tim_shu

The way medicine is practiced today is not the same as it was 50 years ago, or even 10 years ago. The reason is because it's improving, and better options and therapies are available. The way medicine is practiced tomorrow will not be the way it's practiced today, it will improve. It is up to us to push for those improvements. If cannabis has therapeutic potential, we have a moral and ethical obligation to our patients and clients to thoroughly evaluate that potential.

Edit: When I first started the company, many people thought it was a crazy idea, some still do. But we as humans didn't get to where we are now by being content with the status quo.

Cannabinoid therapy can be very safe with minimal side effects when formulated and dosed properly. Although not common, potential side effects of diarrhea or sedation are possible. When it comes to treating pain, especially chronic pain, such as arthritis in cats, we don't have many good options and opioids are not good options for chronic pain. This is where cannabis has been a life-saver for many pets. It's also important to understand that many disease processes require multimodal therapy, and cannabis may be just one component of treatment.

Great question. CBD is the primary component of products made for animals. There have been a number of studies observing animal models being administered CBD at varying doses, using various routes of administration at short and long term intervals and the conclusion is that CBD has a wide margin of safety. Our experience reflects the same conclusion. However more pharmacokinetic and clinical studies are warranted to fully elucidate the interaction of cannabinoids within various species. We're starting to get a good understanding of the endocannabinoid system and we need more studies to better understand it, as we're just scratching the surface.

Arthritis is one of the most common reasons for cannabis use in animals. Cannabis can be effective for not only the chronic pain associated with arthritis but also the inflammation. Cats with arthritis can benefit greatly because there are a general lack of options when it comes to treating cats for pain. Opioids are not good chronic pain options and cats tend to be much more sensitive to drugs like NSAIDs.

Here is a short list to start with. It's important to note that the large majority of studies out there showing therapeutic benefits of cannabinoids were first established in preclinical studies using animal models. While double blind placebo controlled studies in animals are less common (mostly due to the difficulty of approval and funding to study a Schedule I substance), they are needed, and the good news is that more and more universities are starting such studies.

Edit: MOAR literature

Seizures 1,2,3,4,5

Anxiety 1,2,3,4,5

Pain, Arthritis 1,2,3,4

Nausea 1,2,3

Inflammation 1,2,3,4

Neuroprotection 1,2,3,4

Edit: Can't forget Cornell University's double blind, placebo-controlled study in dogs that found cannabinoids to be "efficacious for pain in dogs with osteoarthritis, chronic joint pain and geriatric pain and soreness; with dramatic beneficial effects in our more geriatric patients."