Marijuana for pets: Owners treating sick animals with cannabis | What do you think?

Find Your Perfect ONLINE JOB

These days there is a lot in the news about the use of medical cannabis for a variety of ailments. Usually, you hear about humans using the plant, but medical cannabis is also being used for pets. Michael Fasman's doesn't want to give painkillers to his 12-year-old dog, Hudson, who limps from pain caused by arthritis and an amputated toe. Painkillers just knock the dog out, so the San Francisco resident decided to turn to the alternative medicine of marijuana. Fasman uses cannabis extract mixed with yogurt, which his Portuguese water dog laps up in seconds. The alternative medicine has become a part the dogs daily routine. Fasman thinks that the medicine has lifted the dog's spirits and made her a happier dog. The dog is back to its old self, says the owner.

Medical cannabis is also known as medical marijuana is cannabis and cannabinoids that are usually prescribed by doctors for their patients. The use of cannabis as an alternative medicine has not been rigorously tested because of production restrictions and other governmental regulations. The use of medical cannabis has a limited amount of evidence that its use can reduce nausea and vomiting during chemotherapy, help to improve appetite in people with HIV/AIDS and help to reduce chronic pain and muscle spasms. As more states are legalizing medical marijuana for humans, more pet owners are also giving their beloved companions cannabis-based extracts, edibles, and ointments that are marketed to treat everything from arthritis and anxiety to seizures and cancer. Most of these alternative medicine pet products, which aren't regulated, contain cannabidiol or CBD, which is a chemical compound that is found in cannabis that doesn't get pets or humans high. The cannabis products contain little or no tetrahydrocannabinol or THC, the cannabis compound known for its psychoactive effects.

But veterinarians will say there isn't enough scientific data to show that cannabis is safe for natural health products and effective for treating animals. Although medical marijuana is now legal in 28 states, it remains illegal under federal law, so there has been little research into the potential medical benefits as natural remedies for humans or animals. Veterinarians in California and other states in the U.S. are legally barred from prescribing or recommending cannabis as natural health products, although other countries are more flexible (Like Canada). Their hands are tied, and many veterinarians admit to getting more questions from clients asking about the use of cannabis as natural remedies for their pets, but unfortunately they don't have any answers for them. Karl Jandrey, who is a veterinarian who teaches at the University of California, said that he tells his clients they to use the cannabis as natural health products at their own risk. Clients may try to use medical cannabis with the potential to spend money for no improvement, or the risk of adverse side effects. San Francisco-based TreatWell Health is one of a growing number of companies that are marketing cannabis natural health products for pets despite questions over their legality. TreatWell sells cannabis tinctures as natural health products. The tinctures are extracted from marijuana plants grown in Humboldt County. The tinctures used as natural remedies for a variety of ailments can be added to food or dropped directly into an animal's mouth. Many people say that they have tried traditional medications from the vet that haven't worked, but found success with medical cannabis.

This is just one of the natural remedies for pets you will find on the Kandu Cannameds site. This site is all about cannabis news and includes cannabis choices guide, natural health products, natural remedies for a variety of ailments, cannabis news and more. **

Learn MORE at Kandu Cannameds


To help with slow website load, we have put all photos for this article here: View photo gallery.