Adapted from a press release.
The National Animal Supplement Council (NASC) announces that Frontiers in Veterinary Science (Front. Vet. Sci.) has published results from the first-of-its-kind peer-reviewed safety study of cannabidiol products in healthy dogs.
In the study, different cannabinoids were well tolerated in healthy male and female dogs when dosed for 90 consecutive days with a 14-day recovery period. Based on the results of this study, other published studies, and data from extensive post-market surveillance, hemp-derived cannabinoids are well tolerated in healthy dogs at a dose of 5mg/kg of body weight per day and do not pose significant risk to dogs in long-term use.
“These data demonstrate that different cannabidiols are safe for long-term use in healthy dogs when given at the dose studied,” said Bill Bookout, NASC president. “With safety studies, no matter how well controlled or meticulously defined, it is impossible to account for everything that can occur when a product is commercialized. That is why this safety study includes not only data from a well-designed study protocol, but also 10 years of post-market surveillance data from the NASC Adverse Event Reporting Database (NAERS), which is the most advanced monitoring system in the world for these types of products given to companion animals. No other study that we are aware of is as comprehensive and includes both data sets.”
The study
In the study, 32 healthy beagle dogs (16 males and 16 females) were randomized into four treatment groups and treated with either medium chain triglyceride oil as the control (placebo) or one of the following: broad spectrum cannabidiol (CBD), broad spectrum cannabidiol with cannabigerol (CBD + CBG), or broad spectrum cannabidiol with cannabidiolic acid (CBD + CBDA), at a dose of 5 milligrams total cannabinoids per kilogram of body weight per day.
All animals completed the study. Study results show that CBD, CBD + CBG and CBD + CBDA at the ratios and doses utilized were well tolerated over the duration of the study period when healthy male and female beagles were dosed for 90 consecutive days.
The full article with study references and supplementary material can be viewed here.
Previous long-term CBD study for dogs showed few health problems
Recently, researchers with Colorado State University and Hill’s Pet Nutrition collaborated in a long-term study of CBD’s effects on dogs. After 36 weeks of CBD supplementation, none of the dogs in the study showed serious health problems. Only at the highest dosage did some of the dogs get loose stools.
"This study was important to show that dogs are able to tolerate doses generally much higher than what most of these brands are marketing towards,” Breonna Kusick, neurology clinical trials manager at Colorado State University told Petfood Industry. “However, it's important to note that these are all very healthy dogs, and the higher doses may not necessarily be as well-tolerated in dogs with any sort of illnesses or on any additional medications."
Kusick noted the importance for CBD-based pet supplement brands to continue reviewing new literature to stay on top of their own recommendations. "I also think it's helpful for these brands to understand what to watch for (such as signs of liver disease) for pet parent education," he added.
Dog owners who choose to supplement their pet’s diets with CBD should watch for signs of liver disease, including vomiting, diarrhea, decreased appetite and general fatigue, Kusick said. Yellowing of the eyes and skin can be signs of more advanced liver disease.
This year, as negotiations for the next U.S. Farm Bill commenced, a coalition of 33 hemp industry groups called for the regulation of CBD and other ingredients derived from hemp under the existing frameworks for dietary supplements and food additives as outlined in HR 1629 and S 2451.
“There's still a bit of a ‘wild west’ component to CBD as the market is not regulated so it's important to always look for a certificate of analysis when considering any CBD-based products,” Kusick said.
