Infographic: Uses of CBD in dogs and cats

Research: MVZ Flor Ortiz

CBD and other cannabinoids have pharmacological properties and should be prescribed by a veterinarian for use in animals. must be prescribed by a veterinarian for use in animals..

DO NOT SELF-MEDICATE OR MEDICATE YOUR PETS WITHOUT THE ADVICE OF A VETERINARIAN. 

All vertebrate animals possess an endocannabinoid system (ECS) that produces compounds called cannabinoids. For this reason, dogs, cats, horses, other mammals and even birds and reptiles can benefit from treatments based on CBD, a cannabinoid produced by the cannabis plant.

Research supports that CBD can help treat:

• Epilepsy (5,16,21)

• Joint diseases (12, 20,22,24,28)

• Dermatological problems (3,4,17,23)

• Cancer (1,14,15,19)

• Glaucoma (9,10,26)

• Inflammation and pain (acute and chronic) (6,8,13,27,28,31)

• Loss of appetite (6,8,13,29,31)

• Behavioral problems (anxiety, aggression, fear, etc.) (2,6,7,11,18,30)

• Elderly patients (25,31)

ICAN® All rights reserved. No modification of the images or text contained herein is permitted. Reproduction without modification is permitted when ICAN is cited as the author and linked to www.ican.mx and/or Facebook @ICANvets. Design: Zaira Orozco

Referrals for disease or impairment

Cancer (1,14,15,19)
Epilepsy (5,16,21)
Joint diseases (12, 20,22,24,28)
Dermatology (3,4,17,23)
Glaucoma (9,10,26)
Behavioral problems (2,6,7,11,18,30)
Inflammation and pain management (acute and chronic) (6,8,13,27,28,31)
Loss of appetite (6,8,13,29,31)
Elderly patients (25,31)

References in different species  

Cows (28)
Sheep (28)
Pig (28)
Horses (27,28)
Elephant (31)

 References

1. Bifulco,M., Laezza, C., Pisanti, S. and Gazzero, P. (2006). Cannabinoids and cancer: pros and cons of an antitumour strategy. British Journal of Pharmacology, 148, 123-135.

2. Blessing, E. M., Steenkamp, M. M., Manzanares, J., & Marmar, C. R. (2015). Cannabidiol as a Potential Treatment for Anxiety Disorders. Neurotherapeutics, 12(4), 825-836. doi:10.1007/s13311-015-0387-1.

3. Campora, L., Miragliota, V., Ricci, E., Cristino, L., Di Marzo, V., Albanese, F., Della Valle, M. F., Abramo, F. (2011). Cannabinoid receptor type 1 and 2 expression in the skin of healthy dogs and dogs with atopic dermatitis. Am J Vet Res. 73(7):988-95. doi: 10.2460/ajvr.73.7.988.

4. Cerrato, S., Brazis, P., Della Valle, M. F., Miolo, A., Petrosino, S., Di Marzo, V. and Puigdemont, A. (2012). Effects of palmitoylethanolamide on the cutaneous allergic inflammatory response in Ascaris hypersensitive Beagle dogs. The Veterinary Journal, 191 377-382. doi: 10.1016/j.tvjl.2011.04.002.

5. Cifuentes Sanabria, C. A., Yepes Gómez, H. V., Valcarcel Peña, J. Y. (2019). Retrospective study of the use of medical cannabis in idiopathic epileptic patients in the animal health neurology veterinary clinic in Bogota-Colombia. REMEVET-Colombia CVDC Special. Retrieved from http://fliphtml5.com/nxmz/yxoa/basic

6. Cital, S., Kramer, K., Hughston, L., and Gaynor, J. (Eds.) (2021). Cannabis Therapy in Veterinary Medicine: A Complete Guide. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-68317-7.

7. Corsetti, S., Borruso, S., Malandrucco, L., Spallucci, V., Maragliano, L., Perino, R., D'Agostino, P. and Natoli, E. (2021). Cannabis sativa L. may reduce aggressive behavior towards humans in shelter dogs. Sci Rep 11, 2773. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-82439-2

8. De Briyne, N., Holmes, D., Sandler, I., Stiles, E., Szymanski, D., Moody, S., Neumann, S., and Anadón, A. (2021). Cannabis, cannabidiol oils and tetrahydrocannabinol-what do veterinarians need to know? Animals, 11(3), 1-19 . https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11030892.

9. Elsohly, M. A., Harland, E., Murphy, J. C., Wirth, P. and Waller, C. W. (1981). Cannabinoids in Glaucoma: A Primary Screening Procedure. J Clin Pharmacol; 21 :472S-478S . https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1552-4604.1981.tb02627.x.

10. Fischer, K. M., Ward, D. A., Hendrix, D. V. (2013). Effects of a topically applied 2% delta-9- tetrahydrocannabinol ophthalmic solution on intraocular pressure and aqueous humor flow rate in clinically normal dogs. Am J Vet Res; 74(2):275-80. doi: 10.2460/ajvr.74.2.275.

11. Galeana G., D.I. and Castillo Vazquez, M. (2020). Use of cbd in clinical ethology consultation. Case report. REMEVET. SPECIAL ISSUE VETCANN 2-2020, 40-42.

12. Gamble, L. J., Boesch, J. M., Frye, C. W., Schwark, W. S., Mann, S., Wolfe, L., Brown, H., Berthelsen, E. S., Wakshlag, J. J. (2018). Pharmacokinetics, Safety, and Clinical Efficacy of Cannabidiol Treatment in Osteoarthritic Dogs. Front. Vet. Sci. 5:165. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2018.00165.

13. Hazzah, T., Andre, C., Richter, G., and Mcgrath, S. (2020). Cannabis in Veterinary Medicine: A Critical Review. AHVMA Journal, 61, 17-41.

14. Kehl, L. J., Hamamoto, D. T., Wacnik, P. W., Croft, D. L., Norsted, B. D., Wilcox, G. L., and Simone, D. A. (2003). L. and Simone, D. A. (2003). A cannabinoid agonist differentially attenuates deep tissue hyperalgesia in animal models of cancer and inflammatory muscle pain. Pain, 103, (1-2): 175-186. https://doi. org/10.1016/S0304-3959(02)00450-5

15. McCarthy. L. E. and Borinson H. L. (1981). Antiemetic Activity of N-Methyllevonantradol and Nahilone in Cisplatin-Treated cats. J Clin Pharmacol; 21 :30S-37S.

16. McGrath, S., Bartner, L. R., Rao, S., Packer, R. A., Gustafson, D. L. (2019). Randomized blinded controlled clinical trial to assess the effect of oral cannabidiol administration in addition to conventional antiepileptic treatment on seizure frequency in dogs with intractable idiopathic epilepsy. J Am Vet Med Assoc, 254(11):1301-1308. doi: 10.2460/javma.254.11.1301.

17. Miragliotta, V., Ricci, P. L., Albanese, F., Pirone, A., Tognotti, D. and Abramo, F. (2018). Cannabinoid receptor types 1 and 2 and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α: distribution in the skin of clinically healthy cats and cats with hypersensitivity dermatitis. Vet Dermatol. DOI: 10.1111/vde.12658

18. Morris, E.M., Kitts-Morgan, S.E., Spangler, D.M., McLeod, K.R., Costa, J.H.C. and Harmon, D.L. (2020). The Impact of Feeding Cannabidiol (CBD) Containing Treats on Canine Response to a Noise-Induced Fear Response Test. Front. Vet. Sci. 7:569565 . https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2020.569565.

19. Parker, L., Kwiatkowska, M., Burton, P. Mechoulam, R. (2003). Effect of cannabinoids on lithium-induced vomiting in the Suncus murinus (house musk shrew). Psychopharmacology. 171:156-161. DOI 10.1007/s00213-003-1571-2.

20. De Gregorio, D., et al. (2019). Cannabidiol modulates serotonergic transmission and reverses both allodynia and anxiety-like behavior in a model of neuropathic pain. Pain, 160 (2019) 136-150. DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.1097%2Fj.pain.0000000000001386

21. Gesell, F. K., Zoerner, A. A., Brauer, C., Engeli, S., Tsikas, D., Tipold, A. (2013). Alterations of endocannabinoids in cerebrospinal fluid of dogs with epileptic seizure disorder. BMC Veterinary Research.Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24370333

22. Philpott H.T., O'Brien M., McDougall, J. (2017). Attenuation of early phase inflammation by cannabidiol prevents pain and nerve damage in rat osteoarthritis. Pain. 2017 Dec; 158(12): 2442-2451. DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.1097%2Fj.pain.0000000000001052

23. Scarampella, F., Abramo, F. and Noli, C. (2001). Clinical and histological evaluation of an analogue of Palmitoylethanolamide. PLR 20 (comicronized Palmidrol INN) in cats with eosinophilic granuloma and eosinophilic plaque: a pilot study. Veterinary Dermatology, 12 (1), 29-39. DOI:10.1046/j.1365-3164.2001.00214.x

24. Valastro et al. (2017). Characterization of endocannabinoids and related acylethanolamides in synovial fluid of osteoarthritic dogs: a pilot study. BMC Veterinary Research (2017) 13:309. DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.1186%2Fs12917-017-1245-7

25. Zadik-Weiss, L., Ritter, S., Hermush, V., Asher, N., Avital, A., and Or, R. (2020). Feline cognitive dysfunction as a model for Alzheimer's disease in the research of CBD as a potential treatment-a narrative review. Journal of Cannabis Research, 2(1), 0-5. https://doi.org/10.1186/s42238-020-00054-w. https://doi.org/10.1186/s42238-020-00054-w

26. Guo, L., Luong, V., Gregson, A., Baker, D., Selwood, D., Cordeiro, F.M. (2021). VSN16S, an agonist of the cannabinoid receptor, reduces IOP profiles and exhibits neuroprotective properties in a rat model of glaucoma. Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci.,62(8):2360.

27. Ellis, K. L., & Contino, E. K. (2019). Treatment using cannabidiol in a horse with mechanical allodynia. Equine Veterinary Education. https://doi.org/10.1111/eve.13168

28. Luedke, C. (2020, November 9-13). Hemp for horses: review of clinical cases and dosing protocols [Conference presentation]. Vetcann Congress 2020, Online. https://vetcann.org/index.php/ii-congreso-internacional-vetcann-online-2020/. https://vetcann.org/index.php/ii-congreso-internacional-vetcann-online-2020/

29. Cohen, L., Jones, T., Guay, K., Smith, W.B., Nichols, J. and Elwonger, F. (2021). Evaluation of oral supplementation of cannabidiol (CBD) in horses. Journal of Equine Veterinary Science, 100, 103525 . https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jevs.2021.103525.

30. Hill, E. and Bryne, W. (2021). Safety and behavioural effects of cannabidiol applied as an oral administration in horses. Journal of Equine Veterinary Science, 100, 103598. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jevs.2021.103598

31. Ortiz, F., Castillo, M., Hernández, Q. and Flores, C. (2021). Preliminary Evaluation of Cannabidiol Use in an Asian Elephant: Brief Report. Preprints, 2021060442