. Just mathematically speaking, the numbers are crazy.
Did you know that, according to The Veterinary Cancer Society, cancer is the cause of death of over 47% of dogs that are older than ten years old? And it is the cause of death for 32% of cats older than ten? Although dogs are much more prone to suffering from cancer than cats, they are both at risk.
The types of cancer they can suffer include:
- Skin cancer
- Breast tumors
- Head and Neck tumors
- Testicular tumors
- Bone cancer
- Abdominal cancer
On senior animals, not only dogs and cats, kidney complications are really common as well, and they can affect 1 animal out of 10. In cats, though, this is much more common, since kidney problems affect more than half the cats over 10 years old.
Why CBD is Popular as an Alternative Pain Reliever
Now, what is CBD and why has it gained popularity as a pain reliever for pets? Well, let’s break it down first. CBD stands for cannabidiol, and as you might have guessed already, is a compound that is familiar to the cannabis plant.
It works differently, though! Cannabis is well known for containing THC, a compound that is rather toxic for animals, and much more famous for being what gets people high when they consumed cannabis-based products.
Cannabidiol is different since it is extracted from the hemp plant, a variant of the cannabis plant that contains low levels of THC. That is why CBD products contain less than 0.3% of THC and are safe for both animals and humans since they won’t cause any psychoactive side-effect.
Still, it grants the medical benefits of cannabis, which are well known in the modern worn to be rather effective. That makes cannabidiol-based products much better for people who want to enjoy the same benefits granted by cannabis products without having to get high while consuming them. And it’s what makes it a much safer alternative for pets.
But why do people use it? Well, although the research behind it is still in its early stages, there’s a lot of evidential and testimonial proof showcasing how CBD has become the panacea for people suffering from inflammatory diseases like cancer and arthritis.
The reasons are simple: first, it can be easily obtained in online stores like http://www.holistapet.com/, and secondly, they bring benefits without causing nasty side-effects that are often linked to pain-relieving drugs and medicines.
Some of these side-effects included depression, problems to remain focused, mood swings, excessive drowsiness among many other symptoms that can affect your day to day performance.
On animals (and humans) CBD has only caused pretty harmless side-effects such as diarrhea, dry mouth, dizziness, and stomachache. In the worst-case scenario, it can cause vomit and headaches as well, but these side-effects can be easily avoided by intaking the right dosage.
So it makes it one of the best alternatives to help your pet deal with pain-inducing conditions and reduced mobility. As a matter of fact, you can also find dog CBD products like dog and cat treats that are much easier to manage, so you should try them out in case you are not confident about oils.
