Medical Marijuana. Can My Pet Benefit?
–by Dr. Sarah Brandon, DVM
MEDICAL CANNABIS, AND WHETHER TO adminis- ter it to your canine companion, can incite serious debate amongst the best of friends. Legalities and political associations aside, let’s focus on the science. Are dogs able to obtain health benefits from cannabis? If so, how and why? Lastly and most importantly, isn’t cannabis toxic to dogs? The cannabis family consists of marijuana and
hemp. Marijuana traditionally is higher in THC than CBD, while hemp is the opposite. All cannabis plants contain hundreds of beneficial compounds, including phytocannabinoids (CBD, THC, etc.), terpenes (also found in essential oils) and flavonoids (e.g. quercetin which is also found in cranberries and sweet potatoes). CBD and THC are the pri- mary phytocannabinoids and while both provide health benefits, THC is also responsible for the “high.” CBD cannot get you “high” but it can cause significant seda- tion and GI upset at high dosages. When these compounds are used together, smaller amounts of each are needed
for the same benefits; this is called the entourage effect. This all sounds nifty, right? But how it affects
how your dog responds is both complex and simple. Every mammal has an endocannabinoid system (ECS) and has receptors in every cell type. The ECS makes natural THC (anandamide) and CBD (2-AG) which help the body with a variety of regulatory processes. These processes help manage nor-
mal inflammation within joints and settle the brain’s
anxiety centers. In short, the ECS is already functioning in your dog’s body and when external cannabis com- pounds are administered, the ECS simply utilizes the additional ‘ingredients’ for
72 THE NEW BARKER
its normal functions. The ECS is a system which makes and
activates receptors in specific areas according to need. Your HVAC system works similarly in that it ‘listens’ to air temperature sensors and adjusts itself to maintain 72o
F. Rather
than heat and cold, the ECS alters anan- damide/THC and 2-AG/CBD in order to maintain healthy homeostasis. However, the system isn’t perfect and sometimes it needs additional com- pounds, just like the HVAC system needs more electricity during times of extreme weather. Let’s get a bit more complex and
consider possible toxicities with THC (the “heat” in our HVAC example) and CBD (“cold”). If one cranks the HVAC to 90o
F, eventually the body cannot
sweat away the excess heat and heat stroke occurs. Equivocally, too much THC results in paranoia (seen in our dogs as panting, drooling, wide eyes, and restlessness), alterations in blood pres- sure, vomiting, seizures, and more. Going the other way, a temperature set to 45o
It’s well understood among veterinarians that ingestion of cannabis, the plant from which marijuana is derived, can be toxic to dogs. Problems from accidental exposure are amply documented. As in people, the bodies of dogs and other ani- mals naturally produce cannabi- noids. These chemicals, whether natural or from an outside source such as the cannabis plant, attach to receptors in the nervous system, immune system and elsewhere, to affect the body’s function.
F eventually goes from
fun-with-parkas to everyone being a shivering hud- dled mass. CBD is a potent depressive agent (neu- rologically speaking), and like low temperatures, will eventually cause stupor, coma and death. Here’s the neat bit. When CBD and THC are administered concurrently, they function to mitigate the negatives and potentiate the positives, helping the ECS remain at comfortable “temperature.” Add in terpenes and flavonoids, naturally found in cannabis, and the ECS is able to function at its highest potential. Now that we have a good background, let’s
address our main questions. Are dogs able to gain health benefits from cannabis? Yes. Because they have an ECS, externally administered cannabis supports the system, enhancing the normal process- es already occurring. The scientific community lacks double blinded studies in canines but we are fortunate to lean on evidenced-based medicine. Simply put, thousands of dogs have received cannabis with positive results and few adverse effects, specifically hemp-based products which uti- lize low doses of cannabis-based compounds in order to assist the ECS.
As more states approve the medical/recreational use of marijuana for humans, veterinarians are seeing a noticeable increase in cases of marijuana intoxication. Of particular concern are dogs that consume the THC-infused edibles, which often look and taste like snacks. Another concern with infused edibles is that they often contain ingredients that can be harmful to pets, such as choco- late, raisins and sorbitol. In 2015 alone, according to the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center, 714 cases were reported. “We know that is way under-reported because most veterinarians know how to treat marijuana intoxica- tion and don’t need to call us,” said Dr. Tina Wismer, Medical Director, ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center.
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