Why cannabidiol dog treats and CBD oil for dogs Australia should be regulated.
In the dog world we at Healthy Dog Treats strive to provide our loyal clients with the best advice and products, and CBD oil for dogs Australia is definitely NOT on the agenda. For every reason that another blog or snake oil salesmen will give you, we can give you many more real reason why not.
Whether OR NOT all of the appropriate testing and clinical trials have been done for humans, dog physiology is often quite different and requires just as rigorous testing before it is used for dogs. And one of our major issues with this opiod replacement is that if it does have less side effects for extreme pain relief, and less addiction, then in extreme cases it might be useful prescribing it.
However we suggest it should be reserved for chronic pain relief and diagnosed physological issues in dogs NOT dog behavioural issues. When that happens it will just be an easy way to over medicate and drug dogs into submission, rather than treat the behaviour issue or take the dog for a walk, give it what it actually needs and what might be causing the issues (lack of exercise and socialisation).
Part two of the issue is that like many medication cheats, the amount of CBD in dog biscuits is likely to be so minor that all you are doing is feeding a dog more KJ and giving it a slight ‘buzz’ – that is taking away the option to feed your dog more meat (with protein and enzymes benefits), and to have it work on correcting behaviour issues through intensive training.
WRONG CBD CLAIMS for dogs and dog treats
Here are the claims by OTHERS (like people making profit off your dog) and here are the counter claims that explain why this is so risky and unnecessary.
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THEY SAY CBD Reduces dog anxiety.
The reason most dogs are anxious is not a neurological disease, but lack of socialisation and effort on the owner’s behalf. Lack of dog walking also reduces mental and physical stimulation and removal of waste from the dog’s body. If you have an anxious dog, and you are unable to walk the dog yourself, consider getting a dog walker specialist OR a dog behaviourist to teach your dog to be social.
Giving ANY form of drug to an anxious dog, tends to mask the issue, doesn’t give the benefits of the dog walking and usually makes the dog more unstable. If society is happy to placate people who should also learn natural ways to release tension and stress and lower anxiety with pharmaceuticals so be it, THEIR OWN CHOICE. IN any honest dog loving blog that understands dogs, this would be the last benefit that anyone would offer up to the critical reason for using CBD on a dog.
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THEY SAY CBD treats dog seizures and epilepsy.
If this is true, and its more effective than long term medical studies suggest that specific crafted pharmaceutical through your vet are, then with your vets agreement I can see a benefit for using CBD for this specific reason.
However as with humans, we often find that dogs are treated for one thing, when really the human wants its secondary benefit, a stoned human or dog, cocooned from real world problems. Make sure that your vet prescribes CBD just for acute conditions of seizures and epilepsy. that other drugs are not as effective at treating.
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THEY SAY Boosts dog appetite and Prevents cancer.
This would be one of the most over used, under studied mistruths used in the CBD industry to date. Sure cannabis gives the munchies to recreational human users, but for years responsible dog owners and industry leaders (not bought by dog food companies or pharmaceutical companies), have been warning against fool hardy and dangerous ‘gags’ of getting dogs ‘stoned’. Dont give dogs alchol, chocolate, nicotine or cannabis. That was always the rule until lately.
If you are a stoner, this might seem a fun thing to do. For most dogs it is very frightening when a dog can’t think or walk straight. A dog doesn’t give consent to be used as a test subject and there are MANY other ways of getting a dog to have an appetitive, like exercise, play and off lead dog walking. If they are in the final stages of cancer and other drugs do not stimulate appetite, then yes, vet prescribed might be of value, but not randomly self administered.
Show me the white papers on large scale usage of CBD oil in dog cancer wards, with no side effects and I will revise this section. In the meantime, it a dangerous rumour spread to make money for CBD manufactures. A natural meat diet and exercise is FAR more likely to prevent cancers in dogs, than any artificial suppressant such as dope will provide. It is purely companies looking to make profit that feed dogs too much grain and veggies in the first place, which are more likely to cause pancreatitis and some cancers, then masking the issue with CBD. If a dog doesn’t want to eat meat, then they are truly sick. Perhaps feeding a dog more meat in the first place would have avoided the need for a cancer fix.
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THEY SAY relieves chronic dog pain and arthritis.
It has been documented that being stoned can dull the senses, and reduce the perceived level of pain that a dog has. Of course they are taken out of reality and should not be taken for off lead dog walks because they won’t know how to behave normally and have a socially great time.
If you really want to relieve joint pain and arthritis, This is why we sell shark cartilage and Green Lipped mussels as natural meat products that have been documented to naturally help dogs with bone joint pain. I have articles in the ABOUT section of my website that link to the original studies done with real dogs, showing real improvement in pain and mobility.
If your dog has chronic pain not associated with bone issues, and you prefer using CBD over pharmaceutical narcotics, that is your choice, just make sure you understand the side effects and the ideal dosage levels.
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THEY SAY: Improves the condition of a dog’s fur and skin.
And incredibly this is even offered up as a benefit? The reason that Omega 6 is mandated with affco laws for dog food is to provide adequate skin and coat benefits (as well as a whole host of other benefits). Omega 3 levels should also be mandated in those rules but are not. Flax seed is used for Omega 3 in dog food, but does not have the conversion value of Omega 3 from fish oil and so its catalyst value in activating Omega 6 benefits are typically not fully realised. This is why our fish and roo treats that have high levels of Omega 3 are recommended to people who want NATURAL and health benefits of these oils for their dogs.
You can achieve a glossy coat on a dog by using almost any oil, but along with that comes the Kilojoules loading that can make them fat, or give them loose stools. That is why we typically recommend people using meat based dog treats with high Omega 3 levels in them, rather than a drug like CBD or any generic oil like you might find ADDED to most dog foods.
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THEY SAY Strengthens your dog’s immune system.
Like many lofty claims (prevents or cures cancer) this is a massive mistruth. Where are the white papers sanctioned by WHO or other neutral medical societies that backs up these outlandish claims?
A dog’s immunity strengthen when they eat a natural meat, offal and bone raw diet, and they have daily off lead runs where they can safely socialise with other like dogs. THIS is how I boost my dog’s immune system.
No magic, not gimmicks, just a little hard work, where I and my dog are massively rewarded daily with his fitness levels (mental and physical ) and our happiness with natural endorphin releases.
CONCLUSON
When did Australians start thinking they could follow the American model of dropping a pill to make us feel up or down is natural for humans, let alone our dogs?
For any head-line grabbing, ‘click bait’ producing and outright lies that the new cannabis industry is trying to sell you, remember its about them becoming rich and diverting money from traditional and NATURAL methods of having your dog be naturally healthy and happy.
They are making a product with so many massive unsubstantiated claims, a more researched citizen might think it was more about legalising marijuana for human recreational use, than anything to do with dog health at all.
Any time a miracle claim is made about a new additive that will revolutionise any industry, if it is not naturally made and freely available without hallucinogenic effects, (and not refined and marketed by a conglomerate) if a small lobby group is set to make incredible profits from it, please consider who the product is actually benefiting most: you or them?
I would never get my dog drunk or stoned. I would never use artificial stimulates or depressants for my dog unless they had a chronic issue and I was doing so under vet advice. Definitely NOT in the place of natural food and natural exercise that will serve the dog MUCH better!
If a dog has a major medical condition I will take them to a vet, and I will also follow up with reading medical papers with legitimate results for MANY dogs, and repeatable trials.
I do not feed my dog anything artificial that I would not take myself for alleviating a chronic medical issue, let alone a ‘nuisance issue’ that it seem seems is the true main medical target market for these sales. Please consider everything you choose to put into your dog carefully.