More than half of all older dogs suffer from arthritis according to the statistics provided by the Arthritis Foundation. When the chances are so high, you know your dog might as well be a victim of arthritis. In fact, data also suggests that if a dog is over 7 years of age, the chances that it suffers from arthritis are a good 65%. If your dog has been diagnosed with arthritis, it can be devastating to deal with so much pain, while putting you through an emotional trauma in seeing your dog suffer.
The good news is that various studies strongly suggest that the best CBD oil for pain can be very useful in managing pain and inflammation associated with arthritis. However, before we proceed to how CBD can be useful, let’s see what arthritis and CBD are.
WHAT IS ARTHRITIS
Arthritis is a condition that is characterized by chronic inflammation in the joints causing pain and stiffness as a result. There are various kinds of arthritis. However, pain and inflammation are two major symptoms of the condition. As already mentioned, canine arthritis is quite common. Not a lot of people are aware of this fact; hence, the condition goes completely unnoticed for a long time.
It’s still quite vague as to what exactly causes arthritis in dogs. However, dogs are most susceptible to osteoarthritis which is also known as degenerative joints disease. This happens when the cartilage, a flexible tissue that absorbs shock in the joints, degenerates. Thus, this ends up causing friction making the movement in the joints painful and causing swelling.
STANDARD TREATMENT
Since arthritis is a common condition in dogs, there are certain kinds of medicines that are commonly prescribed to provide relief from the symptoms. These medicines help in bringing pain under control while reducing inflammation. While your dog would be relieved of pain and inflammation to a certain degree, these medicines can cause several undesirable side-effects.
Some of the side-effects are –
- Diarrhea
- Seizures
- Stomach ulcers
- Lethargy or hyperactivity
- Aggressive behavior
- Loss of appetite and weight loss
- Nausea
The worst case of side effects can be liver and kidney damage. This makes it pretty evident that the medicines used for arthritis can also cause many more problems that can make your dog’s life a living nightmare. This is why researchers have been on a hunt to find an all-natural alternative that can provide relief from pain and inflammation from arthritis without any severe side- effects. That brings us to CBD.
WHAT IS CBD
CBD is a plant-based compound derived from hemp. It has various therapeutic properties including pain relief and anti-inflammatory action. Both human beings and animals have a system called the endocannabinoid system in the body. This system helps in achieving and maintaining homeostasis, promoting an overall balance in health. The ECS also has a role in managing pain and inflammation. CBD mimics the effects of the natural cannabinoids (endocannabinoids) found in the body, thus delivering its benefits.
HOW DOES IT WORK
CBD helps fight inflammation in the major organs, like the brain, lungs, and many more. This fact is backed up by science. When we talk about arthritis, most chronic pain in the joints is caused as a result of inflammation. When inflammation is brought under control, it also significantly reduces pain in dogs. While a reduction in pain from reduced inflammation is one thing, CBD also helps in bringing down the inflammation by interacting with pain-related receptors in the ECS system.
While these properties are quite beneficial for dogs, you can even use the best CBD oil for pain for cats that suffer from arthritis as well. Moreover, the usefulness of CBD also extends to human beings who suffer from arthritis. Studies already indicate how useful CBD can be. To prove it more firmly, researchers are actively studying how CBD works to reduce inflammation and pain.
While CBD is legal in most states in the US and many countries globally, these studies will help in proving the effectiveness of CBD, which in turn will positively impact legalization of best CBD oil for pain in other countries and states as well.
COMMON MISCONCEPTION
The biggest misconception surrounding CBD is that it’s one of those addictive substances that might cause your dog to be high. However, it’s nothing but a myth. If you do enough research, you will know why there is this confusion and what the truth actually is.
First things first, the reason why people associate CBD with marijuana is that both come from the same plant. However, the addictive compound found in cannabis, known as THC, despite having the same molecular structure as CBD, acts differently. While THC can cause psychoactive effects, CBD has no addictive property or psychoactive effects. This is why it would never get your dog high no matter what.
Since cannabis contains both CBD and THC, there are chances a CBD product with CBD extracted from cannabis wouldn’t be legal because of the presence of THC in it. This is why it’s important to make sure that your CBD product comes from hemp and is the best CBD oil for pain. Hemp has an abundance of CBD while THC is only found in traces in the plant. CBD for pets is derived from industrial hemp, and the products contain less than 0.3% of THC, which is a negligible amount.
BOTTOM LINE
Besides arthritis, best CBD oil for pain would also help in managing many other conditions in both animals and human beings. Some of them are Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), anxiety, stress, pain and inflammation from Multiple Sclerosis, and even the growth of a tumor. CBD does not usually have any side-effects and is pretty safe. However, it’s recommended to talk to a vet before you administer CBD to be on the safer side.
Now that you know how to manage arthritis in your dog by using CBD, a natural compound, you just need to make sure you buy the right product. As already mentioned, before buying a CBD product for your dog, make sure it comes from hemp. When you buy a product from a website, look for lab tests that prove that the manufacturer sells quality products.